Is 20 days annual leave enough for you?

[Rainydays55]

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

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!

It's not that I'm work shy! Medical conditions - I have bloods and an appointment every 12 weeks that takes a full day Plus another condition that has an appointment every 6 months plus any unexpected doctors appointments that are needed Dentist - my dentist is a 40 min drive away By the time I've had one day off for my birthday which I always book, and all my hospital appointments, that's my annual leave gone

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!

Isn't it more about work/life balance? I love working full time but I have a stressful job. knowing I have a decent annual leave allocation helps me cope!

We have unlimited and very few people take more than 20 days!

In my last place I had 20 and they closed down for Xmas so would take 3-4 off you for that. It was a nightmare trying to take time off for DD who was in nursery at the time

I get 25 days, plus bank holidays. We also get the days between xmas and NY and xmas eve off.

So 5 weeks off as I work office hours. I would like more off, I think 30 days would be great but I cope with 25.

20 is shocking, but not unusual but I dont think I could cope on it.

I had this amount in a previous job and it was really difficult. Didn't have kids at that point (which would have made it even worse) but by the time you've had a week's holiday, taken a few days at Christmas, added a few days on to weekends to visit relatives and taken day off to get boiler serviced that's it all used up with barely anything in hand for emergencies!

It's enough for me as a starting point. Ie if I took a job with 20 days it would be because the allowance went up each year I was there.

Holiday clubs? Do you have lots of choice in your area? Where I live they’re all sport and physical activity based, and they tend to start about age 6 to a max of 14. Nothing for Reception age kids or mid teens who are still too young to stay home alone. Nothing for kids who don’t want to (or can’t) do a physical sport. We have to juggle holidays because there’s literally nowhere to send the kids.

@Alayalaya

Holiday clubs? Do you have lots of choice in your area? Where I live they’re all sport and physical activity based, and they tend to start about age 6 to a max of 14. Nothing for Reception age kids or mid teens who are still too young to stay home alone. Nothing for kids who don’t want to (or can’t) do a physical sport. We have to juggle holidays because there’s literally nowhere to send the kids.

We do thankfully.

There's a few 9-3 sports based ones but our school has its own fantastic holiday club 7.30-6 and there's also a play scheme holiday club that's 7.45-6 near by, a forest school holiday club that's 7.30-6 and a couple of the nurseries also offer holiday care for years reception to end of year 4. I do appreciate that we're very lucky though.

@MaybeHeIsMyCat

You should be getting appointments off and not having to use AL.

[quote TheCatShatInTheHat]@MaybeHeIsMyCat

You should be getting appointments off and not having to use AL.[/quote]
I get an hour allowed but it's not enough
Hospital appointments are telephone ones and I can't take calls at work so I book a day AL

I have 26 and that's the minimum I accept from any job. When I had children in school age, my employer gave me 32 days. Now I find 26 is just about enough.

No, it isn't. And we need to take 3 out of that for Christmas.

I think I have 28 days plus bh (it's counted in hours though, so really not 100%), plus I also get an extra week off at Christmas and at Easter.

Personally, it's enough for me. I always carry leave over, even with 2 dc (one in nursery year-round and the other goes to holiday club for some school holidays). But I also have a lot of flexibility in my work, so easy for me to take an afternoon off here and there as I just make it up later. It's not a strictly 9-5 role. And dh carries his half of the load too. Though he's self-employed, so doesn't technically get any paid leave. He still takes time off though as needed.

I get 23 + BH + 2 company days they've recently invented (I've got today off as MLK Jr day today)

Those saying 20 isn't enough, is that because you struggle for child care provision in school holidays, or your work is so stressful you need mental health recovery days frequently?

I work in IT and earned enough to put my kids in holiday club during the weeks I wasn't off and now they're grown up.

I don't tend to take more than 7-10 days off at a time unless visiting family in Canada so it's always felt fine taking a week now and then across the year and quite often ending up with random days off in November/December just to use them up.

At one place we had option to buy extra days of holiday entitlement, but I couldn't think when I'd want that

[quote TheCatShatInTheHat]@MaybeHeIsMyCat

You should be getting appointments off and not having to use AL.[/quote]
Really? I have never worked anywhere that gave me time off for appointments. We either have to use A/L or make up the time elsewhere (which is fine if you are only nipping out for a 10 minute dentist appointment but a pain to make up a full day if you have a long hospital appointment).

I didn't realise it was the norm to get given time off!!

@MouseyMoose. I get time off for all my health appointments.... at least a half day once a month and sometimes 2 half days a month....it’s very much the norm in all the jobs I’ve worked in

Those saying 20 isn't enough, is that because you struggle for child care provision in school holidays, or your work is so stressful you need mental health recovery days frequently?

Both.

@Bumply

I get 23 + BH + 2 company days they've recently invented (I've got today off as MLK Jr day today)

Those saying 20 isn't enough, is that because you struggle for child care provision in school holidays, or your work is so stressful you need mental health recovery days frequently?

I work in IT and earned enough to put my kids in holiday club during the weeks I wasn't off and now they're grown up.

I don't tend to take more than 7-10 days off at a time unless visiting family in Canada so it's always felt fine taking a week now and then across the year and quite often ending up with random days off in November/December just to use them up.

At one place we had option to buy extra days of holiday entitlement, but I couldn't think when I'd want that

I want more than 20 days off So that I can have lots of holidays/trips away each year ..... 33 plus BH is normally enough..... although when I’ve done long haul 3/4 week holidays I have bought 1 week leave so as not to leave myself short.... .....my kids are all grown up so no child care issues.....my work is not so stressful that I need mental health days ..... I just like my holidays

20 days off is just about fine if you are single and live at home, no house maintenance. I had this. I would go away for a week in June, a week in Sep. Then I had a winter week. The remaining 5 days were for appointments, weddings etc. I worked 5 days Mon to Fri and had to take Sat and Sun off.

Now that I have a house and need to do painting, maintenance, 20 is not enough, especially if you work fulltime Mon to Fri. I had 23 when dcs were younger and I worked 5 days. I didn't really go on holidays or trips as the hols were so tight. Dcs were in fulltime childcare. I took 2 weeks in summer with them, Christmas and remaining hols for appointments. We didn't paint or redecorate for 10 years. It was too hard with 23 days hols. Finally redecorated when wfh due to Covid. I take some unpaid leave but it makes salary very low especially as I had to pay fulltime childcare even if I kept them at home a day.

It would only be acceptable if it was a great job that I was only planning to stay in for 1 year. Otherwise, no.

I would struggle with just 20 and I have no children. I think it’s just not great from a well-being perspective. It’s not only about going away on holiday - it’s about hobbies, visiting family, having time to just relax. Even just taking days off for non-leisure things like moving house or something admin-related is a valuable change of scene and pace.

I wouldn’t even consider anywhere with fewer than 25 days, and that would need to be supplemented with the ability to purchase extra days and/or build them up with service unless it was a dream job.

Seventeen years ago my annual leave allowance was 20 days including Bank Holidays. The company also closed for a week between Christmas and New Year so if you didn't save annual leave, you'd not be paid for the days that weren't BHs.

Thankfully I now work for the NHS and the annual leave is great.

I’m struggling with it. I’ve had to use four days for exams, three for a wedding I’m a bridesmaid in and I want to save some for Christmas as my workplace doesn’t shut. That leaves me a week for an actual holiday

@Alayalaya

Holiday clubs? Do you have lots of choice in your area? Where I live they’re all sport and physical activity based, and they tend to start about age 6 to a max of 14. Nothing for Reception age kids or mid teens who are still too young to stay home alone. Nothing for kids who don’t want to (or can’t) do a physical sport. We have to juggle holidays because there’s literally nowhere to send the kids.

Not loads of choice but there are a couple of good 8-6 ones and there would be more if we had a car. Reception age kids definitely included. I don't have teenagers but wouldn't have expected a teenager would want something like that