Has anyone changed jobs whilst on mat leave?

[vaticancameo]

If so, did you have to pay back your 12 weeks' half pay? As I understand it, it's at the LA's discretion whether they ask you to or not, so I'm wondering if they would in practice. I'm on ML at the moment but have been looking for jobs for a while, and now my dream job has come up. But it's to start in Jan and I'm not due to return to work until April. I wouldn't want to go back to work before Jan, so if I go for this job and get it it'll mean never returning to my current school. I don't know what to do - I ideally wouldn't return to work before Feb half term, but it seems daft worrying about 6 weeks when in the long term this would be such a good move for me.

Bump in hope!

As far as I know, as you are employed by the LA (unless academy or free school I guess) they pay mat leave money and as long as your next school is in the same LA they remain your employer and therefore you are entitled to keep it. However a friend moved from one LA to a neighbouring one exactly as you mention, never returning to school A and she had to pay hers back..it was stopped at source from her wages for a number of months rather than one big payment. If it is a dream job..go for it and suck up the short term pain for long term gain I reckon! X

That's my thoughts. It's a different LA, so I think my current one would want some money back. But it's a job I think I would really like so I'm going to apply and see what happens...

In answer to your title question, then yes, but it doesn't answer your OP as it was in the same LA and Free Schools/Acadamies/etc weren't invented then, and maternity leave was a lot shorter! Sorry.

Would it be so bad to start back in January? Looking at the whole long term scenario with this being your 'perfect job'. I guess only you and your partner can decide if the money or the time is more important.

In answer to your title question, then yes, but it doesn't answer your OP as it was in the same LA and Free Schools/Acadamies/etc weren't invented then, and maternity leave was a lot shorter! Sorry.

Would it be so bad to start back in January? Looking at the whole long term scenario with this being your 'perfect job'. I guess only you and your partner can decide if the money or the time is more important.

Oops sorry, don't know why that posted twice!

Oops sorry, don't know why that posted twice!

I changed jobs during maternity leave, but work in independent sector and only had statutory pay so didn't have to pay anything back. I never went back to my previous job, just left to start the new one. Best decision i ever made

Wondering about this too. I work at an Academy and due back by 1st July next year, but I want to move schools and ideally not go back to the Academy at all. They've adopted the LEA policy which states that if you continue to work for the Authority, you don't have to pay any money back.