Do I leave or do I stay - Help please?

Hi there,

I was wondering if you could help me with something.

I have wanted to leave my current job for a while now.
I can't stand it and the boredom is driving me nuts, as well as latest changes to our company and being taken advantage of all the time.

My question is..... DH and I are TTC and we would really like a baby as soon as possible.
If I leave and start a new job and get pregnant I won't be entitled to any maternity leave for at least 6 months and after looking at the Family credit thing we wouldn't be entitled to anything there either as we are over the salary mark (stupidest system ever).
So having a mortgage to pay, the maternity leave would come in handy..... So do I leave or do I try and stick it out until I fall pregnant?

Anyone been in a similar situation?

If you started a new job soon, couldn't you still be eligible for maternity leave? If you have to have been working for 6 months, does it matter if those six months are the first 6 months of your pregnancy? I would say get an idea of when you might finish work (how many weeks pregnant), and then work back 6 months from there to figure out the latest stage of pregnancy that you could start a new job. Of course, that doesn't allow for if you end up needing/wanting not to work as long into pregnancy, but I'd say its a reasonable starting point.
And as Stacey says, you don't know how long it may take to get pregnant, so you may get your six months in the new job anyway (fingers crossed for you that you don't, but you never know).

After looking through my company's maternity leave policy and checking out the Labour website ive discovered:
if you leave your job now and get a new one and fall pg within the fist six months, the gestation of your pg will be longer than those 6 months which means you will be entitled to ML.
If you fall pg nw, and find a new job and are due before the 6 mnths mark you are inelligible..

I would go for it Maybe tighten your budget up a bit if you can - get used to living on one income so if you find you want to spend longer at home with bubs it won't be so hard.

It doesn't matter how long you have been working at a job, so long as it's over 6 months you would get the same amount of money.

I thought that if you had been with a companmy for over two years you were entitled to 14 weeks of whatever the amount is you get.

And if you had been there under a year it was less?
Must ahd read that worng? Can't recall where I actually read that! Ha!

God, I am a bit of a nutter right now trying to sort everything in my head!

Thanks for your help, off to look for jobs......

I'm pretty sure the maximum you get is around $390 per week before tax regardless of how much you earn (but if you normally earn less than that then you get less) Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.

Your company may have a separate maternity policy - I know that I get 14 weeks from the government but also an independant 14 weeks from the company I work for provided I go back to work for them after the year.

Too lazy to read all the replies but I started a new job when I was 9 weeks pg and i still got the full 14 weeks paid, however I was not entitled to anytime off unpaid (but my work let me have it anyway), so just be aware that any new employer may tell you that you have to come back after the 14 weeks. If you are with them 12 months then you are entitled to the time off unpaid, up to a total of 12 months. The dates are for your due date, so 6 months at due date for ppl or 12 months at due date for ppl and time off unpaid.
I personally would leave, being in a job you hate sucks and being in and pregnant especially if the employer is difficult about it would suck even more. Plus you don't know how long it could take to get pg and you could always take a break from TTC and then start again once you are at the new job.

Yep, as everyone said yyou are eligible for PPL if you have been at the job for at least 6 months and at least 10 hours a week.

The time differences matter with regards to holding your job open. I think (but dont quote me) that if you have been there only 6months you are only entitled to 4 weeks off work and if you have been there 12mnonths you are entitled to 52 weeks off work. This has nothing to do with paid parental....just whether you can come back to your job.

There is a website that clarifies it. I will try and find link

Hi

I work in HR but here is a quick run down. If you have been working for theo rganisation less than 6 months you are not entitled to PPL (paid parental leave). It is up to your work as to how flexible they are with giving you time off leave without pay. If you have been with them for over 6 months less than 12 then you are entitled to the PPL but not any more time off. If you have been with the orgn 12 months or over you are entitled to the 14 weeks and 36 weeks off without pay (to make up to total of 52 weeks).

I would TTC anyway - you dont know how long it will take and most organisations are flexible if you are a good employee etc.

Re the payment I didnt think it was as high as $390 but have lost track of how much it has increased by. Remember it is before tax so tax will still have to come off it.

Hope this helps.