can I insist on an extra 6m maternity leave?

[stablinski]

I have taken a year off and am meant to return at the end of Feb
I would like anouther unpaid 6 months .

Is my employer obliged to consider this?

I am fairly sure you have no entitlement to do that at all. Your employer might be nice enough to say yes but I don't think they even have to consider it - IIRC!

bump

I am pretty sure that they only hold your job for the year and then they are under no obligation to hold it for you. If you have a lovely boss, you never know your luck. I suppose there is no harm in asking.

No legal right to this, as far as I know. It was only recently extended from 9 months to one year. But as others have said, you can always ask. Good luck.

Not obliged, though in the current climate they might well consider it. Do be careful though - I think that if you have an extra 6 months off, there is no right of return at the end of that, meaning you may not have a job to go back to.

You are entitled to unpaid parental leave, this is often added on to maternity leave (I added one month on to my last mat leave) but the timing of it has to be agreed with your employer, if they decide it is not convenient for business reasons, they can postpone it.

IIRC the amount of unpaid parental leave is up to 6 months before your child is 5yo, but I would check the latest info on the govt website, and with your HR dept.

Sorry, it's only 13 weeks, check here

A colleague at work took a 6 month career break after her mat leave.

They only allowed it because she had had such problems with her pregnancy that she had been advised it would be unwise to have any mor e children.

She has just gone off on mat eave again.....

Do they offer career breaks at your place of work?

thank uou everyone.
No official career breaks. Very small firm. they are struggling without me I believ

It doesn't sound likely that they'll allow it then .