need some help with perspective

[Candygirl]

ok here is the story
I thought I wasnt getting maternity pay from my company cos the policy said you had to have 2 yrs service and i miss it by 3 months. Now they have changed the policy and I do get (8 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at 50% of salary and then statutory maternity pay). There is a catch though, I cant leave the company within 3 months of coming back or I have to pay it all back.
Now, I want to go back to South Africa on holiday in december next year..
I can take my 5 weeks holiday allowance for next year before my maternity pay, so effectively I can take 5 months maternity (with getting paid).
I am currently doing the whole driving instructor thing and have registered to become a child minder (both are back up plans in case I dont want to go back to work) but my problem is a) do I take my 5 weeks holiday before my maternity and then not have any holiday for the rest of next year? b) do I just carry on and try and make ends meet so that december still falls within my maternity leave duration or do I not take my 5 weeks holiday, go back to work in August, work my 3 months then resign and make them give me my 5 weeks holiday and do the driving or child minding full time??

Seems a bit all over the place so sorry if it doesnt make sense..
what would you do if you were me??

 

[Bloom]

Im a bit confused

Can you not just have smp and then not go back?

If i had a job where i could work my own hours to suit or like childminding where you dont have to find childcare for your little one i would do that as it gives you more flexibilty with what you can earn without paying for a childminder out of your wages but it depends on your circumstances and also what you enjoy doing.

 

[Candygirl]

im confused myself

I cant afford to just have SMP, thats why Im doing the driving instructing and child minding as a back up (as I can do this part time and stll get SMP without my employer knowing), but I dont know if these are going to work, so I want to keep all my options open - but its proving quite difficult!!

Im so confused, I just need to sit down and work it all out - in my head it doesnt gel but on paper it might.

 

[loz]

I think it's pretty normal for companies to not pay maternity pay if you leave within 3 months, otherwise they'd get loads of women just not coming back after maternity leave, having taken the pay. I guess I would work that time and then decide what I really wanted to do. Sounds like you have options which is great, I dont know what I would do if I left my job. It's quite hard to change careers when coping with a new baby. Hope you can make decisions . . .

 

[lauramumof2]

I would try to manage on the smp and make sure your mat leave is still going in december. You cant foresee how things are going to be once the baby is born and I would go cautiously about burning any bridges with your current employer.

Good luck!!!!!!!

 

[Llys]

if I recall, (and I may have got your post wrong, it was a bit confusing, so apologies if I have.....)

You can't take "annual leave" while you're on maternity leave. If you do take annual leave, then it ends the maternity leave.

 

[kalia]

I'm not entirely sure of dates but if you are thinking of excusively breastfeeding your child for 6 months you wouldn't want to go back in August as I think your LO would only be 5 months. Can you not take your annual leave in December, after your maternity leave, then go back for another 2 months and that would mean you'd stayed on for 3 months after your maternity leave?
It's hard to find a balance between income and time with baby. Perhaps you could go back part time for those 3 months.
OH's sister had a baby last March and she was going to go back to work in September. She changed this to January though as she said 6 months was when they started to have personality and she wanted to stay at home with him to see him develop. The bursar at work thought my idea of returning to work in August was very unusual - he said most people wouldn't go back until after Christmas at the earliest. I think I'll go back in December part time.

Good luck deciding what to do!