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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

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Original poster

If you work in a school, do you get any personal choice holidays?

23 replies

CrispyFern · 28/04/2015 10:10

Like in other jobs, I mean, to take when you want?

I was just wondering, I realise I assumed teachers got a few days but maybe they don't. Do the school holidays count as your entire holidays?

What about office staff and TAs?

If you don't get any extra time... What do you do if you've got to look for a flat and visit properties or attend a wedding abroad?

OP posts:

emkana · 28/04/2015 10:14

No personal holidays, just school
holidays

emkana · 28/04/2015 10:15

In the circumstances you describe you use non-school times or you don't go.

Hmmm2014 · 28/04/2015 10:15

No, you don't get holidays to take when you want.

If you've got to look for a flat, you do it at the weekend, or after school finishes. If you're invited to a wedding abroad, you don't go, or you take unpaid leave if your head will allow that.

KittyandTeal · 28/04/2015 10:18

No, all school staff get their time off in school holidays.

You can apply for unpaid leave for important things like the wedding of a close family member.

My dad took a days unpaid leave to watch me and my brother graduate.

For just a holiday away somewhere, no, we have to take them in school holidays. Which is fine, annoying that everything is so bloody expensive but that's part of our job.

KittyandTeal · 28/04/2015 10:22

One of my best friends was very surprised and a bit upset when I said I wouldn't be able to go to their midweek wedding during term time.

He said 'just take annual leave' and was astounded when I told him I didn't have annual leave like private companies, my annual leave is school holidays (and yes that's a lot of time, I'm not moaning) there is no extra time available.

I find it funny that people assume we get school holidays plus an additional annual leave entitlement. What would school do with my class if I could just take 2 weeks to jet off to Spain?

SomewhereIBelong · 28/04/2015 10:27

when I was a dinner lady I had to apply to the governors to take a holiday in term time - 1 week - 5 hours - they allowed it.

You can get time off, but they don't have to let you.

Original poster

CrispyFern · 28/04/2015 10:39

Oh interesting! I guess I didn't think teachers would get twenty days holiday as usual, but maybe five, or three, or something!

OP posts:

Skeppers · 28/04/2015 10:45

When I was teaching (in FE so probably not as strict as schools) you still had to have a pretty damn good excuse to take a day's leave during term time- funeral/immediate family wedding, etc. Even then you were expected to sort out your own cover, etc. for lessons. If you couldn't get a colleague to cover, you couldn't go! You were expected to use school holidays to take your own. Again, the amount of holiday time (40+ days) was great, but you spend most of it at home marking/planning as you can't afford to get away anywhere!

Don't even get me started on sick days.

I much prefer my job now which, although still in education, I am office based so can take it whenever. I get half the days I did when teaching, but I can actually afford to go away now so it feels more like 'proper' holiday!

BrianButterfield · 28/04/2015 10:51

I know we do get a lot of holiday and like PP I'm not complaining, but my impression of those with 'normal' jobs is that with a bit of wrangling you can get good value from your holiday allowance - taking Friday and Monday and being able to go away for a long weekend for only two days leave etc. obviously this doesn't apply to those with children of school age but I've known people who left teaching and never felt like they missed out on much holiday. As you can't take any days leave you end up with a lot of jobs to do in the first week or so of the summer, as well as preparation etc.

Again I am NOT WHINGEING (just pointing this out loud and clear before the teacher has hers come in) but it's one of those things where it sounds absolutely brilliant, and it's certainly good but does have the odd downside you wouldn't expect. No chance of going to things like midweek weddings is definitely one of them (a friend couldn't understand why DH and I, both teachers, couldn't take a week off to go abroad for her wedding in termtime...)

Skeppers · 28/04/2015 11:25

BrianButterfield I have to say, I certainly had my eyes opened when I was working in teaching for re: the holiday situation! I think it's easy for people to criticise unless they've been there themselves. I've done quite a few diverse and challenging jobs over the course of my career (Jack of all trades, master of none...), but teaching was FAR AND AWAY the toughest! Without a doubt. So I don't begrudge them the holidays at all. My sister is deputy head at a primary school and seems to spend a large proportion of her summer holidays going into school for various bits: putting up displays, etc.

And anyway, I just used to say to all the teacher 'holiday haters'...if you want 40+ days' leave every year, there's nothing stopping you from retraining and becoming a teacher yourself; there is a shortage and I'm sure you'd be welcomed with open arms! Funny how many of them suddenly went quiet...

Heels99 · 28/04/2015 11:32

Most teachers I know spend a proportion of the school holidays working, preparing classrooms, resources, planning, attending on results day etc.
And no they get no other time off for weddings etc.

Redlocks28 · 28/04/2015 11:33

You visit flats at the weekend or in the evening, visit the dentist/optician/doctor/bank during the holidays and you either decline foreign wedding invites or grovel for unpaid leave. You'd get it for a close family member in my school-not for a friend. Never paid though.

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 28/04/2015 11:45

I love the school holidays and it saves me a fortune in childcare for my school age dc but the trade off for so many days is zero flexibility. Our head is very hardline and has refused (unpaid) leave for funerals for example. I've been waiting ages for a hospital referral for my baby and when the letter came through my heart sank because it's one of my working days so I won't be allowed to go. The policy is that for a scheduled hospital appointment for your child, you can arrange for someone else to take them as you have enough notice. Never mind that you want to be the one taking your own child to hospital, that I need to talk to the consultant as I'm in charge of administering the current various medications and managing the symptoms - no chance. Fortunately, dh isn't a teacher so he can take leave from his job or I can try to rearrange it for one of my days off or half term, but the total lack of flexibility can be frustrating in situations like that.

Momagain1 · 28/04/2015 11:50

Interesting, in the last two years when we were hunting first to rent and then to purchase, viewings ONLY seemed to be done in the evenings and weekends!

Redlocks28 · 28/04/2015 12:22

Virtually all time off is unpaid in my school and it's often not granted anyway as, eg if I wanted a Thursday off for my step uncle's funeral (example) and even if it was granted as unpaid, they've still got to pay a supply to cover my class for the day. This can decimate the budget.

GoblinLittleOwl · 28/04/2015 12:37

No time off other than funerals; this is only fair as it applies to pupils as well.

ilovesooty · 28/04/2015 23:01

I think Brian is absolutely right.
I don't miss the school holidays. I get 32 days plus bank holidays and took up the option of buying an extra 5 days. It means I can get pretty good value for my annual leave and I can claim a limited amount of TOIL as well.

Teaching is very inflexible.

NewTwenty · 29/04/2015 07:03

I'm an ex teacher - don't miss the holidays at all. The flexibility of being able to take a day when I like is brilliant.

TrulyTurtles · 29/04/2015 07:49

I must admit, my head is pretty amenable when it comes to leave, (support staff) I think he realises that most people tend to work above and beyond their job descriptions, so making sure that we can do things that can be difficult in school hours keeps the workforce happy. I know many applications for leave are unpaid (travelling to weddings etc) but generally we count ourselves lucky. I know when my dm was dying, he was always checking to see if I was coping and if I needed to take time off. I didn't but was told when she died, to take what time I needed.

TheFnozwhowasmirage · 29/04/2015 07:53

My sister is a HLTA and is able to take time off in term time,but only because she offers to go on the residential trips that the other staff don't want to cover,in return for it.

Knottyknitter · 29/04/2015 08:05

A few years ago I worked abroad. Dm had just retired from teaching but went back to cover for the head of department who was diagnosed with breast cancer during that summer break. She agreed to help on the understanding she was going to be visiting me for a month in March as already booked. Even then was it grumbled about as her trip got closer! and that was technically supply teaching!

Brandysnapper · 29/04/2015 08:13

Jelly dinosaurs there are legal requirements for parents to have leave for situations such as you describe - no hospital consultant will want to see a babysitter, who does not have parental responsibility for medical decisions! Have you checked your council's policies? (Or is it a private school - I doubt they can get away with this either tbh?)

blueemerald · 29/04/2015 08:22

I work in an EBD school and we seem have a lot more flexibility. I've had paid time off to attend the funerals of my best friend's parents (both sadly within 3 months).

We do 99% of cover internally though. We only get outside cover if a member of staff is on long term sick/maternity leave or injured (happens more often here than in a mainstream school).

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