How to job hunt when you are planning to start a family

Looking for a new job isn’t easy. You’ve got your future career to think about and whether you’re moving in the right direction. You need to consider your finances and calculate how much you need to earn to pay your rent and bills. You might also consider the culture of a new business, your commute and your work-life balance too. If you are thinking of starting a family in the future, it can be even more complicated.

It’s against the law not to appoint a woman because she is pregnant or might become pregnant. Yet, even with these laws in place, research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has found that 59% of UK employers believe a woman should have to reveal if she is pregnant during the recruitment process.

Of the 1,106 people polled, 46% believe it’s reasonable to ask a woman if she has small children, while 36% believe it’s okay to ask a woman about her plans to have children in the future.

Furthermore, parental leave policies are usually hidden – so it can be tricky to assess whether you will be treated fairly if you decide to start a family. According to analysis of three-quarters of a million ads by Totaljobs, less than 1% of job ads even mention an organisation’s parental leave policy.

So what can you do if you’re looking for a new job and you want to start a family?

READ MORE: How to cope with returning to work after maternity leave

Ask about parental leave policies

“Companies seldom advertise their parental leave policies on their website, and as a result less than a quarter (22%) of jobseekers actively look for these as part of their hunt,” says Amy Logan, head of reward & HR at Totaljobs Group.

“Good companies should include this information in their job adverts though, so if you can’t see what an organisation’s parental leave policy is when looking for a new role don’t be afraid to ask.”

Asking can be easier said than done, however. The TotalJobs research found 60% of people worry that asking about parental leave policies in an interview will give the interviewer a reason not to choose them for the job.

Regardless, having this kind of frank conversation can be beneficial for both employers and employees. Good employers should recognise that their staff may well want to have a family. And their reaction will indicate their attitude towards women and parental leave – you don’t want to work somewhere that has doubts about you just because you want to have kids someday.

To make the conversation a little easier, it’s helpful to think about what you want to say beforehand. “Plan what you want to say to give you the confidence to find out the information you need, and allow you to identify the correct offer for you,” Logan says.

Be open about your different considerations

“If having parental leave is important to you when taking on a new role, don’t be afraid to be upfront about it,” Logan says. “A fifth (20%) wouldn’t apply to a job if they couldn’t find their parental leave policy, so it is not uncommon and employers would be well versed to be open about the role and its requirements.”

READ MORE: How to protect your mental health when you’re job hunting

It’s also important to research your rights and set your expectations. Everyone has the right to statutory parental leave and pay, but employers differ on how much extra they offer. Deciding how much you need will help you filter through different job adverts to find the right one.

Find out about shared parental leave

Shared parental leave is a scheme that allows parents greater flexibility when balancing work and childcare.

“This is a great option for making sure both parents can take their fair share of leave, so if this is appealing to you, then check the language that is used for parental leave and whether this is an option for the new role,” Logan says.