Page 7 | Is 20 days annual leave enough for you?

Rainydays55 · 2022-01-16T15:53:31+00:00

For those if you who have 20 days annual leave plus bank hols - is that enough for you or do you find yourself needing more?

SquirrelG · 17/01/2022 03:02

It’s not about the number of hours worked but the number of days to take....I like to have around 10 ( or more holidays a year) ranging from 2 nights to 2 weeks.....I couldn’t do this on 20 days AL

I actually meant that if you can't cope with "only" 20 days annual leave maybe people should work less days per week and then they will have extra days off. Honestly, some of you are coming across as work shy!

As for 10 (or more) holidays a year - some people don't ever go away on any holidays for various reasons. It sounds like you haven't a clue about life in the real world!

SquirrelG · 17/01/2022 03:04

Incidentally, as someone who is unemployed, and struggling to find work - mainly due to my age - and is shortly going to have to find another flat to rent, which will cost a lot more than the one I'm currently in - I would take a job with no holidays!

BasiliskStare · 17/01/2022 03:37

I think 20 to 25 days per year is pretty standard in the UK possibly with an option to buy more or given for longer service. ( those with unlimited holiday aside ) & agree with the previous poster who says US people would think that is fabulous ( though I think they do have more bank holidays )

At which point I think there are these questions - does that not cover children's holiday childcare - in which case either relatives / friends / if you have a partner - scheduling your annual leave between you to cover it - plenty of people have to do this - or paid childcare - or if only 4 or 5 weeks holiday will impact you and your health - that is different - so maybe a different job If you just want to have 10 holidays a year then find a job which will accommodate that if you can.

I think 20 days rising to 25 / maybe 30 plus Bank Holidays is very normal ( those software people aside ) and most people cope.

Maybe get yourself a degree in computing science in the evenings

I do think @SquirrelG has something of a point in that 20 days or 25 is very very common & to think to be paid a decent salary with 10 holidays a year ( I appreciate some of those won't be 1 or 2 weeks ) is a little wishful thinking unless you can be really clever about taking a day before a Bank Holiday and splitting up the weeks for a longer break - even so - it sounds a stretch.

DH ( and this is also not normal ) I reckon has never had a holiday where he hasn't had to take the odd work call

christingle2 · 17/01/2022 03:40

Hell no. I have 23 days but can accrue additional flex hours which is a godsend

23 days isn’t a lot - that’s like 4 weeks of full leave that has to be taken across 12 months. It makes it difficult to eg plan a holiday. I’m lucky I can get an extra 3 days of flex built up at any time though, then take it off and accrue again, so it’s almost like having infinite annual leave.

christingle2 · 17/01/2022 03:41

My employer has a lot of mandatory annual leave days too though so the 23 annual leave days aren’t entirely my choice

OhamIreally · 17/01/2022 03:47

@WinnersDinner

I get unlimited holiday which I am forever grateful for, I struggled when in roles with just 20 days and wouldn't ever go back

How does that work?

MrsDThomas · 17/01/2022 07:00

Absolutely (i get 21.5) I work 4 days and so easy to make hours on flexi. I carried over 5 days leave and. Have enough for 3 days leave on my flexi.

ginsparkles · 17/01/2022 07:05

It's tight, but I'm in retail so am lucky that I can switch around my day off to maximise my holidays. So if I am taking a long weekend I swap my day off to be the Friday and the Monday, then I get I have a day off at the weekend so effectively get 4 days for 1 days annual leave.

I often book our weekly holiday to fall in line with Easter so that my weeks holiday is actually only a few days AL.

notyouagainn · 17/01/2022 07:07

Not really 25-30 is better. I have 20 and I struggle with it especially as I have to of term use some at Xmas when we close.

transformandriseup · 17/01/2022 07:22

A huge number of jobs offer just 20 around my area. My last couple of jobs pay 25 wouldn't want to go back to just 20.

One job I applied for a couple of years ago offered 20 days in which you couldn't take annual leave between February half term and October half term or the Christmas holidays. They then chose the dates which each staff member would take their annual leave

SpinsForGin · 17/01/2022 07:35

No. I've only worked for one company that offered 20 days and it was indicative of how they treated their staff. I didn't stay there long because it wasn't a great company to with for.

I now get 37 days plus bank holidays and Christmas which I know is VERY generous.

MinnieMountain · 17/01/2022 07:42

Only because MIL kindly looks after DS in the school holidays that DH and I can’t cover. Plus DH is a contractor, so gets to chose his holidays.

I took my current job because PT roles in conveyancing are rare.

PermanentTemporary · 17/01/2022 07:45

Let's all remember that in 'the real world' right now it's not an employer's market. It's a good time to negotiate for more annual leave if that's important to you and would keep you in the job.

NewPapaGuinea · 17/01/2022 07:45

We used to have 20 days and then we had a new MD who upped it to 25 years if you’d be there 2 years and 30 if 5 years. Amazing! He also allowed new employees to “carry over” their holiday entitlement from their previous job, so newbies weren’t starting from 20 again which I thought was brilliant from a recruitment perspective. Think they started with 25 if they’d been at their previous company 2+ years.

I used to get by with 20, but now my DS has started school inset days eat up a few, so having 30 is very much valued.

beckycharlie · 17/01/2022 08:03

I think it all depends on how many days you work, I get 21 days but only work 3 days a week so it's not so bad. If I worked 5 days a week and only had 20 days holiday I would struggle

Alayalaya · 17/01/2022 08:16

It’s not so much that I need the holidays - it’s my children. I would need 65 days to cover the school holidays. Two parents need at least 33 days each to cover them all. That’s assuming all of our holidays can be taken during school holidays and we never have any time when we’re all off together. I know some people rely on grandparents and aunties but there must be others like me who don’t have that option?

Classicblunder · 17/01/2022 08:50

@Alayalaya

It’s not so much that I need the holidays - it’s my children. I would need 65 days to cover the school holidays. Two parents need at least 33 days each to cover them all. That’s assuming all of our holidays can be taken during school holidays and we never have any time when we’re all off together. I know some people rely on grandparents and aunties but there must be others like me who don’t have that option?

We don't have grandparents to cover school holidays, we pay for holiday childcare. It's only a few weeks a year that we need to cover, it's fine. To be honest, I would go mad looking after them for the whole summer holiday so I am fine with it.

WoodenReindeer · 17/01/2022 08:51

Don't most people use holiday clubs? I know very few people who work fulltime who could covere holidays. (Hence lots of part time mums in our area too...)

megletthesecond · 17/01/2022 08:59

Yes. I work part time, Tues/Weds/Thurs (lone parent) and occasionally take unpaid parental leave for school holidays.

Figgygal · 17/01/2022 09:02

No chance
I do 4 days a week so get 4/5ths of 25 days and 4/5 of 8 BH
Luckily we can carry over at end of year and buy up to 12 days which i end up doing a lot

Onlyrainbows · 17/01/2022 09:04

Nope, especially bit with kids and family abroad.

Nogoodusername · 17/01/2022 09:08

No, it isn’t. I get 30 days plus bank holidays and then often the office shuts between Xmas and new year so I get those couple of days too. I still only just manage to juggle school holidays

Nogoodusername · 17/01/2022 09:08

esp as all DH’s family live abroad so we have to factor in seeing them in non-Covid era

CornishGem1975 · 17/01/2022 09:11

No, I think about 30 would be optimum. If I want the time off between Christmas and New Year I have to take that out of my holiday even though there's nothing to do at work.

Kitkat151 · 17/01/2022 09:16

@SquirrelG

It’s not about the number of hours worked but the number of days to take....I like to have around 10 ( or more holidays a year) ranging from 2 nights to 2 weeks.....I couldn’t do this on 20 days AL

I actually meant that if you can't cope with "only" 20 days annual leave maybe people should work less days per week and then they will have extra days off. Honestly, some of you are coming across as work shy!

As for 10 (or more) holidays a year - some people don't ever go away on any holidays for various reasons. It sounds like you haven't a clue about life in the real world!

Can’t see how it sounds like that at all🙄 I’ve worked 35 years....18 of them full time....I’m currently working full time I. The NHS as a Nurse...... wouldn’t call myself work shy...... I work hard and I love my holidays..... I actually counted up and I had 12 trips away last year ( although a couple were taken whilst on sick leave) the majority of my colleagues all have a similar number of trips away each year as me ......I would definately say I live in the real world having worked as a nurse for the last 2 Covid years. What job do you do? How many hours do you work? what makes you think you live in the real world and people like me don’t?