Does anyone work FT but make regular use of unpaid parental leave?

[letsallbemermaids]

Considering returning to work after maternity leave full time or nearly full time but actually making use of unpaid parental leave. I've got two children and I've never used it before so I think I should have 36 weeks available (9 years at a rate of 4 weeks a year). If you do this, what sort of pattern do you do? Long summer holiday? Just more frequent weeks off?

My unpaid parental leave gets swallowed up by dc sickness, in fact I thought that's what it was for and childcare emergencies. I don't think my workplace would allow it to be used as additional albeit unpaid leave.

I'm not sure it accrues like that , isn't it use it or lose it each year?

This is from the government website:

Parental leave is unpaid. You’re entitled to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday.

The limit on how much parental leave each parent can take in a year is 4 weeks for each child (unless the employer agrees otherwise).

You must take parental leave as whole weeks (eg 1 week or 2 weeks) rather than individual days, unless your employer agrees otherwise or if your child is disabled. You don’t have to take all the leave at once.

A ‘week’ equals the length of time an employee normally works over 7 days.

www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement

I assume you have 2 children then?
It's 18 weeks leave for each child up to they are 18 with up to 4 weeks available in each year.

I dont know anyone that's useful it so don't know how it works in practise

@whatsmybabysname

My unpaid parental leave gets swallowed up by dc sickness, in fact I thought that's what it was for and childcare emergencies. I don't think my workplace would allow it to be used as additional albeit unpaid leave.

Parental leave needs to be used in 1 week blocks It's not the same as time off for dependents

@whatsmybabysname

My unpaid parental leave gets swallowed up by dc sickness, in fact I thought that's what it was for and childcare emergencies. I don't think my workplace would allow it to be used as additional albeit unpaid leave.

The purpose of the leave I'm talking about is to spend more time with your children, not for emergencies.

www.gov.uk/parental-leave

@whatsmybabysname it can’t be used for emergencies, you have to request in advance.

Sorry x post.

@dementedpixie

I assume you have 2 children then? It's 18 weeks leave for each child up to they are 18 with up to 4 weeks available in each year. I dont know anyone that's useful it so don't know how it works in practise

Yes, one baby and one school aged child. I've never used it before and don't know anyone who has.

I used it when I worked in public sector. 3 weeks a year for 3 years. My other colleagues also used it, mostly in the summer. I tried to spread it out though so that I didn't have 3 weeks unpaid together- so 1 week Easter , 1 week summer, 1 week half term.

I don't use it (no children yet) but I regularly take advantage of any unpaid leave policy at any employer I've ever had. I've taken a 3 month unpaid career breaks to travel. Also taken 1 year career break to do a masters. I have negotiated taking extra unpaid weeks because I used up my holidays and still wanted to go somewhere. Those policies are there for a reason, use them if you can afford them.

I have a colleague who uses it regularly. Just more frequent weeks off. I am using a week this year to cover my youngest’s ridiculously long settling in period at school - wouldn’t have enough leave to cover that as well as the usual school holidays.

Yes, I’ve used it before to spend more time with DC. Had to use it in weekly blocks and it was arranged far in advance, wasn’t the same as emergency leave.

There was no way I would have been allowed to accrue it in the way you’re suggesting though. It was very much use it or lose it on a yearly basis.

Thank you. I am career-minded and in a professional role but for various reasons (mostly a very significant recent bereavement) I want to spend more time with my children. I'm trying to work out the best way of achieving that while still having a fulfilling career - e.g. working 4 days pw or taking an extra 4 weeks of leave a year.

@N4ish

Yes, I’ve used it before to spend more time with DC. Had to use it in weekly blocks and it was arranged far in advance, wasn’t the same as emergency leave.

There was no way I would have been allowed to accrue it in the way you’re suggesting though. It was very much use it or lose it on a yearly basis.

It’s not a case of being allowed. The law is clear. A week for every year. You can take a maximum of 4 weeks a year, which wouldn’t be possible if you weren’t allowed to accrue.

You dont lose or accrue it as such. You're entitled to 18 weeks in total for each child. You can use it as you choose with a minimum of 1 week and maximum of 4 weeks in any particular year up until the child is 18

It's a shame this isn't more widely known about. Of course there will be people who can't afford to take unpaid leave, but there seem to be so many parents who have never heard of it.

I have used it once before, in a block of several weeks. When we would let someone have it would depend on their role, we wouldn't let someone have a big summer hol block if it stopped others having summer leave. Employer can control when it is for business reasons.

@letsallbemermaids my dh has used it, you can take four weeks per child per year. So you can take up to 8 weeks per year maximum.

@N4ish

Yes, I’ve used it before to spend more time with DC. Had to use it in weekly blocks and it was arranged far in advance, wasn’t the same as emergency leave.

There was no way I would have been allowed to accrue it in the way you’re suggesting though. It was very much use it or lose it on a yearly basis.

I'm not sure what you mean about accruing it. I thought you can use up to 4 weeks a year until the child is 18 but there's a limit of 18 weeks in total. I've not used any before and I have two children (one is a baby) so I had 18 weeks to use for each of them. If I started using the maximum leave when my baby is one then it would take another 9 years to use it up, which is well before each of their 18th birthdays.

I’m absolutely flabbergasted that I didn’t know about this! I just presumed it was to be used for emergency illnesses not having the ability to book it in advance. Has anyone had any issues with employers not accepting this?

I use 3 weeks (3x5 day blocks) each year. I tried to spread it out to ease the pain of reduced pay.

I will use it up for one child and then use my other child's entitlement. It's useful.

I take a week most years, it gives me and DH a bit of slack between clubs and alternating holidays so we get some time off together.

I'd take it if I needed it but tried not to take the piss. It was usually around dentist appointments, sickness, childcare falling through that kind of thing. I didn't keep track of it and didn't use every single day. My boss was really good so I didn't take advantage of it. I know women who have, they've used it even when there was no real need to, just used it as additional holidays. They weren't well thought of at work:

We plan to use it to cover some school holidays meaning we can still take time off together as a family. Will be most useful when DC is at primary school and if the age they can't be left alone and we are bound by term time holidays, ie. lots of weeks off work needed.

I know someone at work who uses it for the summer hols each year, a week or two at a time.