Working on Good Friday - rather unusual!

[DisabledDemon]

I work as a private English tutor and every year, see an increase in students wanting extra tuition at this time of year (the Mock results are in and a number of students have realised that they need more work if they're going to get the grades they need - panic has set in!).

Covid, of course, contributed to this, as did the teachers' strikes - but this is the first year that I've found myself booked to teach on Good Friday (and not just one student). What on earth is going on?

As for OP - don't take bookings if you don't want them but my DS will certainly be studying all the way through.

If you’re not a Christian it’s just a pointless day off (if you get bank holidays off) isn’t it? I’ll be at church but not many people I know will be. Might as well get some tutoring in!

Why are they called "bank" holidays and why are banks closed on these days? The only holidays where most places close are Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

I do know why they are called bank holidays and the origin because I worked in a bank.

There’s isn’t any day of the year when everyone is off.
Some people even work public holidays.

Good Friday is a bank holiday AND some people will work it.

Christmas Day is a public holiday it’s also classed as a bank holiday and some people work.

Good Friday is a bank holiday. Your argument was that it was not a bank holiday where you are. If you are in the UK it is. A public holiday is a slightly different thing. But are also often also bank holidays. And you used the term bank holiday.

Just because people don't get it off doesn't mean it's not a Bank Holiday 🙈

This thread is bizarre.

It's clear OP is asking why in this particular year do her students want to be tutored on GF when that's not happened before - it's unusual for OP to work on GF, not the general population!

GF is a bank holiday where OP is, obviously. I've no idea what 'in name only' means. It either is, or it isn't. The August bank Holiday is for no reason at all as far as I'm aware, it's not a celebration of anything. That doesn't make it not a bank holiday

OP, it think it might be because Easter is early this year, DDs school always has Easter in the middle of the 2 week break, but it's at the start this year (first day off is GF) so it's probably just a useful odd day before the 2 weeks off starts properly. I can see people wouldn't want tutoring smack in the middle of a 2 week break on an ordinary Easter holiday.

I think now people are prioritising working on bank holidays if they can, due to the cost of living crisis.

Maybe also some families don't see it as 2 sacred days off making a long weekend, and try to carry on as normal rather than spend time with festivities and or making a long weekend holiday out for it.

I am getting married on Friday! We thought it would be great because everyone is off and then you have the rest of the long weekend to recover/do other things.

Anyway while the vast majority of people ARE off, one of our ushers has had to book it annual leave because his workplace take the Tuesday after Easter off instead - I had never heard of this but there is something called “Easter Tuesday” in my diary so apparently it’s a thing.

"Easter Tuesday" marked in a diary??

When I worked in a big factory we had fixed factory shutdowns and only 4 days holiday that you could choose. We always had a week at Easter, starting Easter Monday as a bank holiday, ‘Easter Tuesday’ in lieu of the Good Friday Bank Holiday, and Wed-Fri as annual leave. To give a 9 day shutdown. So I always worked Good Friday.

I do know it’s a real, UK wide Bank Holiday though. Unlike some on this thread! 🤷🏼‍♀️ UK employment law gives a minimum of 20 days paid leave plus 8 Bank Holidays, but you can be required to work the actual day of the Bank Holiday and get time off in lieu. Plus sometimes extra pay for working the Bank Holiday depending on your contract.

Doesn’t seem odd to me, kids with exams coming up need to revise over Easter.

Not in Northern Ireland, we get Easter Monday and Tuesday as BH.
Lots of Catholic schools round here (England) work all of Easter week as they have Stations of the Cross at school

Oh, and I have just remembered I have a hair appointment on Good Friday, so my hairdressers are open.

Kind of key piece of information 🙄🙄

According to nidirect website Good Friday is a bank holiday in NI.

The company I work for it is only a bank holiday for people in England. Everyone in Scotland is working on Friday, but we get the 2nd January off, and they don't.

It's a BANK HOLIDAY.
So the financial markets are shut.

Retail, hospitality,care work
.. doesn't stop.

Good Friday started life as a public holiday, except in Scotland where the 1871 Act made it a bank holiday. The 1971 Act brought England, Wales and Northern Ireland in line, making it a bank holiday.

Hi OP, also an English tutor and also getting the usual Easter time panic bookings. But I’m not working on Good Friday … because I don’t want to! I have accepted some bookings for Easter Monday (I tutor online so it’s straight forward enough!) but that’s as far as I’ll go!

As you build up your confidence, you’ll feel able to politely turn down some bookings/offer alternatives. It does feel nerve-wracking at first, but if you’re a tutor then you’re in charge of your own timetable now!

Why didn't you just close your calendar if you didn't want to work on Good Friday @DisabledDemon ?

I think probably to do with the timing of the school holidays - most only break up on Thursday so the Friday feels more like a normal working day than when it comes in the middle of the hols.

Our kid's tutor cancelled the lesson on Good Friday. Fair enough.

Back in the olden days, I used to work in a pub on Fridays when pubs closed 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10.30pm the other nights (apart from harvest etc etc).

Anyway Good Friday was Sunday hours and I used to take great delight in chucking customers out early. Honestly they were so affronted, you'd think I was cutting their knobs off!

Anyway I work in an office in England and the long Easter weekend is perfect for a city break so I will be away Fri to Monday (not unlike Jesus himself).

@DisabledDemon

sorry I haven't read the whole thread. It's probably been mentioned already, but I think when Easter falls makes a big difference, that's probably all it is. Plus maybe you're getting more referrals??

just do it if you want & not if you don't. For the vast majority, it's just another day! My bloke is working that day, he's done nothing but whinge about it. He's self employed, he could have said he wasn't available if he wanted, but it's for a regular client so he didn't, he doesn't want to lose them to another company etc. so 'fair enough'. I don't care either way, but my responses are getting less & less tolerant he's going to get the 'STFU about it. It was your choice!' Shortly, it's not like he works for someone else & had no choice, or like any alternative plans are being messed up!!