New Job!

[Claireeno]

I'm in Australia, and just got a job today as a Dental assistant which i'll be starting Monday, But I have tickets to go home for Christmas on the 7th of December (as that was the only ticket I could get) and the surgery doesnt close until around the 23rd. How do I go about asking for time off when I havnt even started yet?

[grasscarp]

You can only tell them that you have these tickets and will it be possible to use leave to do this. What happens next will depend on their reaction.

[Claireeno]

If it was a problem, I might be able to arrange to change my ticket to a later date, If i could get a cancelation, As all seats are booked months in advance, it was just an off change 2 people had cancelled and got them, They said I can take 20 days which are unpaid, Would I be able take them straight away?

[B00]

Did you tell your new employers that you might be needing to take the time off over Christmas?

[ummmm]

So you don't get holiday pay in this job?

[rowanwitch]

Employers will often honour pre existing holidays but you may not be paid for time off as you will have no leave accrued

[Claireeno]

I mentioned it but I didnt say a date. They just told me they were closed over the xmas... Yeah you do get holiday pay, but not for the first 3 months until im a permanent there.

[MarkRae]

Spend Xmas in Oz.

[ummmm]

I was going to say!!!

Have you looked at how much it would cost to change your ticket? Or the availabilities? xx

[ummmm]

That's not the question Mark!!!

[grasscarp]

When I used to work for an airline we used to find that we could travel almost anywhere on christmas day itself as people want to be wherever by then. Just an idea if you do come to change them.

[China Doll]

Did you not mention this at the interview? My sister works out there and I think she told me that they 'earn' leave or something there so I think it's something like when you start a job, you are entitled to a certain amount of leave but only if you've worked there for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you if this is the way leave works in Australia or just in her company. I do know that she ended up not being able to come back to meet her new nephew as she had only 'earned' two weeks of leave in her new job.

Just ask, you don't ask then you don't get but I'd be prepared for them to frown on you taking leave so soon after you have started, I don't think my manager would have been best impressed; but then you are living abroad and maybe they will actually be quite sympathetic.

[Claireeno]

Availabilities are slim, as we only got the 2 tickets we did because there were 2 cancelations earlier in the day. Itll cost me about 250-300 dollars to change my ticket, And thats the date Tom is going home, So i'd rather be on the same flight to him then to travel on my own, or not to be able get a flight, and spend xmas alone....

[Claireeno]

and gettin a flight on christmas day, would kind of defeat the point of going home for christmas!! Plus its a 27 hour flight!! So christmas will be dead and gone by the time i got there if that was the case.

[ummmm]

See what they say. The fact that if you don't go you'll be on your own for Xmas might make them a little more sympathetic.....hopefully :-(

[Claireeno]

I hope so too... Mum im so sending you my bank details, ya could give me an early christmas present :)

[MarkRae]

I think you need to consider whether going home for Christmas is more important than keeping your job. From what you've said, you're on a three-month probationary period during which, I'd imagine, they can get rid of you no questions asked. It may very well be that the run-up to Christmas is a busy time for them, so they might need to get somebody else to fill in the weeks that you are away. It may very well be that you find you have no job to come back to...

[ummmm]

I think that too....I don't think they'll accept that you want time off so soon after starting...

But the thought of staying in Oz while everyone you know goes back to Ireland must be horrible :-((

[Claireeno]

I dont know anybody here apart from Tom, So i dont want to be here on my own for christmas.

[fliptheswitch]

If I were you, I would approach it in a way that makes out you didn't know about this, when you went for the interview/first took the job.
You could say that a family member has got you a surprise ticket home for Christmas, and you've only just found out. Say you've looked into changing the ticket (because your new job comes first!) but it's really expensive and you can't find anything else. Then say how you wouldn't expect it to fall under holiday pay, but wondered if you could take it under the "20 days unpaid" part of your contract.
It's not ideal, but these things happen. Good luck! :-)

[Claireeno]

Thanks fliptheswitch.... Might try thats one...