How is requesting four weeks’ unpaid parental leave after starting a new job viewed?

[Tryingtohelp12]

Hi
I’m currently in a FTC that finishes in May so on the look out for something new.

I’ve seen something I’d like to apply for but the issue is the summer holidays would start about 8 weeks after starting. I would need to request 4 weeks unpaid parental leave, as I have 3 children and my wage would not cover the cost of the childcare, plus due to my eldest sen needs he can’t go to a general summer club as it’s too overwhelming and can only go to family or my childminder (she’s known him since before he was 1), and last year she decided to cut down her working hours and only work 2 weeks in the holidays so she is unavailable for a big chunk of summer.

from 6 April requesting parental leave becomes a day 1 right but I just wanted opinions on how it will really be recieved?

The benefit is really that it equalises the rights of new employees with longer serving ones, rather than that it strengthens the rights of all people who may want it, or makes it more likely it will be agreed.

Parental leave is not there to cover holidays

It is though isn't it? I mean you can only take it in 1-week blocks, booked in advance, so it can't be used for many other purposes really.

I agree with @Rainbow1901 that it might be best to mention that you have a summer commitment at interview so they know right away.

If you wait until you start, I suspect that your colleagues will have booked their summer holidays and they may not be able to approve four weeks during the school holidays, simply due to lack of staff.

If a job is being advertised in very late March, the interview etc process will likely take all of April and they won’t be making an offer until very late April or early May at the soonest, though, surely? Then most people would have to give three months’ notice so couldn’t start until August. So if you just say you want a 1 September start date, or whatever, that wouldn’t actually be much later than they are expecting anyway? I’d apply but note that you couldn’t start before X date if you make it through whatever the first round of the recruitment process is.

If you’re looking at going into a public sector role, would you consider working term time only? So a much lower pay throughout the year, but you’ll have all of the school holidays off and still have some wages coming in. A couple of my colleagues have done it under the flexible working policy and it works perfectly for them.

When you apply, I would just add it to the application, i.e can start asap if you can have 4 weeks unpaid leave at XXX otherwise not available to start until XXX

It doesn't matter that you won't earn the cost to cover childcare if your OH earns 3x your wage. As a household you can afford it.

If the issue is your child with sen then the AL plan sounds better so shortly after starting the job. Other people's AL will be booked by then. You may even struggle with booking 2 weeks leave when you haven't been there long but they will be likely to take your child's sen into account. By next summer you will be in much a better position to ask for some parental leave as well.

Just to say, have you looked into SEN holiday clubs for your eldest? My DS2, who is almost 15 & has similar issues to your DC, has just started a SEN youth Club & they run outings during school holidays. It's worth asking your local council if anything like that exists in your area.

You can request it but an employer doesn't have to grant it for the date you suggest and can postpone it for 6 months.
I would say that a business case against you getting it early on in your contract would be essential training, or lack of cover during the school holidays (other employees may well have booked the time off by now).
I think that you might annoy new colleagues if you were to get 4 weeks off over summer which may put you at a disadvantage morale wise.
Could you not find a term time job instead?

Public sector can afford to be ‘family friendly’. They aren’t required to balance the books or make a profit.

You can request it but your employer can say no you have to take it in this week because of business reasons

I work in the public sector. And, for instance, no way someone in my role would be let have 4 weeks off unpaid in the peak holiday season when every other parent also wants to be off. There wouldn't be enough people left to provide basic safe cover, and it would cost a fortune to buy in expensive short term cover.

It depends on a few things, for example are they understaffed, particularly busy or have a lot of staff who take leave at that time. Generally people won't love it, especially if they don't know in advance, but reactions will vary. I know one woman who announced when offered the job that she had found out she was pregnant and would need to take maternity leave not long after starting - there were a few grumbles but everyone got over it quickly and adored the baby. I also know people who have had an overseas trip booked and raised it during the interviews and still been hired. If it's a family friendly / flexible workplace it may not be much of an issues, in some workplace cultures it would be frowned upon.

Juggling work and family is hard, and we should be doing more to make it easy.

Would you consider a nanny/babysitter to look after your DC? You could introduce her gradually between now and the holidays. Approach your local college and they could let students on childcare courses know you are looking for someone for the holidays. It would be cheaper than using a childminder and there's plenty of time between now and the holidays to introduce them to your DC 🙂

Surely parental leave is there for emergency situations? Yes I would look to start in September so that the summer holidays is a future problem. You might luck into a role where your request is acceptable but it wouldn't be a good move to ask right after starting.

my sister works with someone very senior who takes 3 weeks each year (in one block) because in her words ‘she can afford to and wants to enjoy her children.’ My sister has also opted to take 4 weeks unpaid parental leave this summer, so there are definitely people and organisations which are comfortable with it

And how long have they been with their employers? You have a right to ask, but as a manager, while I’d put a polite face in it, and while I was in public service would have even given it to you, internally my eyeballs would be rolling out of my head and all I’d think is WTAF. I’d also just be telling my team your employment start date was later (and crossing fingers/toes you didn’t mention it), as pretty sure it would colour most people’s perception of their peer doing this in day 1, and preference would be cohesive team.

No, you are thinking of dependents leave.

My advice is go for the job and do your best. If you get offered the job then mention about this and suggest joining on 1sept and see if they suggest any other options. When I joined my job two years ago I was in a similar position as I interviewed and was offered the role in April but I knew I had tickets booked for a long haul trip to Asia in the summer for 6 weeks. They wanted me to join the job in July, I asked to defer to Sept. Finally we compromised and I just took my laptop with me and worked for 4 weeks and took 2 weeks of leave. Worked well for everyone! Kids were sorted as we have family in Asia and I could work in peace with worrying about them.

Could your partner cover half the childcare costs? He is the father after all. You could see this as an investment in your career.

I would use A/L in 2 x 2 week blocks over the summer hols and then request the parental leave for other weeks in the year once you are settled in.
To be honest I just always took the hit that it was more expensive for child care in the summer holidays but looked at it as a whole over the year. I tagged teamed A/L with my husband for years when my kids were little and paid a fortune for child care unfortunately that's just how it is sometimes. Im glad I did it though as now im in a much better paid role, in the long run it was the right thing to do.

I’m surprised at some of the responses here tbh. I think four weeks isn’t much in the grand scheme of things and I think I would happily wait four weeks if the right person was there and that was required!!

I think it would be completely fine to ask and explain the situation. Many people have children and summer holidays are a known long slog!!!

Sorry but this makes you sound really unprofessional and unsympathetic to many people’s family needs. I’m glad you’re not my manager! I wonder if you realise that this sort of attitude / intolerance will be limiting the quality of workforce in your organisation..

As a general rule I apply for jobs which I know off the bat will fit around my schedule. If you’ll need this much time off from the start, and such a big block of time away, then you don’t sound like the right fit for what they likely need. The only time I’ve seen similar accommodations made for new hires was if the hire was very senior, head hunted or was specifically sought by the company so had more bargaining power. For an open role with a large pool of applicants I doubt they would be as flexible because they don’t need to be.

I would do the “use holiday” plan to share it between you and your husband - this is what most parents have to do to cover holidays. As regards asking for unpaid leave, whilst it is a right to ask, it’s not an entitlement to be granted it at the dates you want.

There was a thread recently by a woman who was objecting to having been dismissed within her probationary period for having taken 4 weeks off sick after only about 4 weeks in the job. The bottom line is that when you’re new in a job, you haven’t yet built the goodwill that softens the impact of this sort of disruption to the employer. Naturally they want people who can do the job they’ve been hired to do. So I wouldn’t ask for any latitude within a probationary period. Let them see your value first, then ask for flexibility.

You don’t know if you don’t ask. It might be a quieter period for the role and it is unpaid, maybe they can use the budget to sort some cover short term.

I’m also surprised how negative people are about it on here. Don’t let it stop you applying. Good luck!