Due to a mistake on the part of the rep in Human Resources and my ignorance about the Canadian system, it turns out that I do not qualify for maternity leave benefits. I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach right now as that affects our income for the summer, although not drastically. C will still begin leave in a few weeks, and thanks to his full-time position at the university, he is assured of benefits.
There are some positive things to remember, which I'm trying to focus on rather than having an all out break down, which I'm sure would be fueled by my post-partum state of mind. We have enough in savings to see us through till the fall when I will be getting paid again. I recently found out that I will be teaching 3 courses in as many departments this year (well, 3 in the fall term, and 2 in the spring term), which will significantly improve our income and mean that we'll be able to replenish our savings fairly quickly. We also got a sizable amount back in income taxes which will help see us through. But knowing that this is due to the fact that someone forgot to check something soon enough and that I didn't know to ask the right questions is very, very upsetting.
3 comments:
This has to be so stressful! I hate when the rug is ripped out from under us. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you all though!
If it's someone's mistake, can it be fixed? Or is it an issue of, "You were never going to qualify. We just lead you to believe you were."
Apparently if it had been caught sooner I could have petitioned the dean's office to amend my contract. Since the semester is over, the dean's offce isn't inclined to help. C's pretty pissed about that. I'm trying to determine if I can take it at the end of next spring semester. I'm also going to be negotiating my contracts for this school year much differently.
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