Stay as contractor or move to a permanent role for maternity leave?

[wattaj]

I get your point but still doesn't do it for me. Still dicks a whole host of people around in the team and the like, not just the faceless company.

It might, but this is merely yet another potential outcome... I'm sure that we've all worked for teams deserving of such treatment. And others that would barely notice.

[ladymuck]

Ultimately, the decision should be whether there are sufficient reserves in the company to pay for the length of maternity leave you want to take. You can claim SMP or Maternity Allowance but if you're on a low income / high dividend model then you're not going to get very much.

Yes it's nice to get someone else to pay for your maternity leave but then that leads me to think you're not really running a business.

There is also an element of naivety that you could walk into a permanent role with a company that offers the kind of maternity package you want. That sort of detail isn't often made very clear on adverts so you're going to have to ask at interview what their offer is, which will raise a red flag. As others have noted above, technically a company can't discriminate on the suspicion of wanting to get pregnant but they can find other reasons not to take you on.

[dsc]

Ultimately, the decision should be whether there are sufficient reserves in the company to pay for the length of maternity leave you want to take. You can claim SMP or Maternity Allowance but if you're on a low income / high dividend model then you're not going to get very much.[...]

Does it matter if you can pull out divs? I think the idea was to get someone else to pay for not working.

On the other hand, SMP is so tulipe in the UK it's a joke, so I'm surprised anyone even has kids and not surprised they think of ways to get better money from somewhere else.

[northernladuk]

It might, but this is merely yet another potential outcome... I'm sure that we've all worked for teams deserving of such treatment. And others that would barely notice.

Maybe the difference I don't think I have really. I get some undesirables deserve it but whole teams? They are still made up of people generally trying to do their job and get paid with as little difficulty as possible.


But we will agree to disagree on this point.

[fiisch]

Obviously, a very different experience as a man (am I still allowed to say that?!), but I had two children during contracting stints (ironically, either side of a permanent roles with very generous paternity leave).

What I did find was clients were very considerate (as people generally are when childrens' wellbeing is concerned) - first one let me decide on a daily basis how many days I'd take off before going back i.e.: didn't require notice for me to say "I need X number of days". (In the end, I only took 2 as my wife was considerate enough to have the baby on a Saturday, and things went smoothly so we were back home and settled by Sunday evening). Second child they let me take 2 weeks off during what was a critical point in the project, and readily agreed to pay me 1/2 day rates provided I could login daily, check emails etc., which I thought was incredibly generous (they were a nice client, and I really enjoyed the project, so in truth I'd have done that for free anyway).

In my opinion, what you're considering is tail wagging the dog - go permanent for the cushy benefits if that's what you want (and there's nothing wrong with that, especially if you're starting a family), but I wouldn't go perm->contract purely for a few months maternity benefit. I'd think about what you want longer term - are you planning on working when maternity leave ends, would contracting still work, what does your partner do etc...., and then think about what works best for you as a family. The first bit with children is "easy" - keep them alive, lots of help from family, it's a novelty etc., it's the longer term implications as they get older that are more pertinent in my opinion and worth considering like childcare and what is best for their development.

Just my two cents, hope it helps.

[TheDude]

I'm a big believer in people being able to take mat/paternity pay while in a job - but isn't joining a place for the purpose of using such a policy a bit... much?

Maybe.

Then again I believe that paying your partner a salary to be 'company secretary' is a bit much for a one man band IT outfit.

[sreed]

Female contractor here. Me and my partner are looking to have a child in the next year or so. I am currently contracting under my Limited Company and am working with a client that I really, really like. I do not wish to end my contract with this client, but I think it's prudent to seek permanent employment elsewhere to get maternity leave.

Is going perm the only viable option for me? How did you navigate pregnancy as a contractor?

abbyw As you've said, I would consider taking up perm employment with a big bank or public sector employer. Unless you have plenty of family support nearby, and/or your other half has plenty of time (and the temperament) to help, don't underestimate how taxing the first few years with a newborn is going to be and all the different medical issues that can lay you low before, during and after the birth. You'll be grateful to have the flexibility at work that most large employers offer pregnant employees and new mothers.

You can always come back to contracting once the child grows up a bit or starts school and you have recovered fully as well.

It's not the only option but if you are risk-averse and don't have the family support network nearby that'll help you keep a short maternity break, then it's a good option to go perm at a large employer for a few years. Think about yourself and your family in this scenario, because no one else will.

All the best!