Annual Leave Entitlement

[TheUnquestionedAnswer]

Hi, I currently work in an office and get around 35 days excl bank holidays. Looking for a new job but not sure I will get a match for that (general admin work). Am I expecting too much?

Probably.

Most people get the statuary minimum of 28 days made up of 20 days holiday plus 8 bank holiday - days. Perhaps a few extra for length of service and occasionally some places offer 1 or 2 emergency no questions asked days off per year.

Yes, that's loads! You might get 25 days plus public holidays and the opportunity to "buy" up to 5 days but that only takes you up to 30 days.

i would also look at your sickness policy, you may be getting a much better deal there too. Again a lot of places are ssp only.

Thanks, I do like my current job, it's just the same old same old - underpaid considering the responsibility I have. It's a specialist role, although initially I said general admin. Don't want to out myself.😅

Yes, that’s immense. You’re unlikely to get that anywhere else.

Whilst you might be underpaid in terms of salary, they are probably giving you extra benefits to make up for the lower end of the salary. So if you just want a higher salary you will probably end up losing two weeks of annual leave. Most places are 24-26 if they offer above the legal requirement with the option to build up to 30 with length of device or buy back in some places.

NHS!

Yep, you may lose benefits in order to gain money. Sometimes boring is good?!
personally I view work as giving me the means to live, 🤷‍♀️. I would either attempt to block out the ‘same op same old’ thoughts or make the job more bearable - eg headphone on a learn a new language or listen to podcasts/music etc whilst doing the job, or make plans for outside of work to look forward to. perhaps ask if there is any training you could do?

That kind of paid holiday would let me have a long weekend every month, so could feel like part time almost!

Yes most jobs at c. 24 days hol- my company does the standard but closes for a wk at Xmas so that feels like a win

DH gets about 35 days depending on how many bank holidays there are in the year (usually about 8 but more this year because of the jubilee ).
He works I retail logistics (warehouse and haulage). It's a 24/7/365 industry and as such can be expected to work on bank holidays. Basically all days are created equal but if you are working on a bank holiday you get to have an extra day's annual leave.

I used to work in the charity sector and we had 30 days plus flexitime, as they weren't in a position to pay overtime.

25 plus bank holidays is the norm in most industries. My dp is a director and still only gets 27

You're going to struggle to find anywhere that gives you seven weeks' holiday a year plus bank hols.

I work in a university and get 40 days plus bank holidays! Those types of contract are becoming rarer but you might get lucky…

You're working 6% less over the year than someone on the statutory minimum. Depends if that's worth the lower pay to you.

I get 27 days + BH and will go up to 29 when I have been there 5 years - it's one of the things that makes me seriously consider whether I'm prepared to change industries or not (+ pension + sick leave). I wouldn't work anywhere that was statutory minimum unless I could buy probably an extra 2 weeks.

To counteract the thoughts of being underpaid work out what it would cost you to buy all that extra holiday.

Most office jobs offer 20-25 days holiday plus bank holiday. Some may allow you to buy an extra five, some award an extra day after so many years service.

Also consider that some offices make you save some days for Christmas closure too.

Honestly that is an amazing deal.

Look into local government. The standard holiday won’t be so generous but there’s often flexitime schemes where you could build up time and take it as a day off. Not quite the same as you’re still doing the hours just at a different time, but still gives you days off.

I get 30 plus bank holidays at civil service but over 10yrs service. You will be highly unlikely to match that

Local government here - 30 days + Bank Holidays.

I've accrued an additional 10 days too.

thanks all, lots of food for thought there😀

Hi,
35 days excluding bank holidays is a very generous amount of annual leave, and it might be challenging to find a similar entitlement in a new role, especially in general admin positions. Many companies offer around 20-25 days plus bank holidays as standard.
If you’re considering a new job, it might help to prioritize other perks alongside annual leave, such as flexible working, remote options, or additional benefits like unpaid leave or sabbaticals. Some companies also offer the option to buy additional leave, which could help balance things out.
By the way, if you're comparing roles and want to calculate pro-rata leave or other entitlements, tools like annualleavecalculator.com can be handy. They make it easy to ensure you're fully informed before making any decisions.
Good luck with your job search!

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