Maternity leave

[Mumdee92]

Hi I would like some advise.I am a teacher in the South of UK. I am currently pregnant and baby is due in August 2024 during the summer break. I currently live and work in the South and my baby's father lives 2 hours away from me due to work. I usually see him at the weekends/holidays. He tried finding a job in my area but he didn't get it and where he works currently is a good place so I told him to keep being there. The plan now was for me to find a job in his area after his try and move to where he stays as it is easier and we have people we know close by as well, but I found out I am pregnant recently. I was thinking of handing in my resignation in February (teachers' deadline for resigning if want to leave for Easter) but I am having a second thought about this, as per my research, I wouldn't be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay and also I don't think it would be ideal for a new employer, if I work for just a few months and go on maternity leave. Also, I don't plan to return to my current workplace after maternity leave due to having to be close to a place (my baby father's) where I can have family/friends to help if needed. If I do return, it might only be for a shortwhile (until I hand in resignation) as I would struggle with childcare. Do I resign before the summer break (I believe I won't be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay in this case) or wait and resign during my maternity leave just before it ends? Please advise. Thank you!

In your shoes I would wait and resign after maternity leave. My understanding is that while some companies will try and claw back maternity payments for non-returnees, they can only do this for enhanced maternity pay, not SMP. If you do get any EMP at all then check your policy for guidance on what happens if you don’t return after maternity leave so you’re fully prepared for any financial implications.

Congratulations, and best of luck with it all :)

Resign at the last possible moment. Don't resign until baby is here safe and well

I would suggest you don't resign, yet. Take your mat leave as normal but without the enhanced pay (you'd have to go back and teach for several weeks or pay it back otherwise). If possible, put your return date as the first day of the summer holidays so that you still get full pay during the summer holidays and then resign for the start of the new academic year (as you would normally anyway). Then you can start at your new school in a different area in the new academic year.
Good luck. :)

Take the maternity pay. Look at the package to find out how long you have to return to work for in order to keep your mat pay. For example in my job I had to return for at least a year but this could be as part time as I wanted.

As others have said- check if you get any enhanced maternity pay. If you do, you will have to either return to your work OR pay it back if you don’t go back after mat
leave.

If you moved jobs, you wouldn't get SMP but you would be entitled to Maternity Allowance which is paid via the Job Centre and is exactly the same as SMP only you don't get 90% of your earnings for the first 6 weeks - it goes straight to £172 a week. I hope that's helpful! My advice would be to be honest with a new employer and do what you think is best for you and your family rather than the employer.

As long as you are employed during the 'qualifying period' in your pregnancy then you'll get SMP. Something like weeks 15-25 of pregnancy (check - it'll be on gov.uk).

You also can hand in your notice during Mat Leave and job search whilst on ML, too.

For enhanced/Occupational Mat Pay you'll need to have 1 year continuous service at the time of taking leave and you'll have to return to work for 13 weeks after ML otherwise you'll have to repay the enhanced amount (not the SMP though, just the enhancement bit).

When I had my covid-baby, I left my teaching job at the end of 31 Aug and immediately start receiving SMP from 1st sept. Baby arrived a few weeks later. I didn't receive enhanced Mat Pay because I wasn't returning to that school and never intended to, but I did receive SMP. Started a new job after Mat Leave the following September.

Congratulations

Thank you all for your responses. I will have to look at the policy then.

@LemonLight I haven't moved jobs yet, I was considering this but I would rather wait and go for the leave with my current employer.

@KCSIE Thanks! In your case, did you hand in your resignation before the maternity leave or during the maternity leave?

After the 'qualifying period' for SMP while still working, just before taking mat leave.

Please wait until the end of your mat leave to hand in your resignation. It would be foolish to do it earlier.

@KCSIE I am thinking about considering that option. When you say you handed your resignation after 'qualifying period', was that about week 25 of pregnancy? I guess you handed this in by the 31st of May? Also, for how long (weeks) did you get SMP during your leave please? Were you still paid the 90% of salary during the 1st 6 weeks?
Many thanks in advance for your response.

I can't remember which week exactly but I was around about 30 weeks I think. They already knew I was taking Mat Leave so me handing in my notice late made no difference to their planning for the September.

SMP is standard - if eligible paid for 39w and the first 6w at 90% salary (https://www.gov.uk/employers-maternity-pay-leave)

Also just to add - receiving the income from SMP maintained my teachers pension continuous service 'pensionable service' for those 39w while I was on leave as well. Something else to bear in mind! https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/employers/advising-members/life-events/family-leave.aspx

@KCSIE thanks for the info