Job interview at 14 weeks pregnant, help!

[katzone]

I have a job interview coming up in a couple of weeks for an Admin Assistant with my local council.

I am wondering what I should do/say regarding pregnancy.

I want to be honest and up front about it, I wouldn't want to be offered the job and come out to them a week or two down the line and feel I "lied".
I have a slight bump anyway but to those that don't know me might think it is just a bit of podge

How can I tell them positively? I want to show I am very interested in the job, and will give 100% until it is necessary for me to go on maternity leave. Should I not mention maternity leave? Probably not the best thing to say about having "time off" is it?

Help!

 

[Cham]

Well, they can't technically discriminate against you for being pregnant. Personally, I wouldn't say anything until I was offered the job and then bring it up.

You won't be entitled to SMP from them as you won't have the service, you may be entitled to SMP from your current employer if working though.

 

[MrsRH]

you can't get SMP from some one you used to work for!
It will be maternity allowance from the government instead!
xxx

 

[lisacaton1980]

you can't get SMP from some one you used to work for!
It will be maternity allowance from the government instead!
xxx

I thought the same thing when I started with my current employer but my previous employer is paying me SMP as I was with them during the qualifying week.

 

[MrsRH]

you can't get SMP from some one you used to work for!
It will be maternity allowance from the government instead!
xxx

I thought the same thing when I started with my current employer but my previous employer is paying me SMP as I was with them during the qualifying week.

doesn't make sense to me!
If you've left and got a new contract, surely they have no obligation to pay you??


Who is eligible for SMP?
To qualify for SMP you must have been:

•employed by the same employer continuously for at least 26 weeks into the 15th week before the week your baby is due
•earning an average of at least £95 a week

surely, you would have to change jobs very late in pregnancy to get SMP from you old employers??
confusing!
x

 

[Lu28]

I think it depends on how much you need the job. I went for an interview when I was 14 weeks pg because I was made redundant, I needed the job so kept quiet and just kept my suit jacket open so my bump wasn't really noticeable. By the time I started the job, my bump was obvious. I just sat down with my new boss, apologised profusely and explained the situation and they were fine with it, at least to my face I felt often doing it but we couldn't have gotten by without it.

Technically they can't discriminate you because of a pregnancy but they'll always be able to come up with some reason to justify their decision.

 

[lisacaton1980]

yeah i did swap late in pregnancy but def my old employer paying. i applied for MA but got forms back saying to contact old employer for SMP.

 

[Cham]

Yes, that is correct. In order to qualify for SMP, you have to have been continuously employed for 26 weeks at the 15th week before you baby is due, so thats why your current employer would have to pay.

 

[ravenmel]

Don't tell them until you have the job, pretend you didn't know you was preggers, or if you can wait until you pass your probation period so they can't find a silly reason to dismiss you when you'll know it's because you're pregnant.

I'm hoping to be pregnant this month(woo hoo) but my current job is being a bit unsteady so I started looking for a new one in Jan and Feb, I've got an interview with a really good company next week and there's no way I'm telling them.

Even if they really like you they wouldn't hire you if they know because it's an inconvenience to them.They don't want to have to be doing interviews again in a few months to replace you.

Wear a loose top to hide the bump and smile your ass off. Hope you get the job

Good Luck.xxxx

Once a few years ago I went for an job and the interviewer noted my age and asked if me and my OH wanted children?I said not in the near future but I know what he was thinking and I didn't get the job.

 

[MrsRH]

Yes, that is correct. In order to qualify for SMP, you have to have been continuously employed for 26 weeks at the 15th week before you baby is due, so thats why your current employer would have to pay.

The OP is only 14 weeks pregnant so if she got the job coming up, she probably would not have reached her qualifying week.

She will need to change jobs after the 25th week of pregnancy.

Change of employer
If you change jobs during your pregnancy, you are unlikely to be able to meet the continuous employment rule. But there are circumstances when your employment can be treated as continuous, even if your employer changes. For SMP purposes, your employment is treated as continuous if any of the following applies:

your employer’s trade, business, or undertaking is transferred to another employer or
by or under an Act of Parliament, one corporate body takes over from another as your employer or
there is a change in the partners, personal representative or trustees who employ you or
you move from one employer to another at a time when the two employers are associated employers, that is if one is a company of which the other (directly or indirectly) has control, or if both are companies of which a third person (directly or indirectly) has control or
you are a teacher in a school maintained by a local education authority, and you move to another school maintained by the same authority.

x

 

[DizzyMoo]

Tbh id keep my gob shut until i was offered the job then few wks later i would claim to of just found out as then they cant sack you, but if you tell them at your interview they'll just employ someone else x

 

[BABYLAW]

Hi, I am an employment solicitor. You are not legally obliged to inform your employer (or any prospective employer) of your pregnancy until your 25th week. However, in the interests of safety, it is advisable to inform your employer sooner than this so that any potential risks in the workplace can be eliminated. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

[Windmills]

I started a new job at 15+3, started at the office at 17+5 and told them I was pregnant around 21 weeks They were.. okay. I haven't really been trained to do anything, but I finish tomorrow!

 

[katzone]

Thanks everyone, I have been sent a medical questionnaire to fill in and there is a question on it :

"Do you have any condition that may require time off work within the next year?"

So I intend to answer that honestly and say that I am pregnant. However I plan to not bring this up at the interview, I will leave it on the form and if they read it there and then and THEY want to discuss it I will. If they don't read it straight away then I won't be mentioning it either.