Pregnancy and employment

[Kiza182]

I found out i am pregnant during the assessment process for a job (a 4 year apprenticeship) i was then offered the job and found out i am pregnant. Irs mt dream job and a fantastic opportunity the problem is i start in september and its manual labour my due date is november i havent told my employer yet as ive only just found out.

My dad told me they can sack me in the first year without giving a reason.

I am devastated as i really want this job and dont know what to do im literally scared of telling them.

It's true employees have very few rights in their first two years - but you can't be sacked for being pregnant or a protected characteristic (e.g. sex, race, sexuality, etc.) However, that just stops them giving that as the reason for terminating employment and if they're determined to get someone out, they'll find issues with performance or something. You do have some extra protections once you have informed them of your pregnancy.

But - presumably you aren't a current employee as the apprenticeship doesn't start till September, so even the limited rights in the first two years aren'the relevant until you are employed.

You will need to find out how it will affect your apprenticeship, particularly if it's a manual role. If you're due in November, you will be 6-7 months at the start of the apprenticeship, and are around 3-4 months now? Are there any possibilities to postpone the apprenticeship by a year? I would assume not, but you need to find out what your options are, because you can’t make an informed decision until then.

Thank you. I have called them and told them i still want to go ahead with it they said they would need to discuss with HR its been a day and they havent called back yet. Playing on the back of my mind!

If it's like our HR, things often don't happen instantly, and if a key person in discussions is on leave, it might wait till they're back. So, difficult as it is, you just have to waithe now and try not to panic about the time it takes.

Just to let you know theyve contacted me and aaid the delay was in having to call the college to see where i stood they are happy to have me start in september then go on maternity leave and come back to my studies when i am back so happy

That's great news - good luck with it all!