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

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Lance]

Interestingly, my previous client was perfectly happy for one of its contractors to take a full month off paternity leave. It was made clear when they joined that they intended to take the time off and everyone on the project knew about it so it was super easy to plan in.

When I worked at a local county council, back at the start of my contracting career, a youngster joined the council with the sole aim of getting pregnant and taking advantage of the generous maternity policy. She did the bare minimum in the role while building up her qualifying period. I have no idea if she did have a kid as my contract ended before that happened.

working at a council seems to be just one step up from claiming benefits.

[northernladuk]

This is a potential outcome, but the OP's initial premise remains sound... if they are able to find the right employer/role.

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.

[wattaj]

But then you can't get a gig with them and get hooked on the idea and then take anything and your moral plan falls apart.

This is a potential outcome, but the OP's initial premise remains sound... if they are able to find the right employer/role.

[northernladuk]

I have a different opinion: that I see absolutely no problem with joining a JPM/Barclays/random awful bank, or other large multinational just for the maternity benefits. None what-so-ever. I've seen these companies all to willing to throw good people under the bus for some tangential advantage over the years. To Hell with them. Fill your boots OP. And enjoy your paid time off.

But then you can't get a gig with them and get hooked on the idea and then take anything and your moral plan falls apart.

[ladymuck]

Interestingly, my previous client was perfectly happy for one of its contractors to take a full month off paternity leave. It was made clear when they joined that they intended to take the time off and everyone on the project knew about it so it was super easy to plan in.

When I worked at a local county council, back at the start of my contracting career, a youngster joined the council with the sole aim of getting pregnant and taking advantage of the generous maternity policy. She did the bare minimum in the role while building up her qualifying period. I have no idea if she did have a kid as my contract ended before that happened.

[cojak]

I have a different opinion: that I see absolutely no problem with joining a JPM/Barclays/random awful bank, or other large multinational just for the maternity benefits. None what-so-ever. I've seen these companies all to willing to throw good people under the bus for some tangential advantage over the years. To Hell with them. Fill your boots OP. And enjoy your paid time off.

Big multi-nationals? Yep, that’s ok I suppose.

[wattaj]

Must admit, not impressed. Unless you intend staying there for a few years after you’ve had the baby, then it’s more reasonable.

I have a different opinion: that I see absolutely no problem with joining a JPM/Barclays/random awful bank, or other large multinational just for the maternity benefits. None what-so-ever. I've seen these companies all too willing to throw good people under the bus for some tangential advantage over the years. To Hell with them. Fill your boots OP. And enjoy your paid time off.

[dsc]

I've started a contract just before my wife gave birth and I have to say it was pretty tulipe on the whole family as I was doing long hours as the project was kicking off and commute was a fair bit. I only took two weeks off to help out at the start (we had some family over to help so it wasn't the end of the world) and even that was a stretch as I had loads to do and no one at the client's place was very keen for me to be away for longer. Overall looking back at it, I'd much rather be in a perm position, where you can negotiate some extra hols, or even get paternity leave to help out etc.

Consider that with a new born, even if he / she goes into a nursery at 6 months (which is crazy early btw imho as you'll want to spend more time with him / her), they might get ill, need time off due to not liking that particular place etc. and you will be forced to take time off work. No idea how your contracts look like, or what the industry is, but generally you are taken on to get on with the job and not many clients will be very happy with you disappearing. Also of course depends on your partner's position / availability, but I think you get the point.