Seeking advice: gap in CV to stay at home w children

Firstly, thanks in advance for any feedback...

My husband (UKC/US)C, two daughters (current ages 2 months & 2 years - dual nationals) and I (USC) will be moving to the UK next year due to my husbands job.  Both my husband and I have decent careers here in the States.  I am currently on maternity leave with my second daughter, due to return in a couple weeks. 

I still enjoy what I do but I am finding myself thinking about staying home either full or part time for the first 2 years to engage more with them at this young age.

The advice I am seeking - for those in the UK - what are folks attitudes towards mothers who take a break of a year or two to spend time with their children?  I'm thinking of stopping next year instead of also putting in for a transfer with my current company.  However, I'm terrified of the perception that I'm not serious (or thought of in a negative light) about my career because there would be a break in my CV.

I am fully aware of the risk I would be taking in securing a new job once I return due to the job market (and going to a one income household) - what I am really unsure of is the attitudinal differences between the US and UK on mothers having a gap on their CV due to raising children.

Since maternity leave is much, much longer here -- about a year -- there's much less stigma associated with a gap in your job history in the UK.

I totally agree with Gwen about it being less of an issue in the UK.

It's all in how you structure the CV.  You don't have to list work experience chronologically, but by strenths to back up the position you are working for.  This takes the focus away from the dates you held the employment.  You can also address it in a cover letter.  Highlight your qualifications for the position and then have a line about "enthusiastic to return to the field after taking a pause to have a family".

Honestly, the bigger "issue" you will have is a lack of UK experience, not a resume gap.  Learn how to spin your US experience into a strength and not a weakness.  (If you have UK experience, obviously this doesn't apply).

I second what KFDancer says about the bigger problem being lack of UK experience.  If you can manage an intra-company transfer and stick with them for a year or so to get "UK" experience it will probably be easier to return after a longer absence. 

As far as taking a few years off to raise a family, I saw it happen quite a bit at my company in the UK, but not quite as often in the US.  I worked in the financial services industry in London. 

Thanks - hmmm, UK experience is something to think about.  I did live in the UK for a few years & I have a couple years experience, however, it was quite some time ago.   I will think about the transfer and perhaps pausing for a bit after.  I wish I could take a month or two off though upon moving...ugh.

Since maternity leave is much, much longer here -- about a year -- there's much less stigma associated with a gap in your job history in the UK.

Honestly, the bigger "issue" you will have is a lack of UK experience, not a resume gap.  Learn how to spin your US experience into a strength and not a weakness.  (If you have UK experience, obviously this doesn't apply).

This and this.

But totally resolve-able, for example, by doing volunteering at your local baby group!

http://www.do-it.org.uk/

Having studied UK, US and Canadian welfare and child care policy, I would say that being a stay at home mother seems culturally acceptable here, by way of a stronger health and welfare net, work conditions and parental tax breaks, though, generally speaking, being eroded by the coalition.

I agree with all of those who have posted, that it is quite acceptable here to take a career break. (Although it may well vary by industry.) I actually think it is much more of a disadvantage to be married and in your 30s but not have any children, because the employers will be worried about having to give you maternity leave. I was looking to change jobs at age 30, and again at 32, and each time every single interviewer asked me if I was planning to have children, and was obviously concerned about it. (Of course I lied – and I figured that if they are asking illegal and discriminatory questions, they did not deserve an honest response. And, I did get pregnant soon after starting the second job, but did not mean it to happen so soon!) If you already have the kids, they are somewhat relieved that they do not have to worry about this, especially if you have already taken the career break and gotten that "out of the way".

I took several years off work, and nobody seemed to mind in the least; it was considered quite a legitimate progression. I guess there must be some "macho" jobs where people will not take you seriously because you have young children – but involved fathers can get this too so I think it is more about whether you are willing to give up your personal life for career, rather than specifically about being a parent, in that type of career field.

It's disappointing to read that people are still facing discrimination for not having UK experience. I certainly faced this when I first came over in 1991, and they did not bother to hide it, openly saying things like "of course your Canadian experience wouldn't count", "of course we would not pay you as much as a British person" and so on. I would have figured things had moved beyond this. I'm pretty sure it's not as universal as it once was however, especially if you are in London. The companies I have worked at and contracted at since 2000, and the companies my husband works at, and the client companies I have dealt with, have loads of foreigners, and a number of large companies deliberately recruit foreigners. Again, it must depend on your field and perhaps in the part of the country you are in.

Good luck.