Laura Briggs is a self-employed journalist and expecting her second child in July. Her new blog, Aprons and Shoestrings is written for parents on a budget with tips on having fun as a family and musings on motherhood.
This week I got the letter through saying I was eligible for maternity allowance. It was like a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that I’d get the regular money we need for those 39 weeks from the birth of our baby girl.
However, choosing to take the allowance wasn’t an easy decision at all. Being self employed I know that by taking it I’ll be out of the working loop for those nine-ish months. And for those who work for themselves, you know how hard it is to make contacts, get clients, and stay “employable”.
One person told me that I needed to “keep my hand in” if I was to have any chance of picking up work after the first year of having my baby, which made me think if I took the maternity allowance, that would be it – I’d be left on the shelf when it came to further work opportunities.
Then there were some who suggested taking the allowance and “seeing how it went”, I mean, how does that work exactly? See if I can fit in any work around looking after my three-year-old, and dealing with a newborn baby, and then if by some miracle I can, then pull out of the allowance scheme and do a spot of paid work?
After the birth of my son I took the decision to leave my position as a news editor on a local newspaper, where I was working long hours which certainly didn’t fit in around family life. It was a tough decision and not one that I took lightly. The decision to go freelance and work for myself was a complete leap of faith and one that just so happened to work out for me, and one that fitted in with having children.
Now I’m faced with having to stop work once again, and as someone who thrives on having a sense of purpose and having some form of “career path”, it’s another hard decision to take maternity allowance knowing that I’ll be putting a halt to that life once again.
One conversation with my husband involved me suggesting I work through and see how I get on. He told me, quite rightly, that this would be ridiculous as I’d have my hands so full and there would be no time for work.
The bottom line is I know that there’ll be no time to work with a newborn, but there’s no room for flexibility when you’re self employed. To gain the maternity allowance you have to stop work, full stop. There’s no way you can just “keep your hand in” and claim the money from the Government as well. And anyway, if I did carry on working, who’s to say I’d earn enough money?
It’s really hard when you’ve built up a new career by yourself to then take such a long time out. It would be helpful really if there was a way we could still do a bit of work (not talking about Keeping In Touch days here) just so us self-employed mums could build up our businesses without feeling that we’re throwing in the towel before we’ve got it off the ground.
Really, when it comes down to it there’s no comparison, time with my children far outweighs me working. As a woman, if you’re employed with a company you can take Statutory Maternity Pay and then walk right back into your job at the same level, but if you’re self employed, often you have to start from scratch all over again.
I know women who have gone back to work straight after having children. I admire those women, but equally I admire the women who have given up a job they love to look after the family. There’s no right or wrong way, it’s an either-or choice really. Can we really have it both ways?
You can find more of Laura’s writing on Aprons and Shoestrings and chat with her on Twitter too
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Claire penketh
Monday 2nd of June 2014
I took redundancy after the birth of my son and like you I was working as a journalist. That was 8 years ago. I refrained as a tutor in the post 16 sector and did that for five years, amongst other jobs that I thought were less demanding and fitted in better with motherhood. But I missed journalism - and returned two and a half years ago as a freelancer. I make a living as a Hackett. Still do a bit of teaching - but the great thing is - my old bosses had not forgotten me and gave me work. You will be fine. 39 weeks is nothing. If I can come back after five years, you can after nine months.
Izzie Anderton
Wednesday 21st of May 2014
I don't think there's ever an easy option when it comes to looking after our kids, whatever situation you find yourself in. I made the decision to return to a stressful career when my twin daughters were 3 months old and my husband gave up work for a year. This was probably one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make, but it was the best one for my family, as I was earning more money at the time. It didn't make it any easier. Good luck to you.