Unpaid parental leave for 16 / 17yr old

[Ticklovetock]

I’ve recently been reminded about the 4 weeks per year unpaid parental leave entitlement for children up to 18.
I can afford to have the full 4 weeks per year (I’ve never taken it in the past) so DH thinks it would be a good thing for me to take it while is still can (DD is 17 in April).

I know I’d be entitled to take it but my manager will no doubt question why I want to take it and it won’t go down well at all.

I’d spread the 4 weeks throughout the year and apply well in time of the leave.

Would it be ridiculous to take it for a 17yr old? I know it’ll be seen as me just wanting extra time off so I want to be ready with my answers.

Wow. Never heard of this.
As others have said, I presume it doesn't apply to teachers, lecturers, TAs, etc though ?

Her workplace can organise paid cover.

This just isn't a realistic option in so many jobs though. Lots of people can't 'draft someone in' for a week - it would take far longer than that to train them up to do the work.

”As others have said, I presume it doesn't apply to teachers, lecturers, TAs, etc though?”

Why would you presume that? People in those jobs have the same employment rights as everyone else does! Can you imagine the uproar (quite rightly) from unionised professions like these if family-friendly legislation was brought in for everyone except those groups?!

Back for good - how do you think normal leave is covered😊.

Dollymixture - well, in my team, a lot of the work is your own workload and you catch up after you return. The stuff we do have to share between us is shared fairly, because everyone has the same amount of time off, so, across each year, it is reasonable that when any of it occurs when someone is off, it is given to someone else, but if someone is then off for twice the time, (potentially each year), then it would become an issue.

Flowery I'm presuming that because a) I've never, ever come across it (and I know a LOT of teachers), and b) I've never seen a thread on MN complaining about the teachers always being off in term time

Dolly, do you think normal leave is covered😊. which of Backforgood’s comments were you referring to?

Normal leave is covered by everyone else in all the departments anywhere I’ve worked usually.

@BackforGood teachers etc have the same statutory rights

I am another that didn't know about this. Well I did, but I thought it was only for under 5s, I had no idea it had changed. Plus I thought it was one of those things you had a right to ask for but not necessarily to have granted, like the right to ask for flexible working. It hasn't been very well publicised by the sounds of things. But then I suppose it is not in most employers' best interests to spread the word. I wish we had known about this when our children were younger and we were struggling in the school holidays. DH only gets 4 weeks paid leave and one of those has to be taken at Christmas so it would have made our lives a lot easier if we had known he was entitled to unpaid leave. It wouldn't have been a lot of use to me, as I can't remember the last year that I managed to take all my paid leave entitlement, never mind anything extra, but I reckon DH could have had some. Ah well c'est la vie.
OP, in your shoes I would go for it. You are entitled and if you can afford it, why not? Supporting teens through university applications, driving lessons, A levels etc does take a lot of time - they don't stop needing mum and dad, even though they might think they do!

I don't consider taking unpaid leave in any way unethical, provided it's not going to leave the company up shit creek.

If you can't give a reason other than "I want some time off", I'd say that sends a pretty strong signal to your employer that you don't really need or want your job. But if they know that anyway you might think it's no big deal.

”Flowery I'm presuming that because a) I've never, ever come across it (and I know a LOT of teachers), and b) I've never seen a thread on MN complaining about the teachers always being off in term time”

Yes, as this thread shows, lots of people don’t know about it and that would include teachers, but they definitely have all the same rights as everyone else does.

When you ask for parental leave your reasons aren't really important as you are entitled to it regardless but the employer does have to give a reason for postponing it it can't be refused and like maternity disability sex or religious rights you can't penalise people for using their rights

Wish I knew this!!

Good for you OP. Enjoy your time off!

I took a couple of weeks when DC started school so that I could be around for the shorter days.

I saved most of it for those 'in between years' of senior school when they were too old for holiday clubs/childminder but not really old enough to be left at home alone every day for the holidays. I've kept some for exam times and university visits etc.

It has to be taken as full weeks so I would book the full weeks for holidays that I would be off anyway and then use my annual leave more flexibly to take a couple of days off each week during the long holidays.

For those posters suggesting that it's taking the piss it's a legal entitlement and no different to taking your full entitlement of maternity leave.

In my work you don’t have to be a parent to take unpaid leave - you can take it if you want to travel or spend time with family or launch a comedy career - they aren’t paying you for it so spnothing to do with them why you want it

Oh lucky, lucky you!

What if your teen developed a long-term illness or had an accident and you suddenly urgently needed the time while you helped them recover? You might then regret having “squandered” it on having fun. I’m saving it for when I really need it. If I never need it then good.

Looking back I'd really have appreciated it if my mum could have had some time at home in the run up to alevels.
Hope it's granted and you enjoy it.

I never even knew this was an option so thank you! In the early years, it'll be tough to take a week unpaid leave but I like to think as he gets to school age and when I could really do with some help, it'll be possible.

I'd take it if I'd been covering for everyone else for years.
I wouldn't go into too much detail with your boss, just say DD has some personal stuff going on and you want to deal with it.

What if your teen developed a long-term illness or had an accident and you suddenly urgently needed the time while you helped them recover? You might then regret having “squandered” it on having fun

Then you could apply for emergency dependents leave.

I didn’t know unpaid leave was a thing with older children either 😃 why not take it if you can? And in the OPs case it’s not like they can complain she shows lack of commitment to her job when she’s been there 25 years.

Even if they did, well bollocks to them anyway. No one ever gets handed a medal for putting work first in my experience

I will be taking parental leave for the next few years as I want to spend more time with my dc and can afford it. Op take it, it's unpaid and you're entitled to it. Like others have said I know plenty of non parents who have taken unpaid leave from their jobs to have extended leave. If you want it then ask at least but don't moan at parents for taking what is set up to help parents. When I worked in the public sector you could buy leave and were actively encouraged to to save the council money.