How do I sort out holiday in new job

[Strawberryshotrtcake]

I will be starting a new job start of March. I have negotiated hours but holidays seem to be proving difficult. I put in a leave request by email to my new manager basically asking for AL for may half term and 2 weeks together in summer holidays. It’s basically so I can reduce childcare costs.
I have had quite a sharp reply back essentially saying no.
I am hoping my email wasn’t rude so will probably phone up tomorrow to see if I can speak to him and see what weeks I can have off.
The thing is I really do need to use AL in school holidays as childcare will cripple me otherwise.
Help I need advice on how to handle this I am as flexible as I can be . I am actually upping my hours for this job and will be working 34.5 hours per week 8.30-2.30 Monday and Friday, and either 9-5 or 8:30-4.30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday . I have said I will do whichever works best but school holidays 8.30-4.30 does work a bit better with holiday clubs. I assume I just shuffle off and pay the extra so they can stay to 6pm?
Am I being really unreasonable? I understand others have children but surely I can have some school holidays off?. Btw I have arranged childcare for Easter and spent over £500 on it already .
I’m not in the job yet so I have no idea what others do so I can’t work around them yet.
I feel I am already unpopular for even asking. Will a phone call be a good idea to try and resolve this?
🙁

I think annual leave is always about negotiation. They're not obliged to give you particular dates unfortunately.

If I were you I would try to negotiate via phone as you suggest. Good luck!!

Do you really need to sort it now? If you’ve already been haggling on hours and are now back and forth trying to book three weeks of holiday before you even start you might be in danger of getting a reputation of a bit of a pain before you even come in the door.

I thought when starting a new job any leave booked at the previous one was honoured. Always has been when I’ve changed employer.
Don’t ask, but tell them you’ve already booked to go away/have made plans and see what they say.

New employers can honour holiday already booked for new recruits but they certainly don’t have to do so. It might not always be possible, for a start.

Anyway it is too late now for the OP to claim she has a trip booked.

I’ve always brought any holidays I have booked up at selection stage before anything else is negotiated. They have all been honoured.
If you are past that stage and they already have as many staff off as they can during the holidays there’s not much you can do.

Although it is a risky strategy for the 2 weeks in summer I would have said it's a pre booked holiday. Starting in March I would assume new staff have holidays booked already.

Since this is so important to you, I would have expected it to have been raised as part of the negotiations before you accepted the role.

What was agreed at that stage ? Is what appears to be happening now different? If so, a simple conversation would seem to be the way forward to remind what was agreed.

If it wasn't covered and you have just trusted to luck ..... good luck with that

It may be that others are already committed to specific dates and they need you to cover the ones you have requested. Each company has its own system of booking leave and may open it well ahead of the leave year starting. If you do not need a particular two weeks out of the six week holiday ( ie. You have not got a holiday booked) there may be room for negotiation when you start. Otherwise you may have to consider a week at October half term instead and take the hit shorter term.

Just to update for anyone else in same position.
I phoned up and got it all sorted, email never comes across well does it but verbally all was fine. I have half term off and will have 2 weeks off in summer and everything else is workable.
I got myself very stressed over this when all I had to do was make a phone call rather than communicate by email.
Thank you all