Pregnancy and the market

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, ABD mama writes:

I am a pregnant first-time job seeker on the North American market and my baby is due during the height of flyout season. I see no reason to mention this situation to search committees unless and until they invite me to visit, but I would like to prepare myself for such a conversation ahead of time. Can anyone illuminate the constraints on campus visit scheduling? How much flexibility do hiring departments have? Does this vary from institution to institution? Who makes these decisions? Also, does anyone have experience (either as a job candidate or hiring department) with a flyout involving a baby? I am 99% certain that I would rather cope with the challenges of bringing a nursing newborn than with the challenges of being separated from said newborn overnight. I am fortunate to have a family member who can travel with me to provide childcare. I imagine that I should plan for her to travel on my own dime, though please correct me if I am wrong. I should also add that this is not my first kid, so I have at least some idea of the exhaustion and other things I will be feeling.

These are really good and important questions. My experience serving on several search committees is that hiring committees can have a significant amount of flexibility, but that scheduling is also constrained by the schedules of administrators (e.g. Deans), the fly-out schedules of other candidates, and the overall timeline for the search (some hiring committees may be pushed to wrap up the search by a certain date). Consequently, I suspect (but don't know for sure) that things can vary quite a bit from institution to institution. Do other search committee members have any thoughts on these issues? And more generally: do readers have any relevant experiences and/or advice to share?

Comments

[Nicolas]

I only have extremely anecdotal evidence, and as a father, not a mother. But, I was invited for a campus visit a few weeks before my first child was born, scheduled to take place right around the due date. I was very forthcoming about this with the chair of the committee, and she was very accommodating and supportive. She knew I might have to reschedule my visit in case the baby came early or late. I actually felt like she genuinely cared. I visited when my baby was like a week old–. I was blissful but also exhausted and beginning to develop a 'baby brain.' If anything, though, everyone was giving me credit for it and some gave tips about the childcare situation in the neighborhood. I didn't get the job; they made a senior offer instead. But I don't think my baby had anything to do with it.

One indirect advantage is that people tend to love babies, so you'll get their sympathy (mostly). Bring pictures if you can't bring your baby!

[Mom of 5]

I did this with one flyout. To be honest, it was more of a pain than it was worth. But, the baby was a bit older (a few months old or so) and I could have stood to be without her for that time. I wonder if I had left her at home, perhaps I would have gotten the job (I know I was a close second).

The department was very accommodating. I had to coordinate with the person who was taking care of my baby, in this case my mom, to meet me at various locations at various times, but I took my cue from the schedule, and let them know in advance that I would need a substantial (40 min) break every few hours. It took a lot of planning. The baby did not sleep well in the hotel room, and I was exhausted, especially on the second day of the interview. I was running on a few hours sleep, and not as sharp as I otherwise would have been. I was also fairly distracted, checking my phone a lot, etc. My advice, if it is at all possible, is to leave the baby, and pump. It's just easier. I also did that on some flyouts and that was SO MUCH easier, the breaks shorter, requiring less planning, and then you don't have a grumpy baby whose schedule is being F*ed with by the time change, meet-ups, etc.. When I was pumping, I got lots of breaks to sit and collect my thoughts. People were also very nice about that.

I would not ask anyone to pay for a childcare provider or family member to travel with you. That's not a reasonable request.

So generally: possible, but not advisable. It likely will not go very well, but not because people aren't trying their best to help you, it's just that traveling with . baby is exhausting and often complicated, and not something to mix with a stressful, high-stakes interview.

[Mom of 5]

I don't know if "bring pictures!" is good advice. Moms being mommish and showing off baby pictures might strike people (especially, I've found, older women) as unprofessional. Might be different for men, I'm not sure.

[Nicolas]

That was partly tongue in cheek. Of course, show pictures only if they ask you and you’re comfortable showing them.

[ABD mama]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Nicolas and Mom of 5. It is good to hear that there is at least some schedule flexibility at least some of the time. And also to be reminded of the challenges of traveling with a baby, which I have not done in a while. I guess I just have to wait and see how things shake out.

[ABD mama]

Also thanks to Marcus for the thoughts on interview scheduling (and for posting my question).

[I survived...]

OP here. I ended up taking the baby on flyouts. I asked about changing dates in one case. It did not work out but nobody seemed bothered that I had asked. Bringing the baby made some things harder and some things easier. I am confident it was the right decision for me but I can easily imagine somebody in similar circumstances making a different decision. It all worked out well enough and I am starting a TT job in the fall. I share this all now because I would really, really, really love to help anyone facing similar challenges who might stumble across this post in the future. I would be more than happy to speak privately and Marcus has agreed to put anyone who wants to do so in touch with me.