How many days holiday do you get per year?

[jk2447]

Hi All,

Fancied a new poll so thought perhaps a view on how many days annual leave we all get, excluding bank holidays etc, might be interesting.

Jim

**Edit: I've voted. I'm lucky because we can buy and sell holidays in work in addittion to the number of days we already get. Hols are bought at single time tho so I'd rather be at home with my kid swinging off my neck

***Edit: Sorry probably should add could we keep this one to IT workers to give people an indication of the amount of leave in our industry. Thanks, Jim

[SimonD]

As a contractor I tend not to take holidays whilst in a contract (not only do you have to pay for the holiday, you also aren't earning during the holiday, double whammy).

I tend to organise them for between contracts, even if it means starting an extension two weeks later (and I always ensure it finishes later if I take a break between extensions).

[jk2447]

Originally Posted by SimonD

As a contractor I tend not to take holidays whilst in a contract (not only do you have to pay for the holiday, you also aren't earning during the holiday, double whammy).

I tend to organise them for between contracts, even if it means starting an extension two weeks later (and I always ensure it finishes later if I take a break between extensions).

As a person who's never contracted myself, I'd imagine it must be difficult to arrange a family holiday if your other half works?

A very close friend of mine took his two kids to Florida, Disnet etc last year and it cost him about £9k because of the trip plus lost wages as a contractor!

[SimonD]

Originally Posted by jk2447

As a person who's never contracted myself, I'd imagine it must be difficult to arrange a family holiday if your other half works?

A very close friend of mine took his two kids to Florida, Disnet etc last year and it cost him about £9k because of the trip plus lost wages as a contractor!

Yes it is very difficult, I pretty much need about 9 months notice to plan things right, more often than not if the wife wants to go back home to Hungary she will take junior and just go leaving me to carry on working. Since we got married (June 2006), last year was the first time we had a proper holiday, all other attempts have failed because of work constraints (this is how bad it can be as a contractor, when my son was born, instead of having the 2 weeks paternity leave I was entitled to I had to make do with 2 days because I was so central to what was going on at the time). Contracting can be great but it definitely puts a strain on things when it comes to holidays etc.

[jk2447]

Originally Posted by SimonD

Yes it is very difficult, I pretty much need about 9 months notice to plan things right, more often than not if the wife wants to go back home to Hungary she will take junior and just go leaving me to carry on working. Since we got married (June 2006), last year was the first time we had a proper holiday, all other attempts have failed because of work constraints (this is how bad it can be as a contractor, when my son was born, instead of having the 2 weeks paternity leave I was entitled to I had to make do with 2 days because I was so central to what was going on at the time). Contracting can be great but it definitely puts a strain on things when it comes to holidays etc.

Ah no what a nightmare. On one hand its great to be so integral to a project but then on the other, if something comes up last minute, you pretty much know there's no way out. I've had that once or twice but I'd imagine its much worse as a contractor. I had a close relationship with the people working with me which afforded me a little flexibility in that situation. Still, that lambo of yours is nice Simon

[SimonD]

Originally Posted by jk2447

Still, that lambo of yours is nice Simon

Please, I wouldn't deign to go so cheap

[jk2447]

Is that the wife's runaround car?

[Bri1981]

Also zero holidays because i'm a contractor. I tend to take my laptop away though so I can still claim a couple of sneaky hours a day.

[derkit]

25 here - but can buy or sell 5 before the year starts (ie, December) but can also roll 5 days over to the following year if I don't use it all.

[nugget]

We get 20 plus the days between christmas and new year. At the last place it was 25 total.

[Josiahb]

I get 20, and booking any of thems a bastard. I work in a team of 3 and I'm the only full-timer, one of the team is contracted not to work school holidays (a hang over from when she had school age kids) so the 6 weeks of holidays in the summer that she gets make me planning any time out difficult. Thats going to get interesting this year though considering the fact the the gf is a primary school teacher.....

[jk2447]

Quite a wide variety of days been posted on the poll. I wonder could someone comment on a rumor I've heard that staff in the US tend to get less holidays than us europeans? I'd guess an average in the UK to be 25 days with 30 not being uncommon.

[Arroryn]

23 days plus bank holidays as standard plus lieu time accrued plus I can buy 5 additional days if I want.

Technically, that puts me in the 31+ league, but contractually, it's 23

[jk2447]

Originally Posted by Arroryn

23 days plus bank holidays as standard plus lieu time accrued plus I can buy 5 additional days if I want.

Technically, that puts me in the 31+ league, but contractually, it's 23

That sounds like a good deal mate. I like that I can buy holidays too because that trip to see my other halfs sister in Australia will have to be done one of these days and I'd like to do 6 weeks.

I can buy two weeks but sell only one week. I get bank holidays etc too (hadn't thought of that ha!)

[Trogdor]

I get 20 days at my place, but I do not think I have ever used all of my holiday, which sucks because we have a "use 'em or lose 'em" policy. Being from the U.S. I am not used to having so much paid time off. Technically, there is no mandatory minimum amount of paid holiday in the States aside from National Holidays. So companies could legally give you no paid leave. Having said that, when I was working there two weeks off was fairly standard.