I work in a school - so 5 or 6 weeks in the summer sounds great - however hubby sometime stuggles to get 2 weeks in the period. Works for Royal Mail and we have been lucky up to now, although some colleagues take time off during that time when they could go in June or September when it is cheaper.
I for one wouldn't go in school holidays unless I had to?

I definitely avoid school holidays. Firstly it's more expensive and boiling hot but also my son is now grown so I don't want loads of children/buggies around (been there to the kids clubs )

a weird mob my lot, I usually have the same 4 weeks every year February for our anniversary, July for my birthday and October for Jeans birthday,and May to split the year up last year i put my dates in at the beginning of November for this year and was told, I could not have February or July as too many had already book them, then in June I looked on the board and July had become available as one of the drivers who had booked had retired [but not replaced, 3 more gone since].
SO friday i tried to book for next year and was told," you cant book next year till November as we don't have a year planner till then"
I have been trying to book for our anniversary but if I do chances are they wont give me the time off anyway.

It's not too bad I have six weeks and try to avoid school holidays if I am going away, bit like Glynis my son too is grown up and don't wish to be surrounding by lots of little 'darlings'. I can't really take time off at Christmas as it's soo busy, but taking time off is not usually an issue just make sure there is sufficient coverage of staff.

Being retired I can go away whenever I want without permission but it was totally different when I was working. Although I was entitled to 30days annual leave it was like getting blood out of a stone persuading my boss to agree to my requests. My boss was American and many americans only get 10 days annual leave each year, they have to work another 5 years before they get 3 more days leave and 10years before it reaches 3 weeks.(of course I can't speak for all american companies) and they often just take short breaks two or three times a year. He couldn't understand why I would want to take two or even three weeks for just one holiday and it was always a battle to get him to agree. Two or three times I was asked to cancel my holidays at the last minute because of some panic even though the trip had been booked and paid for often months ahead of time.

I am a team manager and there are 5 other TM's in my area only 2 of us allowed off at the same time! thing is one of them books dribs and drabs which ruins someone else taking the full week.

Also getting cover for my team is like a military operation to make sure they get their 1:1's, coaching and PDPS done that month!

Also I can't book too far in advance either which is a pain.

I work in a school environment , so have to have school holidays , hubby has always been able to fit his hols in around mine but he has already been told verbally and in writing that the works will be having a shut down for 2 weeks last week july first week in august for repairs , so not to book any hols outside of those dates , as i am a cleaner in school we have to work when school is open normally first 3 weeks of hols , then with my school kitchen job i have to go in for cleaning days which are at the end of school hols . I have a headache 12 months early trying to fit a summer holiday in .

I work in a school nursery so have only got the choice of school holidays, though would much rather holidays during term time as it is considerably cheaper . OH is self employed so pretty much comes and goes when he pleases.

i also work in a school so have to have school hols, hubby gets 23 days a year and as soon as i book he fills in the forms at work, 1 year he got told he might not be able to have them dates as they only let so many off at once but he just told them "tough the hol is booked and paid so im going", theyve never refused him yet, he would take them unpaid if he had to

I understand the difficulties of getting your holidays signed off but my boss isn't bad at all on that score, what I actually meant was do your jobs dictate when you can/can't go? As in I can't go betwen the 1st and 10th of any month - no exceptions! When you combine this with my OH being a teacher then we only have 3-4 weeks all year when we 'could' go... that's before I try and get my holiday card signed and check no-one else is off!

School hols are roughly as follows:
25th July - 10th August - I can't get time off 1st-10th - could go for 4-5 days maybe.
11th-31st August OK - go on summer hols - fairly free choice!!! (but expensive)
October half term OK - grab a week in Gran Canaria/Cyprus/Fuerteventura as they have Saturday flights
Xmas - I finish on Xmas Eve and have to be in for 1 day on 30th or 31st so can't go anywhere.
Feb Half term - I can get time off but nowhere is warm enough with flights on a saturday
Easter - most years the school break includes a chunk of the first week of April - I can't get time off
Whit - Early June - I can't get time off.

The frustration is that before my OH became a teacher we used to love going Cyprus in late May and Greece in late September and I miss it. Also, everyone goes on about teachers having great holidays but they're not great if the partner can't get the same weeks

Irene wrote:

I work in a school - so 5 or 6 weeks in the summer sounds great - however hubby sometime stuggles to get 2 weeks in the period. Works for Royal Mail and we have been lucky up to now, although some colleagues take time off during that time when they could go in June or September when it is cheaper.
I for one wouldn't go in school holidays unless I had to?

That's similar to us, except I can usually get 2 weeks in late August. I just struggle to take my other 3 weeks when my OH is off as nearly all the school holidays clash with my busy periods.

I am an LSA in a classroom and hubby is a school caretaker, so for us - 1 - holidays are very expensive. 2- we can't get away from children even during holiday time. Hubby is lucky in that he has a lady who is willing to deputize for him when he takes holidays, as all major work & repairs to the building are done during the holidays. We broke up a fortnight ago, and hubby has done at least 4 hours a day in school including weekends. He's only a part time caretaker but this is expected. Work is planned for every day for the 7 week holiday

I'm really lucky as my daughter and I own our business so I can go any time---as can she.It works very well----unless we want a break together!

There are certain times that i can't get time off work, but i don't find it too difficult to book time off that suits me and fits in well with my work schedule. I have to work over Xmas and New year and do most bank holidays , so i don't get a long weekend off like some people, i also work every saturday and every other sunday. But the upside is that i book 4 one week holidays a year and have a few days spare. This year we booked March , June, Sep and November , so we get a regular break from work , we don't book school holidays , too expensive and too many kids and there's a couple of people i work with who want school hol weeks. I work in a small business so we have 1 person off at a time , we actually all have different home situations so over the years we have all settled into a pattern and usually have the same weeks off roughly and there is no conflicts.
My wife can book holiday through HR by email with an immediate response usually and because we choose holidays outside peak times where there is high demand she always gets her requests. I suppose we're lucky having 4 holidays a year but then we have very little time off together due to work committments, when my wife is on shift i see her from 6pm to 8pm , and because she is on a rolling rota we have very few days when we are both on "day off" , i suppose you could say i'm very lucky

I think the best thing about my job is that i do have a reasonable amount of choice when i can take holiday , which school workers, factory workers etc don't have , they are assigned their holiday , but then again me and other staff have to cope with the everyday running of the business when we are a bit short because of someone being on holiday and sometimes change our normal working hours, if we could shut down for a couple of weeks and all have a holiday at the same time it would make everything easier.

i have to book well in advance for summer hols as i have to take them in july/august as i have a daughter of 14, and everyone seems to want july/august also. any other holidays throughout the year are not that hard to get so long as i give at least 1 months notice.
as for my husband he's been known to take holidays with a days notice,he says he can do this as his company has really good staff who can cope with anything(and being the boss helps too)

The problem I have is that being child free, I am often made to feel guilty about wanting time off in the school holidays and am expected to let the other women have priority over me; this means I tend to have my holidays at odd times of the year. There are times when I do resent being dragged into someone else's childcare arrangements as I have said on many occasions that they shouldn't have taken the job if they couldn't arrange childcare. I cannot remember that last time I had a full week off in July, August or early September. I know I sound insensitive, but it would be nice to have a proper summer holiday when I want one. Does anyone else have this problem?

I agree with you Sydney that it isn't fair. You should be given the opportunity to have July off also.

I work for someone who sees my holidays as an inconvenience. He would prefer that I take my holidays when work is in short supply and asking for holidays is always accompanied by one of his tantrums. We close for 2 weeks over Xmas and New Year, but my wife works in retail and can`t get time off, apart from her normal 2 days a week. We should be off for a week at Easter but he cuts that to 3 days with the other 2 days floating, which I was graciously granted in January this year, that was last years 2 days.
I`ve had a week of my summer holidays in November, because he refused all other requests.
Unless requested by me I am given no prior notice of holidays, even Xmas/New year I won`t know when we are stopping.
To say this causes tension would be an understatement, but I won`t use expletives on the Sabbath.

I can only get time off when it's not peak season. So I am go away in October meaning I now LOVE October.