Do you take all of your parental leave each year?

[Woeisme99]

Shortly returning to work from 2nd mat leave, and I've recently become aware of parental leave.

Juts wondering do some of you take it every year and factor it in like annual leave, or do you keep it for illnesses / settling in to school etc?

I imagine my request is going to go down like a shit sandwich (NHS), I don't think anyone else in my team takes it. Is it generally OK with your employer or do they make it difficult for you?

Ive never taken any and can't think of any time any co workers have either.

do you keep it for illnesses

You have to give at least 21 days' notice so it's no good for emergency situations really.

Not that it really matters as most employers would have to allow unpaid leave if you've got an emergency whereby you physically can't work and you've used up all your annual leave anyway.

I had actually forgotten such a thing existed but can remember a teacher friend in the mid 00s when it was a fairly new thing I think so well promoted (POSs linked to an election promise) used to use a week a year to go on a cheaper holiday in term time - I can't believe yhT would be accepted these days though !
I'm also low paid nhs and M very grateful for the paid carer days we can use but I wouldn't use them unless an emergency (I tend to swap my day off or save a couple of days annual leave for poorly kids etc)

Those people using it for cheaper holidays... surely losing a week's pay cancels it out? Unless you are really badly paid!

Parental Leave is unpaid, so I never took a day of it. I only know one person, of the hundred I worked with who had kids, who took it every year. She booked four weeks Parental Leave in advance every August, as her daughter had disabilities which meant it was basically impossible to find school holiday childcare. If anyone else had asked for this, I think my employer (one known for compassionate HR policies compared to most!) would have been very pissed off.

I take six weeks additional holidays every year so it allows me to take off midterms, Xmas etc
Unpaid of course.

Thought you could only take 4 weeks of parental leave per year.

How would a new employer, or anyone else, know how many weeks' Parental Leave you'd taken over the last 18 years? Its unpaid so they're not claiming anything back from the government like they do with Mat Leave etc.

I'm probably missing something simple here, just wondered!

Usually three or four weeks a year. I didn't need it when they were at nursery so I've been able to max it out during the primary years.
I'll drop down to two or three weeks a year when they're both at secondary. I've got it planned out until they're 18.

A few in my organisation have taken it (not my department). Its been fine up until now... Loads more people are requesting it for the summer. Obviously they can't all have it and there is uproar that people are having theirs declined (well, postponed but they don't want the first week of October off).

It’s not for emergencies.

I always take it. For school holidays - I have booked 4 weeks this year. It is unpaid. I then use my annual leave for extra days, medical appts, workmen at house etc. My mum does the odd day in the holiday for childcare. I also use a holiday sports club when available (only a couple of weeks in Summer). I am a single mum and DD’s dad never has her in the holidays.

I've never used it, I'm lucky with how things have fallen though. Somehow I've managed to have kids off with such bugs on my day off, hospitalised when I was a student etc. I'm now in a normal working hours type job not shifts so my luck may not hold!

That said DH can sometimes work from home and has done so with poorly child in the past if they are being low maintenance poorly (sofa, tv, sleep).

but can only take a maximum of 4 weeks per year.
It’s four weeks a year per child not in total.

I'm Irish so ours is set by Eu. No limit to how much you take in one year. 26 weeks in total that must be taken before the child is 12.. most people here take it as a day per week so they work for 4 days for a couple of years. Employers were slow at first to get on board but it's pretty standard now.

Reasons it can be taken here

Last year was the first year I used it as I've never needed to before and I can fortunately afford to lose the money. It's pro rata'd too iyswim. So I work 2days for nhs but was counted as 1week. No problem taking it in my team and several other women take it. I plan on taking the equivalent of 2 more weeks this year and plan on taking 3-4 weeks per year until dc is old enough to spend time at home, so 12 or so (dc8 now).

It's also 18 weeks in total per child.

I use the full four weeks every year, I’m a lone parent and I need it to plug gaps in childcare during school holidays, I also enjoy being able to spend more time with my son.

No one else in my department has taken it while I’ve been there.

In my nhs trust you can take four weeks paid and eight weeks unpaid parental leave up until your child is 12. It has to be applied for at least 28 days in advance.

I've never used it. I'm a single parent and can't afford to take unpaid time off.

I had been planning on taking it to cover the start of the school year but I ended up using annual leave. I will probably take a week when DD starts school.

My dp works for NHS in Scotland and it is definitely paid leave here.

It is so valuable and a nice perk in job where there are pretty much none. He works long shifts and unsocial hours.

I also have option to 'buy' an extra week annual leave which I am thinking about doing next year.

I have taken one week this year first time I’ve used it since having children 13 years ago.
It’s unpaid though so I can’t afford to use it often.

Not relevant anymore but if you were in receipt of HB or certain other benefits you could claim
Income support whilst on parental leave.

Unless you claim SDA then it’s relevant.