WWYD? - Working on maternity leave

[deliwoman1]

Hi everyone,

I'm a lecturer and I've been offered a teaching gig for one 14-week semester starting Sept 1. But... baby due July 3rd! I'm legally allowed to work for this employer while on mat leave from my main employer due to when I started my job. It'll be one afternoon a week, plus a little bit of time for grading. I've worked for this employer before and I'm experienced so there won't be any surprises with the workload. I've also taught the course before so it's already planned and I'd only need to tweak one or two things I can tweak well in advance. Thankfully my partner is self-employed and can be flexible so childcare won't be an issue.

WWYD? I'm leaning toward accepting the offer but am I completely mad to say yes so soon after due date? It's a lot of money to us and we could really, really use it to see us through my mat leave. I've been so worried about how we'll manage and this seems like the answer to our prayers.

I figured if I was too unwell or if it was just impossible, I would know very quickly after baby arrives and I could withdraw asap?

Aargh. I cannot work out whether I'm actually able to do this. The guidance is so unclear. I did start work for my second employer at least fifteen weeks before my expected week of childbirth, but the service will not be continuous. Because of these horrific zero hours contracts they put us all on, there's a break my employment between courses.

What I can't seem to find out from anyone is whether my secondary employment needs to be continuous. Or, whether it's fine just to have worked for my secondary employer previously (during the qualifying week).

Neither HR team seems to be able to tell me. I'm going to give Maternity Action a call on Friday to try and fathom it out.

@EarringsandLipstick, I don't suppose you'd have any insights here? Were you employed elsewhere and in receipt of maternity pay when you took on your course?

Sorry to be negative but it would be a no for me unless there would be huge long term benefits.

At that stage with my first I was juuust about over my c section, breastfeeding went well but I still would not have been able to leave the baby at that stage. Granted, if I'd had to I would've had an incentive to pump and get her started on bottles, but I'm glad I didn't have to.

She had silent reflux and just didn't sleep unless one of us was holding her upright, there were days I wasn't safe to drive. I'm a lecturer and there's no way I would have been able to pull myself together enough to be coherent for two hours - even on the module that I've been teaching for five years that doesn't need any prep these days.

My second was better and I would have been just about able to do it at that stage but of course you just don't know in advance what you're going to get.

Of course, women the world over do it through lack of choice so if you need to do it or there's massive benefit then I'm sure you'll manage admirably. But I wouldn't be putting myself through it personally.

Can you do it as a self employed sole trader rather than as an employee? That may help the legalities and mat pay issues

Thanks, @bumpytrumpy, but I very much doubt it. This university is a huge machine - I doubt they'd make the exception.