Gap on my CV making me look bad!

[salviapages]

I'm an ECT in primary, I've almost finished a maternity cover post which started in Jan and finishes at the end of this school year, so I will have completed 2 out of 6 terms for my ECT.

I'm pregnant, the baby is due in September, but since my role finishes in July I won't have any maternity leave, just a gap of unemployment. I'm planning to go back to teaching part time (either a part time role or supply) in March and then return full time in September for the next school year.

However, is it so tough finding teaching jobs at the moment, I qualified last July but didn't manage to get a job until January and even that was just maternity cover. My area (Sussex) has so many trainees and not enough jobs available in primary, I had lots of interviews where I got great feedback but they just went with someone else on the day. I am so worried that it was tough enough finding a job before, letalone applying for jobs with a gap on my CV, a partially completed ECT period, and them knowing I have a baby at home.

What can I do in my time off so I look like I spent the time productively? I'm thinking of online courses/training etc to add to my CV and say this is what I did with the time. It is so competitive for jobs I need to look employable.

Sign up to a supply agency and you wont have a ‘gap’

Is this your first baby? Believe me, it won’t feel like ‘time off’ and no employer will imagine it was either. Just state ‘maternity leave’ on job applications (for DBS/safeguarding reasons you can’t have actual gaps) and no one will bat an eyelid.

Many people take a full year of maternity leave so seven months from July to March won’t look odd at all. Don’t worry.

I was worried I couldn't actually say it was maternity leave, since I'm not technically on leave as my job will have ended. But if I can put maternity leave on there without an employer that will look a bit better! Thank you

It’s very important for safeguarding reasons that you are clear about your dates and account for any gaps but there’s no reason why you can’t refer to the period between jobs as ‘maternity leave’.

So for example you would put 1 January - 31 July 2022: Anytown Primary School. Then in the section where you are asked to account for any gaps in your employment you would state 1 August 2022 - date: Maternity Leave.