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?

We can take 10 days paid special leave each year. This is for hospital appointments, childcare, looking after dependants etc. It doesn't need to be booked in advance. As far as I'm aware people only take it if necessary. I've never taken all 10 and I've got two kids and have been in my job for 12 years. Completely forgot about parental leave. Oh and we can also buy and sell annual leave.

I work for the NHS btw

Just wondering where those who get paid parental leave (not carers leave) are based? Is it Scotland?

Yes Scotland here.

@YessicaHaircut Are you on a term time only contract? I assumed I wouldn’t be eligible (teacher) as, like with statutory annual holidays, it would be ‘directed’ to be within the school holidays and if employer’s are entitled to ask you to defer/suggest other dates they could just say take it in the school holidays?

If any other teachers know whether my understanding is right I would be interested to know; going back to work in 8 weeks after my first baby and would be good to know if this exists as an option.

I actually don’t even know if my work offer it paid or unpaid!

Check this to see if you're eligible. www.gov.uk/parental-leave/eligibility

Every organisation legally needs to respond to employee requests for this leave where said employee is eligible for it.

I could take 8 additional weeks in theory. 2 kids, 4 weeks each. However, I don't think I'd be popular! May take one or two as had to use a lot of leave on odd days for sick kids

bombay Thanks for the link, I will look. Makes no odds anyway as I wouldn’t take the leave even if it was paid.

bombay Sorry I assumed that link would tell me if it was paid or unpaid😂. I am eligible for unpaid leave, that much I did know. I just don’t know if my employer would offer it paid. Doubt it though.

I’ve taken 1 week in 16 years. It’s nice to know it’s there but there are so many conditions attached it’s about as useful as s chocolate teapot.

I take a few weeks unpaid parental leave every year to cover school holidays, dh does the odd week or two each year. When you factor in holiday camps around here being 25-35 per day per child and the salary element is all at the fully taxed end it’s worth it to spend time with the dc.

I view it as no different to part time or term time working to fit in with childcare needs - just that the pay cut isn’t spread evenly through the year so we have to budget accordingly!!

We can take it unpaid, because its unpaid I dont know anyone who has taken it. You can also buy extra annual leave, our trust do it as part of a scheme where you can pay for it spread out.

I've never taken it because it's unpaid and the regulations make it difficult for exact dates to be honoured. I do have a fully flexible job though in that I can work what hours I want between 7am-6pm providing 3.5 set core hours a day are covered, and every minute I work over and above seven hours a day goes on my flexi balance which I can then use to book time off and once this time off is agreed then barring business crisis it's honoured. So my employer offers an alternative which works better for me. If they didn't, I might have considered it but even then given that it's unpaid I don't know how useful it would be.

I took a couple of weeks a year during the summer.

We also had paid carers leave which I used for dc sicknesses that was paid and 12 days on a rolling year.

I tagged 10 extra weeks onto my maternity leave.

I have 3 kids.