Dd17 work won’t let her book some time off for her driving test

[Blueybingomum]

dd17 is currently doing an appearance in a nursery. She’s been there a year and absolutely loves it but the managers can’t be abit funny.

she passed her theory test last week straight away booked her driving test, now these are horrific to get atm and she luckily managed to get one in 11 weeks time.

she went to work yesterday and asked if she could book it off but manager has said it’s unlikely. She asked if she could just take the morning off as it’s at 11am but again, said unlikely. They told her she has to look at the staff rota and rebook her test. They have more staff than needed atm and are constantly sending staff home early.

Aibu to think it’s abit harsh.

’rebook the test’

Ha, I’m guessing they don’t realise what it’s like to book a driving test! I had to login at 6am for test slots released about 5 months in advanced and quickly grab the first one I could see. Within fifteen minutes they were all gone and there was absolutely nothing in my town or surrounding towns.

I worked in private nurseries for +20 years, and unfortunately this is completely standard. If you have a read through some of the groups on FB you'll see that most (not all, but they are very few and far between) nurseries treat their staff like this. I don't know how I stuck it for so long tbh, my best guess would be that they shattered every drop of confidence I had in myself to think I could get a better job...then I was offered a job as an LSA in a primary school and I've never looked back.

Honestly my advice to anyone thinking of going into childcare is just don't. Although it can be so rewarding its one of the lowest paid jobs out there and so much is expected of you. I could go on and on about the cliques, double standards, blame game, unpaid overtime, having to buy resources out of our own pockets- the list is endless. If I could go back in time and give myself (or your daughter) some advice, I would choose to do something else while I was still young.

In my experience, this is what will happen...They will refuse to give her the day/ morning off, causing her to cancel/reschedule, then the week before they will give her that day off anyway (not enough children in etc) and cause a loads of hassle about the new date. And this will happen again and again. It's happened to me so many times!

The last nursery I worked at they made everyone pay for their own first aid (often giving little notice for payment) which had to be carried out on a Saturday, unpaid. No time off in lieu, and if you didn't attend you had to find your own first aid course (again on a Saturday, no time off remember!) or you risked being sacked because (and this was said to me with a rather threatening smile) you need to have your first aid for this job.

I couldn't believe my luck when I was offered my current job, and the only thing I regret is allowing myself to be treated so badly for so long.

Good luck to your daughter for her test xxx

Tell her to point out it will be in the nursery's interests if she has passed her test and has a car, because she'll then be more available on days she's not down to work at relatively short notice as she can then drive herself there rather than wait for or rely on someone else to give her a lift.

This is crazy. My son’s girlfriend works in a nursery and has a dreadful time ever getting time off.

11 weeks notice for a day leave is very generous notice. Can she appeal to her manager’s boss or the owner of the nursery. Check all annual leave policies. Also join a union, fees will be low on an apprenticeship wage.

Crazy (and cruel) reaction from the nursery. We try our best to accommodate everybody’s requests for annual leave / time off - after all, it is their annual leave to use, not ours.

How do they manage when people need time off for a funeral, emergency surgery, doctors appointment?

A simple - ‘Wow, that’s great news, well done, thank you for the notice, that really helps’ - would’ve been the sensible management reaction.

Shit management & shit planning for what is a couple of hours off.

Hope she passes & drives herself to a lovely new nursery to finish her apprenticeship 😀

Yup. Tell them to shove their job.

not illegal at all it’s term time so they have there holidays when nursery shut

OP has already said it's not term time only.

It’s not term time , she’s not allowed to take any annual leave

I don't disagree. OPs daughter has shot herself in the foot in that respect though by telling them about the test 😬

It isn't going to look good when they call in with the shits and cruise up in a new ride the day after 😅

I'd phone in sick

Sorry misunderstood about the term time working
But employer does has the right to refuse an A/L request there are not doing anything illegal to report

They do.

However the OP has been denied on several occasions including one time ten months in advance and she was refused "because others might want those dates".

This suggests she's being discriminated against because she is the youngest member of staff and she can't easily advocate for herself. She may be refused all leave.

At 17 and an apprentice she shouldn't be included in staffing ratios anyway - but it sounds like she is. Again that sounds dodgy as hell.

She should be raising concerns with whoever oversees her apprenticeship and asking for support. Driving is a key skill for employment and it also sounds like they may be trying to prevent her from getting a driving test because if she does it will be easier for her to find alternative employment.

@Muttisays When I did this for my DC the app moved the test for you so it was immediate no notification or user agreement needed at the time the app did it all to a set of prerequisite dates agreed. Obviously you can’t use this app if you are relying on using your instructors car for your DC’s test. We used my car for DC’s test so we were very flexible and the app did all the work for us.

I have just had a look online these Apps still offer Autobook as a feature this is what worked for us all the time. Plus we had a choice of three test centres also set in Autobook.

She is going on To train to be a Norland nanny in a few years. She absolutely loves working with children and nurseries have scared her for life lol

It’s not term time..

It's in the EYFS that 16 year old apprentices and up can be included in ratio if competent enough and guessing as shes been there a year or so they view her as that so that part isnt dodgy.

Still expect a leeway for things like this though. Even with a system in place so many people off at one time etc like we have if only a few hours it can be managed! Or should be anyway and sad the answer is no incase people want it off..well tough on them!

Ridiculous of her employer - and as she won’t be able to predict the next test date she’s offered, why would that be any different? She’s given them plenty of notice!

she should just tell them she won’t be on that morning, don’t ask!

How about cruise ships? They are often looking for qualified staff and a year or two doing that could be great fun.

On Tuesday, get her to contact her college tutor for support.

Double posted.

Thought I’d update and say they have completely refused it. Not happy at all. She explained that it’s not possible to get another test :(

Hi OP, did she follow any of the advice in this thread?

Has she called ACAS?

Does she have a training manager or anyone she can go to outside the nursery to make an HR complaint?

Has she been able to take any annual leave since she joined?

Has she lost any annual leave due to not being allowed to take it?

It sounds like instead of just making holiday requests and being refused, she needs to take more robust steps to enforce her employment rights.

I could help her write a formal letter if you like.

It needs to be something more along the lines of:

• I may only be an apprentice but I have the same right to take annual leave as anyone else.
• Every time I have requested annual leave it has been refused.
• I have been told on at least one occasion that I cannot book annual leave (even almost a year in advance) in case someone else wants to take leave at that time.
• What I understand from this is that I am considered last priority for booking annual leave and will only ever be allowed to take leave at short notice if no one else is off. This means I can never book a holiday, or indeed a driving test.
• You are directly breaking employment law by denying me my legal right to take annual leave. This is also illegal age discrimination against me because as the most junior member of staff you have decided to prioritise everyone else's right to take annual leave above mine. This is illegal.
• If you do not approve my annual leave request for the morning of my driving test and also allow me to book X days' annual leave on reasonable notice so that I can take holiday, I will resign from my position, report you to [relevant regulator] and make a claim for constructive dismissal, which I can do despite having less than two years service because the claim relates to discrimination on grounds of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.
• Please pay me for the X number of days of annual leave I lost last year because you denied all my requests for annual leave.
• This year I have X days left to use before Y date. I am formally requesting a meeting to discuss how and when you are going to facilitate me taking these days of leave, which you are legally obliged to do.

ACAS.

I would also keep the test booked in and plan to attend it - and be actively seeking a different placement.

Let ACAS help draft the letter or indeed advocate for her.

Op as she is under 18 and on an apprenticeship I would be calling the manager for a chat. I worked in this field many years ago. There is a lot of managers I find that like the power. I think you need to stand up to them politely or find dd another work placement. I would avoid working for big nursery chains due to their lack of care for staff.