To leave good job because I want the summer off

[SunnySuze]

Have been employed now for 18 months, on a fixed term. Employer has offered me a new contract for two years but I really want the summer off to have freedom and to not do much frankly. I’ve saved a bit of my salary £5000, and all bills would be covered fine but it does mean we’d loose the extra nice bits like impromptu takeaways and whatnots.
I’ve dreams of getting the kids after school and heading to the park rather than the usual after school club pick ups, rush tea, then bed.
Am I mad? DH is supportive of whatever I choose.

The work you describe doing sounds like you will be competing with hundreds of applicants for any future roles. The job market is brutal unless you have a niche/highly sought after skill. I know people that have been looking for admin/customer service roles for months with no luck. So if you can afford it all good, but go into it with eyes open that you could be out of work for quite some time afterwards.

I took voluntary severance one year although they didn’t want to give it to me, I had savings to cover , just lost my mum and though stuff it I’m having a summer with my boys and get back to something then, it was the best summer I’ve had with them and they still remember it now, if you can afford it and are confident you can get something else then I’d say go for it.
I also went on to find a better job and I felt ready and refreshed as I was burnt out from the constant grind of work, holiday clubs trying to deal with the kids being happy and me working, just wasn’t worth the hassle.

You could ask to negotiate some additional unpaid leave or similar as well as using parental leave.

I wouldn’t. I’d put that £5k into savings to help your kids go to college or uni. Or put it into my pension.

you are entitled to to 4 weeks parental leave (unpaid). Do that instead.

Taking parental leave seems much more sensible than just leaving the job. See how you feel about the job at the end of the summer?

Apparently Employees in the UK are entitled to
18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child, which can be taken up until the child’s 18th birthday, provided they have one year’s continuous service with their employer. Parents can take up to 4 weeks of leave per child per year, usually in full-week increments, for caring purposes like child arrangements, school, or hospital visits. So maybe you could do this and return to the job.

Can you request unpaid leave so you don't use up all your paid annual leave?

Why can’t you have both?

I’d do it, and I did do it a couple of times when the kids were young. It was lovely having the summer off with them.

You say you have been offered a new contract. I have previously delayed a contract starting twice due to having the summer off. Its a better position to be in than not knowing if you have a job after the summer.

Why not try to negotiate something first? Unpaid leave, 4-day week, part time over summer…?

Why can’t you just take unpaid parental leave for the summer and keep the job? I’m taking 3 weeks unpaid parental leave this summer and 2 weeks annual leave so I’ll have 5 weeks off. I could take more parental leave but happy with 5 weeks off.

If your husband can support you all then why not ?! Sounds like a lovely idea
make sure husband pays your NI and pension if you’re going to be a long term SAHM or if you don’t find or want work again-so you’ve no gaps.

It certainly sounds great! In reality I wouldn’t do it - not if you need to work within a certain timeframe going forward. The job market is dire just now. If that doesn’t matter, then Hell Yeah!

Why can’t you negotiate a start date with two month break on the new contract? Employer saves money on hiring costs and you protect your leave. Other option, just put an unpaid leave request through??

Could you negotiate a month off before starting the new contract?

I agree with others that giving up a secure income at the moment is very dangerous. If you and DH are happy that it won't be a problem financially if your summer off turns into three years and when you get another job it's on half of what you were earning before, then go for it.

If you need to have a job by the end of the summer then I wouldn't risk it.

Would your work and childcare arrangements allow you to work four long days and take a day off a week? Or nine slightly long days and take a day off a fortnight?

Can you negotiate. They obviously like you and from an employer point of view recruitment and training a new person will cost them. So say yes I’d like to commit to a 2 yr fixed term but would like a gap of 6 weeks between contracts. Happy to help train any temp cover (student?)

Have a look online and see what the job market is like for your type of role. If there’s a few jobs available on Office Angels or the like , I would probably chance it. But I would rather ask for an extended break from your current employer- worst they can say is no. Job market is tough at the minute and it’s easier to go from something to something else.

The job market is awful. Take work while you can. If you're laid off, then you can enjoy your free time.

A whole load of my friends have been let go from their admin roles this year, and none of them can find anything. And they have excellent CVs. Some are in the UK, some in Germany and the USA. However if you don't need to work, and you want to leave your current role, then, leave - it's a no-brainer if the household can do without your salary.

I know the job market isn't great but I've been involved in recruitment for 2 administration roles recently and I might have had 200 applicants but I shortlisted less than 10 each time and that was being creative with my definition of administration experience. Really solidly skilled and experienced administrators are not easy to find.

But also if that's your field look at charityjob.co.uk, there are frequently part time, flexible or even term time only administration roles.

Not a good job market at the moment. Very unwise.

I’d heard of unpaid parental leave but hadn’t considered it as it’s naturally come to the end of my contract and thought that would be a cleaner break but perhaps I could ask.

We do have joint savings and kids savings but the £5K is my savings I’ve built up from this job.

I don’t consider myself niche at all but the experience I have I suppose is and typically it takes a good year or two to train in this field (benefits advice).

The company I work for do want to expand so perhaps there is scope there for the future.

I just desperately want to get off the hamster wheel I feel I’m on. I’d love not to answer to anyone for a while. I flip between thinking “fuck it what’s the worst that can happen” and “it’s too scary!”

Can you have a right to parental leave when you’re not employed ? OP would be tween contracts for the period

You'd be mad to do it. Iran war has already spilled over from energy costs to mortgages. Food and goods cost will be going up next, meaning a huge cost of living crisis is neigh on unavoidable, bar a miracle. I'd stick to your job and do everything possible to make it permanent asap.