Me and my partner's first child is due at the end of January and I have sorted all my paternity leave arrangements out with my current employer.

I am half-heartedly looking for another job. Lets just say that I find another job and start there before the baby is due. Would I still be entitled to the two weeks paternity leave or do I have to have worked there a number of months / years (like with maternity leave for ladies)? I do not know if this depends on the employer or not.

I work in the IT industry, and I wouldn't say I'm totally unhappy with where I work, but I am a little bored. Could do with another challenge (plus I know I do not get paid enough for the work I do) as I have been here since I left university 6 years ago.

Cheers people.

hiya - this is from govt website.
Eligibility

Employees must satisfy the following conditions in order to qualify for paternity leave. They must:


have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing
be the biological father of the child or the mother’s husband or partner
have worked continuously for their employer for 26 weeks ending with the 15th week before the baby is due

Employers can ask their employees to provide a self-certificate (see below for further details) as evidence that they meet these eligibility conditions.

Some "better" employers may not insist on this but I would imagine smaller companies would as they just cant afford this.

Thanks.

Just that I didn't know if I should hang fire for a while after I've had my paternity leave with my current employer (a large law firm in the city centre) or go full bore looking for another job.

If I state my situation if I do apply for any jobs in the coming weeks, I suppose it leaves the 'ball in their court' so to speak.

It does put the ball in their court though I would wait for a job offer and use it as part of the negotiation process.
I know that if it was the "right" candidate I would be prepared to negotiate on this basis. I think it could be perceived as a bit cheeky if you state it at application or interview stage

Come to think of it, demanding two weeks off before I have even got the job sounds bad!!

try and get a job with a competitor then when you resign, you could hope they give you gardening leave.so a month at home ,before or during or soon after the birth.

Thanks for the advice people!

Much appreciated.

D.

Paternity leave is OK, but you are likely to only receive a fraction of your normal pay for those weeks you are off work.

Many people save their holidays to ensure they get their full pay when off.

I think this may differ from employer to employer as I get full pay for the two weeks that I am off (where I am currently employed).

As opposed to my younger brother whos girlfriend is expecting their child in March. He'll only get a lower percentage of his normal pay.

It does vary from employer to employer.

There are the Government set paternity and sick pay minimum payment levels, which most employers stick to.

But there is nothing to stop your employer paying full pay when employees are off on paternity leave or off sick.

I tend to pay full pay when someone is off sick if it is only ocassionally, but I wouldn't pay full pay for paternity leave.

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