[Ms.M]

Hello all.
Recently discovered I'm a wee bit pregnant. Ooops.

I've been teaching for eight years but only getting contracts for a few months or a year.

So, as far as I'm aware:
1. The best I can hope for is a few months work at the start of the year as nobody will want to hire me for a TWT and then replace me after Christmas. (A bit of a long shot even still: very likely in this climate I won't get any employment at all).
2. I am not entitled to anything in terms of maternity pay from the department of education as I won't get a TWT contract for reason stated above.

It seems harsh that I'm more than likely condemned to unemployment until Sept 2013 when I feel I've worked my tóin off for the last eight years. Please inform me if I'm mistaken! This is how I understand it and would like some confirmation (or even better, correction!) please.

p.s Although unplanned, I would have been trying to get pregnant anyway if it weren't for my career situation. It doesn't look like that was going to change anytime soon so I'm not exactly devastated about being preggers It's the thought of moving my husband and myself in with my folks and living the life of one of the "pregnant at sixteen" people that I find daunting

I'm sure this has to be happening to more teachers these days with temps being in their thirties. If anybody knows anyone who's been through this please please get me some advice! I'm ssssshcared!

[rainbowtrout]

What exactly is the question?

If you're not employed in September on contract, no you won't get maternity leave pay from the Dept.

That doesn't have to stop you applying for jobs. How far into your pregnancy will you be in the summer? You are not obliged to reveal you are pregnant at the interview and an interview panel is not allowed to ask.

We had a teacher walk in the door a couple of years ago starting a new contract job in the school who was 8 months pregnant and gone on maternity leave by the end of September. Not sure if the interview panel knew she was pregnant or not as she was 6-7 months gone at that stage. Assuming you are due around Christmas from what you said in your post, you're probably 2-3 months pregnant now. If you are called for interview over the summer you can always wear something that doesn't show your bump if it is noticeable at that stage.

[happywithlife]

hi there.
first off, congrats on the pregnacy!
i've been there -- still am to be honest !
lost out on a cid when i got pregnant on my first cos i didn't want to relocate to an area where we'd have no family suppport/back up --- a girl i went to college with got the job after i left and she is on her cid now

i now have two kids and still no sign of a job apart from year to year contracts ....

don't forget if you can find any kind of work in sept you will get state mat benefit (assuming you're prsi etc is ok) ....for my second child i was subbing in and out of schools so didn't know when to start my mat leave as i was still hoping to get some subbing work through the winter.... (he was a jan baby) ....anyway as i got nearer my due date it was obvious i wasn't going to get any work so i was able to backdate my claim to when i last worked in october ....now i had covered my tracks with plenty of calls to the maternity benefit section in letterkenny throughout the year -- one word of advise is to have a small notebook and log all calls though - i was lucky i had as they ended up making a mistake and were going to cut off my mat benefit payment only that i could argue "mary smith told me xyz on such a date when i rang at approx 2pm ....."

at at later stage i did and still do feel the need to explain the gap in my cv when applying for jobs though as i didn't want a bom assuming i just couldn't be arsed to look for work or that i was unemployable for such a long period of time.....

good luck with your pregnancy ! one big positive side for me personally is i was so tired during the pregnancy & dealing with motherhood i quickly lost any sort of patience for bull**** in my class and toughened up no end with the kids so that for me is a by-the-by positive

[Ms.M]

Thanks happywithlife! Your name is reassuring I do think I could get a job somewhere I worked before if it came to that. My prsi contributions are good, I've never been unemployed during the teaching term. I'm nowhere near getting a cid like you were. It won't actually put my career back. That's so unjust!

My husband isn't making a lot of money these days so I'm worried we won't be able to live independantly. If you or anyone knows what entitlements there are in relation to rental allowance that would be great. I will make enquiries myself but am completely ignorant at the moment. Any info, no matter how obvious would be much appreciated. (risk of going off-forum though)

Just looking for confirmation rainbowtrout. In case my eyes mislead me! And some experience. I have never got a job this side of the summer before but I will do my best. Will feel very guilty. Though I know that's stupid. I'm very small-built so I don't know where I'd put a bump in August. I would say the teacher who was 7 or 8 months pregnant knew the principal. Or else she got the job in June. I would wonder if you only really start the contract in Sept, can they not give you the heave-ho? You have to inform an employer at 25 weeks apparently and I don't think people actually sign a contract in June generally.

Thanks for getting back to me folks.Much appreciated!

[happywithlife]

citizens advise is a great one stop shop for lots of advise re social welfare etc --
apply online for medical card when lo comes along - you never know ! even the gp card would be seriously handy! and you'd be surprised what the thresholds are for 2 adults & 1 child.
check out fis (family income supplement) if your income is low and your other half is working at least 19hrs a week ... again, may get something
don't know anything bout renting sorry....
also, watch out for coupons online for ways to help you cut your shopping bills -- pampers give money off coupons when you sign up with them, presume huggies etc do as well ... look at parenting forums maybe as well for other ideas ... i'm on rollercoaster and there is a very good money matters board there with very good tips. sign up for pigsback.com and get money off coupons on your shopping. bulk buy baby items with your child benefit at the start of the month - e..g dunnes now conincide their monthly baby event with the child benefit so you'd find nappies, wipes etc on offer at this time .....never ever buy these items at full price or you will be broke within a month!!!
people are very good at passing on stuff as well so accept all offers - i know with your first it is so nice to buy everything new but seriously things like the moses basket they use for a few weeks -- borrow all this kind of stuff.....ask mums what do they really use cos so stuff is just not used - e..g bumpers on cots -- they are not even recommended for safety reasons yet you see them in all the magazines etc!
that is all i can think of at the mo' - hope you are feeling a bit more positive today! listen, five years ago we were renting a shack, had great social life but zero savings etc to speak off ......here we are five years later, married, 2 kids, house built (ok we traded the social life for that, haven't had a holiday abroad in years, our 'newest' car is my 05 toyota and our savings are very very limited but you know ....having our first was the making of us!)
hope you can say the same in five years!

[Ms.M]

Brilliant!
Thank you so much happywithlife. You're very good to give me so much info. Exactly what I was looking for! I am feeling great Sure I might as well! Even in a living-with-the-folks scenario, we'll still be delighted. Just hope pregnancy goes well now. A teaching job is just for a school year.... a baby is for life