Come off maternity early to take a temp job?

[Spongeb0b]

Will try to be brief so not too outing. Basically am on mat leave, wasn't planning on going back for a few months yet. Have been offered a maternity cover (1 year ) which will mean a start date soon. It's in a very specialist role and they don't come up often. Good holidays, salary. Working pattern same as what I already do. Manager said very likely to be permanent opportunities but cant 100% guarantee. Current job permanent but money pretty poor & it's not really what I want long term but obviously it's secure employment. Wwyd? Don't have long to decide!

When you have young DC and working my philosophy (and experience!) is just get through each day, don't give too much mental and physical energy away because you need it at home.

Great advice! Sadly one I've often ignored but it's so true.

For us I felt ready to go back when DD was about 7 months. Is there any chance new job, if you get it, would consider pushing back the start date a couple of weeks to give you a chance to do some sleep training post-6 months?

@Spongeb0b you must do what is right for you. I wish you all the best x

@DroppedBoxxedRuth my being made permanent wouldn't entirely depend on the post holder returning, the manager said there are plans afoot to expand the team but that she couldnt guarantee permanent but was hopeful

No chance of pushing it back @chocodrops but I did negotiate a better working pattern & family have offered to help out for a couple of weeks so that DC does not have to go to nursery until he is 7 months

There is also the fact that new job is half the amount of travelling and more money to consider. I won't be much better off than I am now, on maternity allowance, when I return to original role. Thank you so much everyone for your input it's massively appreciated.

6 months is not that young to go back, I went back a wee bit before that, still breastfeeding and was fine. Its only a relatively new development that women take a year off.

My thinking at the moment is that I should stay on maternity leave & keep looking for a permanent opportunity for when DC is older. It was the travelling & lower pay that lead me to looking in the first place but I suppose at least it's a permanent job if all else fails and I have to return to it

I agree @Murraygoldberg it is more that I wouldn't be "going back" I would be starting something brand new, & DC is up loads through the night. I'm hoping that will have settled down when he is slightly older though I know there are no guarantees

I’m back at work in a few weeks Op, dd is six months old.... and she is waking every hour!! 🙈😭
Mine is financial reason to having to go back, I had 13 months off with DS and I’d love the same with DD but financial it’s not viable.
I wouldn’t go back this early unless I really had too.... I know my job well enough so do it when exhausted so couldn’t imagine taking on a new role this tired 🙈🙈

It sounds like a great opportunity. Flexible, part time, more money and less travelling. Plus in a years time, you will have that as your base salary to search from rather than the lower salary you are in now. At six months, if you are part time, can your husband be flexible too and go part time for a few months to spend more time supporting you through the early days in this new job... do nights for the baby and take over the house logistics so you can focus on the new job?

That's what I worry about iliketonamechange, I've done the actual role before somewhere else, but it's a new organisation, new team, new systems to learn etc. Also quite a lot of responsibility. Sympathies that you are also knackered! X

@ChateauMargaux thanks for your message, DH could not go part time and I'm breastfeeding but he does get up in night to settle & give the odd bottle & he will do all school & nursery drop offs on my days at work x

If it's better hours due to less commuting, better pay, and there is the possibility of continuing, the employers are flexible - who knows, maybe even a job share with the pregnant person might be considered later on, I'd be very tempted to go for it, if only because when that job expires you'll be hitting the job market with a higher base salary.
You'll probably find your child's sleep pattern improves once a) they're in nursery which is mentally stimulating due to the additional activities, noise & people so tires them out more and b) you'll be more tired so don't wake so easily at every movement of baby - who then realises you are awake so wakes fully.
Personally I'd have loved to go back in my job but it wasn't practical hours and the commute was too far and couldn't rely on DH to ever do a nursery run on account of his hours being related to customer demand (on call) so we never knew what his hours would be till the day before.
It wasn't that long ago that women only had 3 month ML paid.

Thanks @Ariela the commute is a big factor - absolute pain to get to current job. Nearly killed me when I was pregnant. X

Yes, I definitely would do it!

Considering this - take job, give it say 6 months, ask for a review - eg how am I doing, is permanent looking likely. If it's a no or a hmm maybe - I'll still have 6 months to find something else fingers crossed. In the meantime, the extra money I am earning each month I will try to save each month so that if worse comes to worst and I have zero job at the end of the 12 months, I have a little safety net for another month or so!? In the meantime I can try gentle sleep training as DC is only 2 weeks off being 6 months (will be nearer 7 months by he's at nursery) what does everyone think!? Am i mad??

Sounds like you've sorted a good plan there!

OP I think you should go for it. A family friend took a job opportunity several years back while her first baby was much younger than yours . Like that it was something that doesn't come along often and she knew in the long term it was the best move for her family. She is now the CEO of a large organisation and has done amazingly well for herself.

Go for it OP! I'm planning on sleep training my second around 6 months, I did it later with my first and regret not doing it earlier. It made all our lives easier.

Do it. You got a good plan.

If you get more money in the new job, that gives you some allowance because you will be earning higher wage over 12 months and coming back from maternity leave earlier.

Even if they could not offer you a permanent job after 1 year, if they like you, they might offer you a job share with the returning incumbent just to keep you. Or the incumbent might not come back. I think you have a good chance of getting something at the end of a year, either permanent or at least a pt contract. You can then revisit.

I agree about the higher base salary being a better position to negotiate from. Does this job have a better title too?

Thanks for your messages guys. @Hercwasonaroll which method did you use if you don't mind me asking? DC used to only be up once in night - last night it was 5 times 🙈 x

@blueshoes its hard to explain - it doesn't have a better title really - but what I do now, you have to be one of them already, to do the new job. Sorry not sure how much sense that makes haha

That is a better title then, because it shows you have 2 skill sets, albeit related.

I went back when DD was 6 months. She slept through after a few days at nursery!!

So that does happen!

I’d take the chance, because if they offer maternity to someone else and then a permanent role appears, you’ll be up against someone already in Situ.

Take it! More money, still part time, less travel in a role you’ve ant? No question.

I’ve taken temp jobs before and been offered permanent roles.