To wonder if Civil Service annual leave might be negotiable?

[bambamalam]

I'm thinking of applying for a civil service job. It's a level 7 specialist analytical role with a market supplement attached, which suggests that they've been struggling to recruit. The advert says it includes 25 days leave, rising to 30 after 5 years. I currently have 30 days leave (plus bank hols), so 25 would be a significant reduction. If it was a private company I might try to negotiate, but for the Civil Service would I be whistling in the wind?

Always worth an ask.
Unpaid leave (if the overall renumeration is better) is probably also an option.

I think there is no harm in asking, I assume the entitlement would be set on onboarding.

I’m kicking myself for not asking to be put to the top of my NHS grade when I got a new job a couple of years ago, as the level up resulted in a pay cut in real terms.

In my experience, not negotiable but you may be eligible for flexible working which would allow you to build up time and then take days off. So could make up the "shortfall" that way.

Might be worth asking about flexi time too. I can take 18 additional days off with flexi per year.

33 days leave starting in the civil service isn’t bad at all though.

I doubt it’s negotiable but do they do Flexi Time? I can usually get another day a month with that.

It won't be negotiable. Terms and conditions are agreed with unions and in place nationally.
They have also been equalised over different civil service departments over many years.
You might be able to agree flexible working.

You can't negotiate this stuff as you can in the private sector.

Probably negotiable, nott sure, but bank hols are on top of that + up to 12 days per year flexi time and stuff like unpaid Parental leave (upto 4weeks per year per child) so maybe worth it anyway.

It's not negotiable. But with flexi and privilege day (queens birthday) you'll have more than 30 days leave.
Cam you work remotely too?

It’s not negotiable, no.

Flexi time, TOIL?

No not negotiable but depending on the role likely you will get Flex Time which is worth a least a day a month.
CS are usually good at giving unpaid leave etc so that might be a way to get the same leave (though at a £££ cost).

It won't be negotiable, but my experience of public sector is you're likely to be able to built up 12-18 flexi days a year and will also get 3-5days closure at Christmas.

So you're likely to actually get 40 - 48 days a year.

YABU to expect to negotiate as its an Equal pay issue.

However, you will find its 25 days plus 8 BH plus the Kings Birthday (unless they scrap it as it was the Queen’s Birthday) = 34 days.

I tried to no avail (specialist also) always worth trying. Remember flexi enables you to book extra leave, I tag flexi onto all my leave periods which affords me at least an extra week a year.

Thankfully in a department that lets you accrue a day a year though rather than wait 5 years, and if you change jobs within the civil service you keep that entitlement, so despite me changing jobs frequently I do still have my days accrued.

In my civil service job we can buy more leave, so that may be an option if you don't get anywhere with negotiating!

I don't think the leave entitlement will be negotiable, but you might be able to negotiate annualised hours or a week's unpaid leave.

Ask to be put up a band or two due to the difference though

Definetly worth asking!! I didn't ask at my last move (into a similar role) and when I got there loads of people had different leave entitlements that they had negotiated at interview

Well, it's definitely negotiable - I internally transferred from a gvt agency where you get 30days at 5yrs to one where you only get it at 10yrs. I asked for this to be honoured and it was. Whether its negotiable as an external candidate is up for debate.

Unlikely to be negotiable, but I get 25+11.5 (12.5 this year) and Flexi time so actually take a lot more than just 5 weeks. After 4 years it will go up to 30+11.5 for me.

Its not up for debate, its absolutely non negotiable for someone external.

OP see what other options there are ie flexi, buying additional leave or whatever.

As you’re new to civil service and don’t know the rules, I don’t see what possible harm it could do to ask. Remember in Civil service you get more days than just Bank holidays on top of your leave entitlement you also get “privilege days” which vary according to region. So enquire about that too and you may be closer to your net total leave than in private sector when that’s accounted for.

I can buy an extra week's leave but the leave entitlement itself is non-negotiable

Not -negotiable - and I wouldn't ask at Interview if I were you! These kind of things are negotiated with unions in the Civil Service

But flexi time is very likely to be an option and that would be reasonable to ask.

In our department you wouldn't be allowed to negotiate. However ours is very generous 30 days plus 12 bank hols the only ones which are not flexible are Xmas and new year. We can also take 1 day flexi a week (or 30 hours a month) so if you work it well you can pretty much have 90 days a year!!