Can You Get Hired If You're Pregnant?

Working with young kids and special needs may take more physical energy than you have toward the end of a pregnancy. A friend suggested to me when pregnant to try to get a temp job (so quitting is not a big deal). Just some ideas to think about.

It is discrimatory for an employeer to not hire you becasue you are pregnant. You do not need to say that you are pregnant at the time you are interviewing. But, you do need to discuss the work schedule that you are looking for- full or part time. I was hired when I was 3 months pregnant and my company has been great with letting me work parttime since. Just try to get a feel for the company at the time of the interview to see how flexible they will be.

Many have commented on FMLA and the laws about hiring, so I won't go into that.

One of your comments though is that you wouldn't feel comfortable NOT disclosing the pregnancy. I would urge you to reconsider that. I don't work in HR,but I've done some hiring and from my experience: I do NOT want to know if a person that I'm interviewing is pregnant. Even if I suspect, I don't want them to confirm it. I am dedicated to hiring the best person for the job and I don't care if the person is pregnant. However, if a person tells me that she is pregnant, it becomes a very uncomfortable interview because I'm NOT allowed to discuss it with the person. And I'm not allowed to consider it in the hiring decision. But here it is, the person has brought it up and now there is a big silence while I try to figure how to respond without opening my company up to a lawsuit. Usually it's just something along the lines of 'oh, congratulations' and then I try to change the topic. But it is uncomfortable and, in my opinion, it's unprofessional to bring up a topic that you know is illegal for the other person to discuss.

You can ask general questions about the leave family policies during the interview if you want to, that's fine. But, in my opinion, please leave the obvious unspoken.

And - Congratulations!

Have you looked into the cost of childcare? I was a teacher's assistant in the public schools for three years and it is a pretty low paying job. When you factor in childcare for a newborn (and your other two kids, unless they're in school) plus your commute expenses the job may actually COST you money.
Another possibility...
I had a friend in a very similar situation, husband was stressed, wasn't making quite enough. She got a job at Target! She worked a few nights a week plus a full day on the weekend. Not glamorous, I know, but there were NO child care costs because the kids were home with daddy, minimal commute (it was less than a mile from her house) and she ended up really enjoying it. Just a thought, good luck and congrats on #3 :)

Legally, anyone interviewing you for the job can't ask if you are pregnant or base their hiring decision on your health situation. But if you are visibly pregnant (at 12 weeks, you probably don't look pregnant) they might not mention your pregnancy, but find another reason not to hire you.

If you do get hired while you are pregnant, keep in mind that you are not legally entitled to take time off under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) until you have worked for the employer for at least one year. You will have to make arrangements with the employer to take time off and still keep your job after you have the baby.

Good luck to you, and congratulations on Baby #3!

You cannot be refused employment for being pregnant, but if a company doesn't want to hire you because of it, they most likely will tell you that they found another candidate who was a better fit, had more experience, more tailored experience, etc... there is always a way for them to get around the issue. That being said, legally you do not have to disclose your pregnancy, nor can an interviewer ask you about it, even if you are showing. It has nothing to do with your experience or ability to do the job. I would not even bring up the subject, and if they do, very polity ask how that is relevant to the job you are applying for. They should only be asking you question in relation to the position your applying for.

It may or may not affect your ability to get a job but you also need to consider the financial impact of going to work while you have a newborn. Daycare/childcare for a newborn is astronomical. Will you make enough to even make it worth your while. A teacher's assistant in the public school system probably isn't going to be a high salary position. And where will the other kids be? Are they in school? Will you then have to pay for after care? How stressful will it be trying to manage the house, job and 3 kids that includes a newborn?

If it were me, I'd probably opt out of the job search at this point and see what I could do as a stay at home mom to improve the budget situation. Looking at things like using coupons, not eating out, shopping sales for groceries, only buying what you need (I have made a huge effort over the last year to cut out buying "stuff" that we don't really need. You know, all those little things that magically wind up in the cart at Wal-mart along with groceries lol), getting things for the baby that are borrowed from friends if you don't still have baby stuff rather than buying all new, using cloth diapers/wipes is a huge money saver and way easier than you think-I used them from the time my daughter was 4 months old and she is almost 3 now. If you buy the right kind and take care of them you might only have to buy one set! Huge $ saver! Look at your menu when you cook. Try to include meals that go a long way for little $-lasagna, whole wheat pasta dishes, brown rice and beans dishes, veggie stir-fry with tofu-all have lots of protein and you can add veggies for little $.

Best to you and your family!

Keep in mind that at many places you have to have worked there for a certain period of time in order to qualify for and receive paid FMLA. I work at a school as a teacher and that is definitely the case here - and I think we have to have something like so many days/hours/months of continuous employment in order to get paid FMLA.

Now this is just my personal opinion but if you are planning on working at a school and having kids depend on you, it isn't very fair to the students for you to show up and build a relationship with the kids (especially in special ed) and then be out for at least 6-9 weeks and leave them hanging with a sub. It is potentially a major disruption in their academic lives when they need something stable. Not trying to be mean at all; just trying to be realistic.

They legally can't immediately cross you off the list but they may think of what person is best for the position, long-term, for the sake of the students.

Since it is a position for next school year, definately interview now. Treat your pregnancy as a non-issue. That is what I did when I was pregnant with my first. I was six months along - got hired and at my "new hire lunch" with the team I mentioned I was six months pregnant and everyone was so suprised - LOL! "What you all just thought I was fat?!"
So I went and mentioned to boss, she was just as suprised, but it didn't stop her from promoting me and giving me a raise two months later - right before I went on leave!
I believe it is illegal for them NOT to hire you if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant, the other side of that coin is you may not have enough tenure built up to get paid the whole time you are afforded leave and you may find yourself without pay for a few weeks or going back earlier than you wanted.
Good luck!

I would just wait. If you are surviving now, a new baby should not initially
cost much. School positions do not pay very well and childcare is expensive. I would rethink things after the baby is born. I was home with
four kids and we survived financially. You learn how to economize in ways
you never thought possible. We went to McD's once a month maybe. However, we both agreed it was best to stay home with kids. It is a very
personal decision. Good luck whichever way you go.

Yes, you can get hired when you are pregnant but in all honestly... if you are not clearly the most qualified candidate, they will hire the person who won't be out soon after starting. If you are the best candidate, they will hire you with the knowledge that you will be out for 8 weeks.

Just a couple of things to consider...
- daycare is very expensive so really look at your potential income vs. your "costs"
- school positions are great with respect to hours, flexibility and benefits but in this economy TA positions are very "expendable" so make sure that a position is a long-standing opportunity, not something created for a single child (per their IEP) or newly created.
- do not disclose your pregnancy at the interview... if it's "obvious", they will figure it out. If it's not then share the news after they have made an offer. You can always say "no" to an offer.
- general rule of thumb when interviewing... "answer the question that is asked completely, but without expanding on the actual point of the question".

Remember too that with public employees, you are entitled to FMLA (12 weeks), but ONLY if you have been with the district for a year, which does not apply to you. You will be entitled to 6 or 8 weeks of leave, but you will only receive a paycheck equivalent with your sick time balance. If you get 10 "sick days", you will get paid for 2 weeks of your leave, meaning that the remaining weeks will be unpaid.

Do a monthly budget and figure out whether or not there is a financial gain with you working. Are both of your other children in school full time? If not, factor in daycare for all who will need it. Will you be working full time with full benefits? If so, is it cheaper than benefits through your husband (in many cases it is), so factor that in too.

I would say start looking/interviewing now preparing yourself for the possibility that 1. it's been years since you have worked so that goes "against" you 2. You are preggers. With it being a school I would not think it out of the question because you would be delivering and most of your leave would take place during summer would it not? So, I would say go for it but be prepared for it to be difficult.

Well, it's illegal to not hire you because of your pregnancy. However, if there are other reasons that you're not a good fit, it won't help your case, knowing that you'll be out on maternity leave in less than 6mos.

So CAN you get hired - yes. And you should.
But it will factor in.

I might make it a talking point during the interview, and discuss expectations with them. You'll be able to get a feel of how it's going to impact you, if at all.

I work from home and it's amazing because I'm still generating an income, and I'm able to stay at home with my daughters. I started when I was 37 weeks pregnant with my second child!

PM if you would like more information. I would love to help you be able to stay home with your kids, while working. If that is what you really want to do, we can make it happen. :)

I know you say your uncomfortable not disclosing it, but you really dont have to. They legally arent supposed to ask you either. I wouldnt tell them. Its a good possibility they will cross you off the list because your pregnant, you could never prove it.
A company I worked for even encouraged employees to not have children if they wanted to work in that field. Pretty sad.

Is there any other jobs or income producing things you can do besides going back to a traditional "job". What about earning extra money tutoring special needs kids? Or doing something else in your field similar to that which people would pay for. The costs of child care often makes it not worth it to go to a job. I would definitely explore other options that would allow me to stay home with my kids and bring in decent income.

Brainstorm to come up with ideas, research how viable those ideas may be in your area, crunch the numbers too to see how your new endeavor will work or not work for you. Cover all your bases.

Legally, they cannot NOT hire you because you are pregnant. However, they can get around that by saying things like, "another candidate fit the position better", "we are no longer hiring", etc. If it is a highly specialized position and they are desperate, they may very well hire you. I have a good friend who is specialized who started a new job at 8.5 months pregnant. Needless to say, they knew what was coming, but still wanted/needed her so they took her on. I would suggest beginning your search now, but if nothing comes up, then start again in the summer (when teachers begin to drop out more). You would definitely be showing, but at least you would be getting your foot in the door!