Half Term Holidays

[Dave225]

This week has been the half term holidays in Scotland and I gather the English one is next week.

 

I was just curious as to who is getting these holidays apart from school teachers and college staff. I only ask because here in Edinburgh it has been like a ghost town all week. Streets normally full of parked cars in the morning are deserted and the buses are sitting at stops waiting on the timetable to catch up, as they are getting through the sparse traffic so easily. The shops are deserted in the morning but often busy in the afternoons, so there are obviously a lot of people with spare time, not normally seen, except at weekends.

 

I do not grudge anyone their holiday entitlement but having worked for my whole life I do not recall ever getting a holiday at this time of the year, unless I took some of my limited annual vacation. As I preferred to try and get some summer sun I never if did it, plus getting vacation was always subject to Company approval and of course you could not all get off at the same time. I appreciate that school kids are off, although I do not know why as they need all the education they can get, and maybe parents are having to take time off to look after them. Mind up here it is more the grannies and granddads who are doing a lot of that. There has also been a distinct lack of said schoolkids mooching about the shops, are they all in the Med or Klosters? I thought we were in recession but if the newspapers are anything to go by, the airports will be busy with people travelling and there are supposed to be umpteen millions heading off on the roads, so obviously plenty money still washing about. Must be still some credit cards not maxed out.

 

It just seems very strange to me and I guess we will do it all again in about 6 weeks time for Xmas.

 

[malc d]

I think the main change over the years has been the increase in holiday ' entitlements '

 

When I started work most people got two weeks per year, and these

were saved until the summer and all taken in one go.

 

At Xmas we only got Xmas day and boxing day.

 

Nowadays 5 or six weeks seems quite common and so, as well as their 'main' summer holiday many people can now take a few days off at any time of the year.

 

There are also now a lot more places to go to for short breaks.

 

 

 

 

[Dave225]

I wish I knew who was giving 5-6 weeks. Both my kids work for Companies and if lucky they can get 2 at a time out of 4. They also get a few extra days for working bank holidays.

 

Maybe we have adopted the Greek policy

[Mel B]

One of the biggest myths I've had to face with working at a University is the belief that the place virtually shuts down during vacation times ... it doesn't. When I worked in one of the departments we often used to have students wishing us a good summer vacation as they thought we were of too, which was very nice of them, but we still had to work ... who else would get all the stuff read for them to come back again in the Autumn? At first I got 2 weeks a year plus bank holidays, then eventually it changed so we got 4 weeks off a year - plus an extra day for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 12 years of service, making a total of 25 not counting bank holidays. To get more than 2 weeks off at a time in the summer was a major problem.

 

I would imagine this '6 week summer vacation' is similar for school and college teachers ... yes some of the time will be available as holiday, but during the rest of the time they've also got to get their classes and materials all sorted for the next session, do any research that is required of them, and any other duties as part of their contract etc.

[flicka]

A lot more Motorhomes on the move this evening, here in sunny Cleethorpes.

 

[Guest pelmetman]

Thanks everyone for reminding us its half term week coming up, will make sure we stay at home.

Sue

[vindiboy]

The Camping and Caravan Club run lots of temporary Holiday sites for half term so lots of parents must have time off work as these holiday sites are well supported.

[MandyAndy]

It also coincides with Halloween so at least all those that are away won't be out trick or treating :-D :-D

 

I have one and we are away for the last 4 days of it on a C&CC rally.

 

Mandy

[maggyd]

Dave225 - 2011-10-21 12:57 PM

 

This week has been the half term holidays in Scotland and I gather the English one is next week.

 

I was just curious as to who is getting these holidays apart from school teachers and college staff. I only ask because here in Edinburgh it has been like a ghost town all week. Streets normally full of parked cars in the morning are deserted and the buses are sitting at stops waiting on the timetable to catch up, as they are getting through the sparse traffic so easily. The shops are deserted in the morning but often busy in the afternoons, so there are obviously a lot of people with spare time, not normally seen, except at weekends.

 

I do not grudge anyone their holiday entitlement but having worked for my whole life I do not recall ever getting a holiday at this time of the year, unless I took some of my limited annual vacation. As I preferred to try and get some summer sun I never if did it, plus getting vacation was always subject to Company approval and of course you could not all get off at the same time. I appreciate that school kids are off, although I do not know why as they need all the education they can get, and maybe parents are having to take time off to look after them. Mind up here it is more the grannies and granddads who are doing a lot of that. There has also been a distinct lack of said schoolkids mooching about the shops, are they all in the Med or Klosters? I thought we were in recession but if the newspapers are anything to go by, the airports will be busy with people travelling and there are supposed to be umpteen millions heading off on the roads, so obviously plenty money still washing about. Must be still some credit cards not maxed out.

 

It just seems very strange to me and I guess we will do it all again in about 6 weeks time for Xmas.

 

 

Have you never heard of POTATOE PICKING WEEK ? of course no-one does it now as its all automated ! but I always had holidays at this time of year and hols abroad were unhead of in my school days. :-S

[JohnP]

It used to be potato picking fortnight in Lincolnshire when I was at school in the 50's. The school did not close down but you were entitled to the time off to pick tates.

[Basil]

Dave225 - 2011-10-21 12:57 PM

 

.....................I was just curious as to who is getting these holidays apart from school teachers and college staff. I only ask because here in Edinburgh it has been like a ghost town all week. Streets normally full of parked cars in the morning are deserted and the buses are sitting at stops waiting on the timetable to catch up, as they are getting through the sparse traffic so easily. The shops are deserted in the morning but often busy in the afternoons, so there are obviously a lot of people with spare time, not normally seen, except at weekends.

 

I do not grudge anyone their holiday entitlement but having worked for my whole life I do not recall ever getting a holiday at this time of the year, unless I took some of my limited annual vacation. It just seems very strange to me and I guess we will do it all again in about 6 weeks time for Xmas................

 

I believe one of the main reasons nowdays is because children are not allowed to go out of school other than school holiday time. So as several of my relatives do the husband and wives 'pool' their holidays so that they can spend the 11 to 12 weeks across the time the school holidays are on.

This may mean that one of the parents don't go away with the others at the same time or they may take the caravan to some place that is convienient for the 'missing' partner to come to the camping place from their place of work.

 

Regarding your comment on the number of holidays, when I was at work my holiday entitlement was 32 days (not including bank holidays that were in addition) plus as I worked 'flextime' I could build up a further 2 days per month. If I fitted the flex days in with Bank Holidays I only needed a few of my annual holiday entitlement so leaving plenty of days to book holidays, however it becomes quite difficult to fit in if you are only allowed to take a maximum of two weeks together at a time.

 

Bas