School Holidays

Currently I have a 5 year old in yr1, and my 27 month old at nursery and my mum looks after them for 2.5 days a week when it's half term/summer while I work. It is honest to God the most stressful time, because my 2 are very hard work and she also has my sisters 2. I'm having to consider going part year in work so I have most of the holidays off and take the massive pay cut 🙃 Are you lucky enough to be in a job where you can take part year? Or have the option to try for a job thats part year? The civil service isn't for everyone, but they are really really flexible with work/life balance 🙈

I only work 3 days a week now so that helps, but we don’t have family that live particularly close so it would be mainly on us. I guess once she’s at school it will be an easier age for family to look after her, so we’d have to book them in, in advance. Will probably have to make use of some holiday clubs too.

You can take up to 4 weeks unpaid leave from work a year over and above your annual leave. It’s unpaid yes but does solve the issue of childcare during holidays. We will doing maybe a week or 2 of this, using family that live 3hrs away and going on holiday ourselves. Also wfh, and activity camps!

@Francesca oh wow I didn’t know that! Is that standard for everyone working full time?

I didn’t know this either!!!! Everyone is entitled to it! But it’s weeks so if you only work 2 days a week you get this off vs somebody working 5 days would get the whole week off. https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement