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Original poster

Annual leave

92 replies

Mumteedum · 04/04/2025 21:10

I'm just curious.

How much annual leave are you entitled to and how much do you actually take?

I take most of mine but I'm not on a research contract. I know some colleagues do research in the summer but then I'm wondering if they actually take their annual leave too?

OP posts:
parietal · 04/04/2025 21:17

I don't know and I don't know. I take leave randomly when the kids are on school holidays but I don't really count the days.

GCAcademic · 04/04/2025 23:16

30 days. I take all of them but will spend 10 to 15 days of them doing research.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 05/04/2025 07:52

Like Parietal, don’t know and don’t know.

Pre kids I didn’t take much actual time off and worked a lot of weekends so probably took a negative amount effectively

Now I take off most of the school holidays plus the odd day when the kids are in daycare to get something personal done. It’s probably the minimum point for getting work done as I have school age kids (hols) and the one still in nursery (no time to work on weekends)

No I don’t get much research done :-( and also don’t get much rest! it’s temporary though

minnienono · 05/04/2025 07:55

My ex took around half his 34 days

Rocknrollstar · 05/04/2025 08:08

I always took my 30 days. Why wouldn’t you?

GCAcademic · 05/04/2025 08:10

It's discouraged where I am to not take your 30 days. Not because they give a shit about our wellbeing (they certainly don't) but because you carry over up to 10 days of unused annual leave and loads of people doing that adds quite a cost to the following year's departmental budget.

Original poster
Mumteedum · 05/04/2025 08:16

Thanks for replies. I didn't always take all mine when I was younger as there were always things to cover in the summer and we are perpetually understaffed.

In recent years have taken most of it. Can't usually manage to take all of it because I would not have enough time to get work done ready for new academic year.

I suppose I am curious about people who are research active and how they manage to get this done. Seems like people do it in the summer but then when do they take leave ? Wondering if they just work stupid hours which I can't do because of my personal situation. A change in contracts may not be possible but I am interested in doing research and have been doing a little when I can.

I suppose I am questioning any ambition to move into doing research if it requires me to not take leave to a greater extent.

OP posts:
GCAcademic · 05/04/2025 08:18

One of the problems for me is when to take annual leave. Because of marking and moderating deadlines over Christmas and Easter, the summer is the only feasible time for me. But that is also the only time when many people are able to focus on research. My department seems divided into people who book annual leave to get on with research and people who don't book it because of research.

bge · 05/04/2025 08:54

Russell group STEM - 30 days and I take all of it. Plus I took two compassionate days last year and occasionally carer days for the DC. my brain gets tired out! I can’t work all the time and be productive

SerenityNowSerenityNow · 05/04/2025 09:00

37 days but I struggle to take them all and usually when I do I often do an hour or two of work anyway.

I work a lot of Saturdays and travel internationally so I try a take some time back for that too but it's challenging!

FloozingThePlot · 05/04/2025 09:30

35 plus BHs and Christmas closure. I struggled to use it in the past but I will take it all this year as I've planned in longer breaks and odd days throughout the year.

Ineedcoffeenow · 05/04/2025 10:30

39 days. I take around 25-30, but quite often do bits and bobs on my days off—otherwise, I feel guilty for not working. The only time I actually take a full day off is when we’re going away. It’s not healthy to live this way at all and I need to find a way to not feel guilty when taking time away. I think that if I had to go out to work (rather than work at home), I wouldn’t feel the same level of guilt. Work is always there. There’s never a time when I don’t have things that need to be done—especially with research. It means I can’t switch off.

damekindness · 05/04/2025 14:13

GCAcademic · 05/04/2025 08:10

It's discouraged where I am to not take your 30 days. Not because they give a shit about our wellbeing (they certainly don't) but because you carry over up to 10 days of unused annual leave and loads of people doing that adds quite a cost to the following year's departmental budget.

We’ve not been able to carry over any leave at all for the last few years. It’s use it or lose it for us.

Ineedcoffeenow · 05/04/2025 14:46

damekindness · 05/04/2025 14:13

We’ve not been able to carry over any leave at all for the last few years. It’s use it or lose it for us.

Show quote history

We can carry over 5 days max.

LittleBigHead · 05/04/2025 14:57

I'm going to lose probably at least a week of annual leave this year. IT's really hard to take it.

I often just whack in the whole of August as annual leave, so I can get some real research work done. However, all our deferred marking comes in then, so I can't actually take the full 4 weeks.

grandnational · 05/04/2025 20:20

I recently left HE and never took my full leave. None of my colleagues did - they took about half.

I'm enjoying having evenings and weekends, and not having to take marking on holiday.

LuluDelulu · 05/04/2025 21:41

I take it all, but I end up working during it a little bit too, unfortunately. On the other hand, the job is flexible enough that I often take time off to parent etc so it kind of balances out overall…

EBoo80 · 06/04/2025 10:27

Oh my goodness I’m a bit shocked by this thread. I get 30 days and use every one of them and absolutely don’t do research on holiday. When I’m working I work (don’t take whole of school holidays without keeping track as that would be vastly more than my allowance).
this is a bit like the thread a few months ago where people said it was normal to spend your own money on research. I’m wondering if I’m unusual in academia in keeping the work life boundary so rigid.

bge · 06/04/2025 10:57

No, I’m the same. I never work at weekends except once a year or so before a grant submission. I never work past 4pm either. I’m doing very well, I don’t know if this is in spite of or because of my attitude.

Original poster
Mumteedum · 06/04/2025 11:03

@bge @EBoo80 you're where I want to be. Good on you.

Our uni varies wildly. There are full timers who do way less than their share, on standard contracts so get an allocation for research yet haven't published in twenty years and then those on teaching contracts doing way more, and often on part time hours.

I have wanted to do research and move contracts but it seems nigh on impossible and I'm beginning to wonder whether I should be trying to do this at all. Not sure it is worth it.

I'm feeling like quiet quitting right now.

I've booked the whole of Easter off for the first time and do not intend to do a thing. Feel like I just need to get away from the place entirely.

I'm clearly very run down as I've woken feeling quite ill today with fluey symptoms.

OP posts:
Original poster
Mumteedum · 06/04/2025 11:04

grandnational · 05/04/2025 20:20

I recently left HE and never took my full leave. None of my colleagues did - they took about half.

I'm enjoying having evenings and weekends, and not having to take marking on holiday.

Inspire me.... Can you say what you're doing now ?

I'm grateful to still have a job the way it's going but also feeling quite uninspired about it.

OP posts:
EBoo80 · 06/04/2025 11:04

Thanks @bge. Glad I’m not alone!
I definitely don’t want it to sound smug (as I said, the thread mostly ignited my imposter syndrome) but I’m also doing fine and generally like my job. I think I would like it much less if I had no time off. I’d be like this with any job I think.

EBoo80 · 06/04/2025 11:08

@Mumteedum hope the break does you loads of good and is really restorative.

I’ve had a series of sudden personal losses in the last decade that just makes me very intransigent about refusing to have a miserable working life. I definitely miss out on some opportunities as a result, but on balance I am happy at work most of the time, and if I have an extended period of being miserable I re-evaluate and look for changes I can make.

grandnational · 06/04/2025 11:44

@Mumteedum

Civil Service. Try the jobs board and enter 'Researcher'.

I took a pay cut but the pension is worth a lot more. It's also family-friendly so I was able to make the Christmas shows etc.

A lot depends on the department and the team, and recruitment & promotion are tight right now.

Taking your full leave might be the right solution for you if you're simply looking for inspiration. A short academic visit might give you a change of scene.

All that said it's been a positive change so far, and has opened up career paths outside government too. There are a lot of opportunities to move around and training is very good.

I'm only a few months in though so perhaps ask again in a few months.

I miss a lot too, but our department had been hit badly by the drop in international applications - the signs weren't good. I'm the sole earner so didn't want the risk of redundancy.

Original poster
Mumteedum · 06/04/2025 12:06

grandnational · 06/04/2025 11:44

@Mumteedum

Civil Service. Try the jobs board and enter 'Researcher'.

I took a pay cut but the pension is worth a lot more. It's also family-friendly so I was able to make the Christmas shows etc.

A lot depends on the department and the team, and recruitment & promotion are tight right now.

Taking your full leave might be the right solution for you if you're simply looking for inspiration. A short academic visit might give you a change of scene.

All that said it's been a positive change so far, and has opened up career paths outside government too. There are a lot of opportunities to move around and training is very good.

I'm only a few months in though so perhaps ask again in a few months.

I miss a lot too, but our department had been hit badly by the drop in international applications - the signs weren't good. I'm the sole earner so didn't want the risk of redundancy.

That sounds really positive for you.

Alas, as I am on a teaching only contract, I don't have research as an area I could pursue outside of HE. I'm not really looking to jump but always wonder if I might have to these days.

Just pondering what I am striving for. I think perhaps I need to tread water for a bit. I'm ina funny place professionally and personally. Pondering this while feeling ill is probably not the best 🙈

OP posts: