TTC and employment issues

[FutureMum]

Hi, I am TTC baby #1 and also looking for a better job. Are employers less likely to hire you if your bump shows by interview time? And is your maternity leave allowance affected by changing employers during the pregnancy? Just preparing, in case I struck lucky with both. Thank you!

Obviously it is illegal to discriminate against a pregnant woman, but having said that, realistically, for many employers a bump won't be what they want to see at interview time.

In terms of maternity leave, you get a year off regardless of when you start your job. However your maternity pay will be affected. If you are already pregnant when you start a job, you won't get Statutory Maternity Pay, but you might be entitled to Maternity Allowance, which is a benefit women who are not entitled to SMP can claim from the government. Many employers offer extra maternity pay as well, which they put terms and conditions on, usually to do with length of service.