Teaching - how to navigate moving job and wanting a second child

[Goldendoodlelover]

I am a secondary school teacher with a 14 month old child and my husband and I have decided we want to move house to a different location so that a) we can be closer to grandparents and b) get more for our money and upsize.

However, I have no idea how to manage this plus finding a new job with also wanting a second child at some point.

The most likely start date for a new job would be September 2026. I obviously don't want to be pregnant when I start and not get mat pay, and I also ideally don't want to get pregnant straight after starting a new job - I found the first trimester pretty tough going first time round and the idea of doing that again whilst navigating a new school fills me with dread.

Do I prioritise moving first and put off trying for a second until sometime in 2027? (So more like a 3-4 year age gap). Or do I try and get pregnant relatively soon, move house either just before or during mat leave, and then look for a new job to start at the end of my second mat leave? Am I allowed to do that / is there anything I'm missing?

I should say for context it took over a year for me to conceive my first - ended up needing some assistance although not IVF - so I am a bit nervous about leaving things until 2027 just in case it takes us some time again.

You will be expected to pay back any enhanced maternity pay from your current job if you move at the end of the maternity period unless they decide to waive it (very rare). Otherwise, for me personally, I wouldn't let anything slow down plans for a second child. You just don't know how long it might take so I would prioritise that and take the financial hit if necessary.

@Sillysoggyspaniel thanks - tbh enhanced maternity pay as a teacher isn’t even that great or much better than SMP anyway! I am tempted to agree. The problem is my ideal age gap would be 2.5 years - so getting pregnant in the summer and having another baby spring 2027; but I also would probably be wanting to move house next summer too!

We moved when our baby was five weeks old. It's not as bad as it sounds, and with a toddler I'd just take them both out to the zoo or a farm park for the day and let everyone else do the moving and come back to a new house at the end of the day!