Your job and career questions answered
Does anyone know the rules on time off for a family wedding during term-time? Am I entitled to paid time off or must I take unpaid leave?
The terms and conditions of your appointment will have told you in the small print. Most local authorities have worked out what they accept as reasonable. It does vary around the country. There are concessions for the death of a close family member. Weddings are more difficult. Even for a close relative, such as a sibling, you might have to take unpaid leave, and for more remote family members, a request for unpaid leave might be regarded with scepticism. Much depends on how you head feels about your request, and how you are viewed in the school. If you rarely have time off sick and are regarded as an asset, you may find such a request treated more favourably than one from a teacher who is viewed differently. But, that’s life, even in these days of rules and regulations.