Just started a new job and just found out im pregnant!

[SunnySide1992]

Hey everyone, so ive just found out im 4 weeks pregnant and have just started a job as a student dental nurse! My concern is after my 3 month probation i will then be enrolled ontò the course and if i dont complete it when i get back from maternity leave i will owe them £400! Also im not sure what my rights will be about maternity pay? I just wish i never left my old job now! Wonder if i can go back? Any advice would be amazing!

You’re not entitled to maternity pay from your new employer, you must be working for your employer for 24 weeks before the start of your pregnancy in order for them to pay you. You may be entitled to stat maternity pay from the government though.

But in all honesty if you’re on a 3 month trial period I can’t see them keeping you on after that. It is illegal to fire someone for being pregnant but they are allowed to let you go without giving you a reason after your trial.

@CatsHairEverywhere2 thankyou, basically im screwed then ahh wonder if my old employee will take me back!

You will be entitled to Maternity Allowance through the government. I found out I was pregnant just as I was finishing university. I got a temp admin job so that I was earning between the qualifying weeks and then in the meantime got a permanent job.

Do your employers know you're pregnant? I would keep it quiet until you legally have to disclose eg 24/28 weeks. Although if you're involved in X-rays etc this may not be possible. Do you think you will complete the course after mat leave?

Going back to your old employer wont mean you get maternity pay as theres been a break in continuous employment

I agree with another poster that you keep it quiet until you legally have to tell your employer. Good luck!

Don’t tell them until after you’ve completed your 3 month probation, you are under no obligation to tell them. Once they’ve decided they are keeping you then it would be illegal to get rid of you because you are pregnant. You should be able to take maternity leave from your course and return, plenty of my student nurse/midwife colleagues did this. You won’t be entitled to maternity pay from your employer but you can get statutory maternity pay and, depending on your overall situation, you may also be able to top that up with universal credit.

U don't have to tell them until 15 weeks before the due date so don't tell them. Pass your probation, get it in writing that you've passed and then go from there. You'll be on statutory mat pay either way - same as me! I started last November

You’re not entitled to maternity pay from your new employer, you must be working for your employer for 24 weeks before the start of your pregnancy in order for them to pay you.

I’m not sure that’s correct. You have to have been working for your employer continuously for 26 weeks by the time you reach the qualifying week of pregnancy (which is 15 weeks before the week of the due date). Basically you have to have been working there before you became pregnant.
OP you say it’s a new job, I assume you mean you’ve been there less than the 4 weeks you’ve been pregnant?

Hi there - I was in the same situation, I’d only been at a new job for a month and found myself unexpectedly pregnant. I just about qualified for maternity pay, you basically have to have conceived just after you started - you didn’t specify in your original post, but equally you’d be entitled to maternity allowance.
I panicked loads because I had a 6 month probation (which is only now coming up!) but I told them after my 12 week scan (which would coincide with your 3 month probation) and they were incredibly understanding - these things happen!
My advice would be not to stress out and just wait until your 12 week scan. I have a few family members in law and friends who said that even if I told them before my 12 week scan they would be very foolish indeed to dismiss me because it could still count as discrimination once you have it in writing - it wouldn’t be worth their legal fees!!

Basically, try not to stress - easier said than done, and also, a huge congratulations :)

When did you actually start at the job? The dates being close will make a difference between getting statutory maternity and maternity allowance, though assuming you're earning enough the only difference is statutory includes 6 weeks at 90% pay and the remainder at a fixed rate (£151.20 if I remember correctly!), while maternity allowance is just flat at the fixed rate, so not actually a huge difference. Going back to your old employer will count as starting new and you'll be on maternity allowance.

And congratulations!

@CatsHairEverywhere2

You’re not entitled to maternity pay from your new employer, you must be working for your employer for 24 weeks before the start of your pregnancy in order for them to pay you. You may be entitled to stat maternity pay from the government though.

But in all honesty if you’re on a 3 month trial period I can’t see them keeping you on after that. It is illegal to fire someone for being pregnant but they are allowed to let you go without giving you a reason after your trial.

That’s wrong.

As long as you started work before the pregnancy you are entitled to SMP (subject to minimum earnings). It’s 26 weeks before the 15th week before pregnancy (26+15 = 41 weeks, or 1 full
term pregnancy).

When did you start your new job, OP? Sometimes midwives will fiddle the date if it’s only just out.

Hey everyone, wow thanks for so many replies! Sorry ive just got on lunch. So i started 24th march. My worry is will i get any money atall from either the company or goverment? I should be happy but im so stressed now!! =(

Whilst ordinarily not telling your employer yet is okay. You are potential exposed to x-rays and possibly drugs that you shouldn't handle. You need to tell you employer so they can risk assess and protect your baby.

If there is any chance they will guess you are pg it is better to tell them officially (as if they let you go and can convincingly say they'd no idea you were pg you could not claim it was discrimination).

If there's any chance of your work harming a pregnancy I can't see how you can avoid telling them either.

I would agree with @Lonecatwithkitten, whilst it's fine for posters to say "don't tell your employer" there are some jobs where this really isn't advisable because of risks to the baby. If you're only working on reception, fine, but otherwise you could be present during x-rays or asked to carry heavy chemicals etc. You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk.

@SunnySide1992

Hey everyone, wow thanks for so many replies! Sorry ive just got on lunch. So i started 24th march. My worry is will i get any money atall from either the company or goverment? I should be happy but im so stressed now!! =(

You need to work 26 out of 66 weeks for maternity allowance.

I’ve known midwives move a due date by a week or 2 to enable SMP to be claimed - 3 or more may be a step further than they would go.

With a start date of 24th march you wouldn't be entitled to SMP but should be entitled to maternity allowance. Across the whole 39 weeks MA works out at £5,926.83 for 2021/22. If you're earning 20k the SMP amount over the same 39 weeks is £7,086.23, so not actually a massive difference (I have a spreadsheet I used to calculate maternity pay which came in handy during a job offer while TTC!)

You need to tell your employer - as PPs have said, so they can do a risk assessment, but also so they are aware of your pregnancy as a protected characteristic.

If you do go back to your old job I think you'd run into the same problem regarding maternity pay/ leave as you would be a new employee as you had previously left your job.

@SunnySide1992

Hey everyone, wow thanks for so many replies! Sorry ive just got on lunch. So i started 24th march. My worry is will i get any money atall from either the company or goverment? I should be happy but im so stressed now!! =(

Yes you will be entitled to maternity allowance which is basically the same as stat maternity pay. This actually happened to me twice, with my first I had been in a new job for a week before I found out, they found out instantly (long story but I didn't intend for them to find out) they weren't overly happy but kept me on anyway as they wouldn't want the consequences of firing someone for being pregnant. I found out I was expecting my second 3 weeks in to a new job, I did end up telling them as I had to have a bit of time off due to being in hospital, I was on a three month trial and they were fine with it and still kept me on. Good luck xx

You wouldn’t be eligible for SMP but you’d get maternity allowance which isn’t too much difference in terms of how much you get. Going back to your previous employer would be the same case as you weren’t continuously employed.
I’m also a dental nurse and I told my employers I was pregnant as soon as I found out. Mainly because of X-ray exposure and covid etc. Since 28 weeks I’ve been reception only (on advice of midwife due to covid guidelines). I also got quite bad morning sickness very early on so it was impossible for me to hide it. I much preferred them knowing by this point as they tried to help by changing things where possible to make me more comfortable.
Unfortunately with you being in your probationary period, there is a real possibility of them finding “other” reasons not to continue your employment but similarly they could keep you on. It’s all in their hands from that point of view unfortunately. Good luck op and congratulations

@SunnySide1992 this happened me. Started a new job in the Oct (knew I was pregnant, new employer didn't) I was 18 weeks. Got the job offer, accepted it. Then just before my start date I told them I was pregnant and due in the March! There was absolutely no issues and I am still there now 3 years on, and my probation period was 6 months. I received government maternity pay!

Thankyou all for responding =) im feeling much better now but still worried. My problem is for dental nursing you need hep b vaccine, which is 3 courses. Ive had 1 but now i cant have any because im pregnant! My employee gave me a risk assesment and said to talk to my doctor. What should i do? I cant not work!

I was a dental nurse for 6 years.

I’m 25 now and just had my first daughter, didn’t go back into dental nursing (doesn’t pay anywhere near enough but I think it’s based on area) if you have any questions feel free to pop me a message! I didn’t find the training too ruthless tbh. You’ll be absolutely fine and the career pay off should be great (again, area dependant) you can specialise in subjects: orthodontics, endodontics, treatment coordinators, implant nurse ect.

I’ve done a lot of assisting with implants and lots of orthodontics, I was just getting into a treatment coordinator role before leaving for maternity, that was fun.