Anyone having a career break?

[NIE]

I had planned to return to work in September after taking 1 years maternity leave.

Adam will be 9 months old, but I'm not sure if I want to return, or take more time off to be with him.

What are you all planning to do?, and what helped you make your decision?

 

[smile]

i'm going back in December after a year. It is gonna be tight for money as it is mostly unpaid leave obviously but we decided not to start him at nursery until I HAVE to go back (to complete my training) as my wages will only just cover his nursery fees anyway.

I would actually love to be a SAHM for a few years but money is tight and the job I do needs continual training and if you are away more than a year you have to retrain completely so it is not really feasible

Ideally I would like to have a few more kids and go back when the youngest starts school....

 

[KJL]

I'm still pondering this too I stopped working when I was 4 months preggers as I was supposed to be going back to uni to start my Phd, however I deferred it as it to this year (starting in oct) as I only would have got a few months into it before Layla was born. I am now deciding whether I may have a second baby before I go back to the career as I know we want to have a second and either way at some point i'll have to defer my studies again and it seems to make more sense just to take a break and start it when I am 100% focussed. I am still not sure though as I do miss working/studying but at the same time I love being with Layla and watching her develop and grow and I am worried about missing precious little moments if I am busy studying. I may decide to defer my studies and find a part time job. I think I need just to go with the flow at the moment and cross that bridge when it comes closer to october...it's a toughy though

 

[Jen & Her Men]

I was the biggest career woman ever before getting preggers.

I have had a job since I was 14 years old, worked through Uni, and once I finished Uni got a 14 hour a day job in recruitment earning mega bucks and being your typical 21st century career woman....

Now all I wanna do is look after my baby boy!! I reeeaally dont want to go back to work...been there done that. If I do go back to work I want to do something like work in a shop again which I did when at Uni and I LOVED it. But would only ever want to do part time as i couldnt bear to be away from James for too long..

How things change!!!!!

 

[Weez]

I worked full time as a social worker before having my little one, which was a unexpected surprise. I have never known anything other than uni then into work in a stressful job. Now that I have had my little one and have been off work since mid january I feel i'm a different person. I am dreading the day when I have to go back to work, albeit part time, and if I had my way and our finances were different I wouldn't go back at all!! In fact i'm half planning having another one at some point in the not too distant future that way I could go back to work for 3 months, then get maternity leave all over again. In fact the way i'm feeling about work I might do that constantly for the next 30 years and be in the guiness book of records!!!

 

[Snuggle]

I was full-time in the Air Force and still am for the next 4 days, my maternity leave finishes then and I decided I just couldnt go back so I'm going to be a full-time Mum now It wasnt an easy decision and it meant we had to sell our house as we couldnt afford mortgage with just hubby's wage but its so worth it. I am going to take on a part-time job instead

 

[Kylie1007]

The thought of planning lessons / marking / meeting parents / staff meetings does nothing for me at all at the moment so I'm hoping to be a career lady of leisure!

Seriously though, I was doing supply teaching before I finished in October so I haven't any commitments to anyone workwise to go back and financially it will be tight but I could have a rubbish month doing supply and it would only just pay for Finns nursery fees so it's pointless me going back to work.

 

[poppy160]

I'm not going back to work
My place of work were horrible to me, the work was cr*p and any money that I earn doing part time wouldn't even cover childcare costs. But I'm hoping to do a home learning course of somekind (Maybe a Nail Technician?) and earn a bit of pocket money by doing peoples nails.