Applying for jobs 3 months pregnant

[riromay]

I need your advice.. I am 13 weeks pregnant and I was fired last week from my job due to covid.

I have applied to other jobs since but I am so anxious about how to approach this whole pregnancy.

Obviously I am not mentioning the fact that I am pregnant in my applications nor in the first interview. I had 2 interviews so far and both said we should schedule a second interview soon..

Should I mention the pregnancy when (IF) they're offering me the job? Or before that?

I am basically worried that even if I don't mention it, they can fire me in the first few months while I'm still in the notice period . I am not in the uk btw.. here they can fire you in the first 3 months with only 14 days notice. I would leave on maternity leave in the middle of October (due middle of November) and would be gone for 11 months.

How would you approach this? Anyone has any experience getting jobs while pregnant?

I work in finance btw .

It's difficult to say not knowing what country you are in to know the laws surrounding protection of pregnant women where you are

In the UK you don't have to tell an employer until a certain number of weeks before your due date and if they fire you specifically because of your pregnancy then you can sue them

BUT there is a moral argument about being Upfront especially if the job requires considerable training and then you are expecting to leave and them hold your job for a year and then walk straight back into it - especially for smaller companies it's quite a burden

Like you say even if you don't mention it now you're going to HAVE to tell them before the end of your notice period depending on when your due date is and then they can find a reason to get rid of you in your notice period. If you tell them before they've made an offer they could just find a reason as to why you weren't suitable for the job? If you tell them after the offer is made and then they retract it because of the pregnancy is this protected by your country's laws?

(There is a thread on the legal board very similar to this except the poster was 20 weeks)

Thank you for your reply.. yes I would be protected by the law (in theory) both if they withdraw the job offer or fire me because I am pregnant. However.. I don't know how far that'll get me.

In my previous job they kept other people in the same position and they fired me ( they knew I was pregnant). I am in contact with my union but they're basically saying that they agree it's fishy but I have to find out by myself if I was fired because of pregnancy or not and they'll just guide me through the process. Basically, yes all the laws are protecting me but in practice it's quite hard to prove and I don't want to take the route of fighting my employers because it's a small professional world and I need to find other jobs. I'm in contact with another lawyer and maybe he'll be more helpful with this situation but I don't really have faith that I am really protected if they fire me because I am pregnant.

I just don't know how to approach this so the employer doesn't feel "scammed" but I can also get a job.

I'm hoping someone has been though this and successfully got a job and a good working experience and can share the secret 🙂

Anyone?