Just got job after 7 years, but....

[Knifer]

I am an idiot.

It's a job in a school starting September and I totally totally forgot that we are on holiday to Morocco for a week in October. It was originally booked for half term but it's been moved twice due to the pandemic and it's the second week of October. I completely spaced on that, I still keep thinking it's during the half term!

I am scared that they'll withdraw their offer of employment if I tell them I have to have a week off. I am only working a three day week but still! It was booked three years ago and I wasn't working for a school when it was booked. Are they likely to tell me to piss off. I can't rebook it or change it in any way, I can't afford to. 😭

I'm terrified I'm going to be told they can't have me work there then. I haven't worked in seven years due to being a SAHM and I so desperately want to!

This!

I used to work in a school. I think if you send an apologetic email to HR explaining that you’ve realised your holiday is booked during term time and you wonder whether you might be able to take the leave unpaid on this occasion, they are likely to honour it, especially as far ahead as October. I’ve seen colleagues have existing pre-booked holidays honoured.

It is a school job - she will be very, very, very unlike to get paid holiday. It just doesn't work like that.

I started a job with pre booked holidays- 2 in fact. One was within the first 5 weeks. They were happy enough to honour it. But tell them asap....

Good luck with the new job

You'll be fine, OP. Just be upfront about. I sit in on many governing body meetings where staff holiday requests are discussed, as well as pre-booked holidays, and I've never once seen one declined, and I've never seen a job offer rescinded for it. You may be asked to take unpaid leave for it, but that's minor.

Move the holiday. It might cost a bit but less than the cost of losing a job and less than the cost of the holiday.

Do this, at my school it would not be a problem for a one off as unpaid leave.
They won’t want to have to start their recruitment process up again either, it all costs time and money!

Just tell them ASAP - if you're going to be working a three day week you could offer to work a full week the week before and 4 days the week after.

I cannot believe people are telling you to move or cancel a holiday that has been booked for 3 years. Only on Mumsnet 🙄

Great news on the job OP.

Tbh, in your position I'd just move the holiday dates now to fall within half term. Surely it's doable.

Only on MN?

I can't think of a single person I know in real life who'd even consider taking a holiday over a job, however long it had been booked!

Well she's already moved it twice so it's not a major issue. This exact holiday hasn't been booked for 3 years. Plus, she's chosen to take a job that it clashes with.

I did similar this term, and they should recognise things booked prior to starting the role. I had a couple of days booked, and it was accepted as unpaid leave. Let them know A.s.a.p and it shouldn’t be an issue.

Just tell them and ask if you can have the time off as an exception, explain it has been booked for three years and that you understand that from now on you are unable to book any further holidays in term time.

I used to work in a school and this was quite common with new starters in non-teaching roles. I’m sure it will be fine.

This has happened at my school recently, a new starter had a two week holiday booked. They asked her if she had any holidays booked when she started though, possibly at the interview stage. It was honoured. I think you need to tell them ASAP.

One of our new staff had booked a holiday for September before even applying for the job. They’ve honoured the holiday as it was booked prior to employment. Sometimes these end up being unpaid weeks but just speak to them.

I guess it depends on what the communication during the process was. We ask several times leading up to interview and during whether people have prebooked holidays, if they do, we honour them. If they don't, they would need to take unpaid leave.

Hi,

I did tell them, they did not ask me at interview and as it was my first interview in seven years I completely forgot to say as I was so focused on answering their questions properly! The lady I spoke to said she would pass that on to HR, and there wasn't any "oh no, how dreadful of you" type chat, so I hope they don't come back and say they can't honour the job offer now. I have accepted it, and I am now having to chase up my references from my last job at a different school. They moved to a big academy and they don't seem to have my employee records from when it was a grant maintained school. They said it's probably due to the new system and some records being left on the old one? That's unhelpful to me since I need to prove I worked there. They delivered all my training and I was on all their insurance records for vehicles etc, so there ought to be a record of me somewhere! Plus, staff that are still there are willing to give me a reference so that should be alright I should hope

If it were, I would have. But I need accessible rooms to accommodate a disability and those rooms are not available during half term week. It's the same holiday, same month, same hotel as the one I booked in 2019, just a different week. I didn't move them per se, the holiday company offered dates to move it to and I just accepted the only one that was in October as that and February are the only months my husband can also be guaranteed to get time off work. I wasn't expecting a change in my circumstances to happen which would allow me to go back to work, but it has

It's fine Op, I work in HR in education. They will honour pre-booked holiday. Plus, the amount of time, money and effort that go in to recruiting staff they will not withdraw and start the process again for the sake of three days.