Maternity leave and university

[stephanie-x]

Hiya,

Here is my situation: I work full-time for the biggest private construction company in Scotland and they pay university fees for me to attend university one day a week to get my degree in the field I'm working.

In my work they offer me 13 weeks full pay, 13 weeks half pay and 13 weeks at SMP while I'm on leave.

I have said if they wish I would attend university 1 day a week throughout my maternity leave which totals 26 days (or around 5 weeks).. do I have a case to ask for another 5 weeks full pay?

I only ask as I will not be able to pay my rent when I drop down to half pay so will only be able to take 13 weeks off maternity and will miss loads as 4 weeks of this is going to be taken before I'm due to get me ready.

Really greatful if you can let me know what you think - especially if anyone works in HR or something.

 

[daftscotslass]

I might be wrong but as far as I know during your leave the only paid days you can take are the "keeping in touch" days of which you can take up to 10. Would contact your HR department to confirm - mine were very helpful with queries I had.

Edit to add this link about working while on leave - http://www.ivillage.co.uk/pregnancyandb ... 11,00.html

"Once the keeping-in-touch days have been used up, she will lose a week's SMP for any week in which she does any work, even if it's only for one day. If a week contains, for example, the last of the keeping-in-touch days and another day of work, she will lose that week's SMP."

However I assume that for your second block of weeks it's SMP + a top up from your employer (occupational maternity pay) to make it up to half pay. I imagine it would be up to your work as to whether or not they paid you their part but if the above is correct then if you went over the 10 days you'd lose a week or more of the SMP.

 

[kalia]

Are you normally paid for the day you go to university? If not, they wouldn't pay you anyway. If they agree to pay you you would need to earn more than £117 per day to make it worth losing a week's SMP. You may only work for 10 days before than happens.

Have you seriously thought through your offer to your employer to continue going to university one day a week? For example, if you intend to breastfeed that would make going to uni when your baby is born very difficult. I personally think you should retract that offer and take maternity leave from your course for at least a few months too.

Good luck!

 

[stephanie-x]

Hi,

Yep I am paid for the day I go to university as it is a requirement of my job.

Not lucky enough to be paid more than £117 a day or else I would not be having the problem of not being able to afford to go down to half pay.

The baby wasn't planned but I do want to give it the best life I can and for that reason I want to continue going to university through my maternity leave as it is a 5 year course and don't want to have to take a year out and take 6 years to complete it - long term I think it will be best and as I can only take around 2 months off when the baby is here (might be able to squeeze an extra week by using up some holidays), going to uni one day a week really isn't alot.

Will e-mail HR today and find out about these keeping in contact days Hopefully I can use a few of them.

 

[Becky]

Double check what the deal is with the "half-pay" as my company offer this but it is as well as SMP so its not as bad as it sounds.

 

[kalia]

I only ask as I will not be able to pay my rent when I drop down to half pay so will only be able to take 13 weeks off maternity and will miss loads as 4 weeks of this is going to be taken before I'm due to get me ready.

Somehow I completely missed this bit yesterday

When is your baby due? Could you save enough money between now and then to let you take more time off?

If it helps, you will get child tax credit and child benefit and maybe get working tax credit. Child benefit is £18 a week and you'll get at least £20 a week child tax credit.

I think you should post on Ask A Mum to ask people about the difficulties of going back so quickly and ask for advice on ways to afford to extend your leave. It sounds like you really want to be off longer, just can't afford to. If saving really is not an option maybe others have suggestions. Remember that baby won't necessarily turn up on it's due date - baby could be 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late. And if baby is 2 weeks late that only gives you 7 weeks with baby before going back

 

[kalia]

And also maybe ask whether people felt they could have coped with university one day a week from when their baby was born. I certainly couldn't have considered it - it took 4 weeks before it wasn't painful to sit down so there's no way I could have sat through uni. And you wouldn't be able to do that if you are breastfeeding. I assume you have someone that you would trust with your baby when they are that small.

 

[stephanie-x]

Thanks everyone who has responded - giving me loads of other things to think about which is GREAT !!!

Baby is due 12th December and having looked into policies at work the half pay includes SMP I am also looking at taking 2 weeks holiday before starting maternity leave which now means I will only need to use 2 weeks maternity leave before the baby is due.

When at university for the day, which would be off for the Christmas holidays so wouldn't really need to go back until mid-Jan, my mum would be looking after the baby that day for around 6 hours so I wouldn't have any worries as I've reached 21 safe and sound lol.

Hopefully, I will be able to save up enough to take an extra month off because I really believe it's crucial for bonding etc. Just feel that I'm being punished for working and having a baby yet some people don't work through choice and get every benefit under the sun, rent paid for them, council tax rebates and can spend their whole day with the baby which I would love to do. (Not meaning to offend anyone, just speaking from experience as one of my close friends has a 3 month old and is living in a house, rent free, no council tax to pay, got a £500 maternity grant and gets allsorts of money... grrr... rant over!! )

 

[Jade&Evie]

Thanks everyone who has responded - giving me loads of other things to think about which is GREAT !!!

Baby is due 12th December and having looked into policies at work the half pay includes SMP I am also looking at taking 2 weeks holiday before starting maternity leave which now means I will only need to use 2 weeks maternity leave before the baby is due.

When at university for the day, which would be off for the Christmas holidays so wouldn't really need to go back until mid-Jan, my mum would be looking after the baby that day for around 6 hours so I wouldn't have any worries as I've reached 21 safe and sound lol.

Hopefully, I will be able to save up enough to take an extra month off because I really believe it's crucial for bonding etc. Just feel that I'm being punished for working and having a baby yet some people don't work through choice and get every benefit under the sun, rent paid for them, council tax rebates and can spend their whole day with the baby which I would love to do. (Not meaning to offend anyone, just speaking from experience as one of my close friends has a 3 month old and is living in a house, rent free, no council tax to pay, got a £500 maternity grant and gets allsorts of money... grrr... rant over!! )

THAT'S GOOD! It means you will get 13 weeks at Full Pay PLUS £117 p/w then 13 weeks at half pay PLUS £117 p/w and then 13 just with £117 p/w

 

[Becky]

When it comes to the maternity pay I would sit down with someone from HR and ask them to clarify exactly what you get. They won't mind, that's what they're there for and you need to have it clear in your head what you will get. I get confused all the time about my mat leave plans and its important to have it clear!

 

[daftscotslass]

THAT'S GOOD! It means you will get 13 weeks at Full Pay PLUS £117 p/w then 13 weeks at half pay PLUS £117 p/w and then 13 just with £117 p/w

Don't think that's what she means - I think she means she gets SMP and her work top it up to make full pay for the first 13 weeks etc. That's how my employer did it, too. I agree about contacting HR - I was never off the phone to them until I was sure!

 

[stephanie-x]

Yep it's just the £117 topped up to give me half pay.
Have been sending emails to HR at head office today and know the girls there are sitting having a right old gossip about me (mainly because I look really young and I'm having a baby when I'm only with the company for a year - you know what girls can be like!!) BUT WHO CARES !!