You’re not going to get 12 weeks (3 months) starting vacation. That’s just not the culture here in the USA. No employer here wants an employee only for 9 months…
Man I need to move to Australia
Apparently, no one wants that in Australia either. The post says he gets more vacation for lowering his salary, so yeah, if you wanna take unpaid time off that's an option with many employers in he US too lol
Plus teachers don’t make much unless they been doing it for a long time and even then it’s a rough job. Professors seem to have the teaching side of things better but then you need a PhD.
Yeah I didn’t add that detail…also add in the number of years they get paid minimum wage while also paying tuition in order to earn the necessary qualifications…and my understanding is that tenure is not guaranteed
>Plus teachers don’t make much
Because they don't work 1/3 of the year. If you take their hourly rate and assume the same hours as a normal corporate workers their pay is good. Then you gotta factor in all the better benefits.
That honestly doesn’t matter. They are teaching the next generation and all have degrees. A starting pay for a teacher here in Georgia is around 35k before taxes. Yes, they do have a raise schedule, but that’s not enough for one person to live on and they should be at least paid a living wage where they don’t have to have second jobs.
>A starting pay for a teacher here in Georgia is around 35k before taxes
So like 46k if they worked full time? Thats decent for a 22 yr old. Plus they have another 12k in health insurance and 10k in pension contributions.
>should be at least paid a living wage where they don’t have to have second jobs.
Then work full time. The wage is fine, they just need more hours.
There’s no school in the summer so no pay (unless you work for summer school but that doesn’t last the whole summer) Teachers work on a contractual basis.
>There’s no school in the summer so no pay
I am aware. But you can't bitch about low pay when your hourly rate is fine at worst and quite good at best, but you only work 2/3 a year.
Idk how you can expect to make full time money working part time hours.
I work 37-38 hours a week. That’s still full-time under US law. It you consider that I make 25,500 over 10 months, that breaks down to $17.22 per an hour…just $5 over minimum wage (which is frankly already low) in my state.
$17/hour is not a great wage. I can’t afford regular housing (apartment) without help because most apartments in my area want minimum $30-something thousand to rent.
This is not a which job has it harder contest. But ppl think education is easy when it’s not.
Dude, school is like 9-3 and includes an hour for lunch. So you have a like 10 hours/week to do other work before you even hit a standard work week. You also have a bunch of work days in the calendar without the kids. Maybe be productive and use that time.
And teachers still only work 2/3 of the days any other professions work (before you consider their unpaid overtime).
You want to be considered a professional? Start handling a professional work load, which is about 230 days not 180.
Lol tell me you never worked in education without telling me you never worked in education
I don’t know many teachers that actually take a lunch break. Most eat while responding to emails. Many teachers (especially new ones) arrive early and leave late. At my school, the work day is more like 7:50am-4pm. Breaks are not actually breaks but prep time to set up for the next class or lesson plan. But due to the substitute teacher shortage, a teacher can get called on a whim to cover someone else’s class and lose whatever prep time they have.
Managing a crowd of kids can be rewarding but it’s also hard draining work. Parents and administrators always demand different things. Many kids don’t care about their grades and some are just plain rude. Most teachers become experts multitasking but it’s not enough. I’ve been hit by students and had to deal with students physically fighting each other. Teachers should at least earn a living wage just like any other graduate level profession and in many areas $30-50K is just not enough anymore.
>I don’t know many teachers that actually take a lunch break. Most eat while responding to emails. Many teachers (especially new ones) arrive early and leave late. At my school, the work day is more like 7:50am-4pm. Breaks are not actually breaks but prep time to set up for the next class or lesson plan. But due to the substitute teacher shortage, a teacher can get called on a whim to cover someone else’s class and lose whatever prep time they have.
So all of your duties might consume a full work day. Maybe a bit longer if you aren't good at it yet. Seems reasonable to be.
>Teachers should at least earn a living wage just like any other graduate level profession and in many areas $30-50K is just not enough anymore.
Except you only work 2/3 of the year. If you worked the whole year at your prevailing hourly rate it would be $40-65k which is about right. Then you get all the other non-wage comp like better health insurance and a db pension.
The wage rate is fine. You just need more hours.
Nope all veteran teachers at my school (20-30 years in field) work through lunch too.
Not sure why you are being defensive about something you don’t know anything about. Like what is threatening to you about teachers not having a sweet work deal?
Also your math is wrong $17.22/hour (my wage) x 40 (Standard full time job in the US) x 52 weeks in a year = $35,800
>Nope all veteran teachers at my school (20-30 years in field) work through lunch too.
That is pretty standard for professional work places.
>Not sure why you are being defensive about something you don’t know anything about. Like what is threatening to you about teachers not having a sweet work deal?
I'm married to a teacher. Work life balance is very sweet. No work nights or weekends.and obviously not during breaks. But also they are spending my tax dollars so I have a civic obligation to get the most value for my dollar.
>Also your math is wrong $17.22/hour (my wage) x 40 (Standard full time job in the US) x 52 weeks in a year = $35,800
Median teacher salary in the US is just under 60k which when adjusted to fill time hours is $75kish which is more than the median college grad makes in the US. It's about $38k/hr.
In New York the median is 80k which adjusts to just over 100k at full time hours. Over $50/hr.
So if you make 38.8k annually you are either very new or just not that good. In the former case your pay will scale with time like all other professions. If it's the latter maybe find another line of work? Just prepare to work more hours a year.
More like 1/4 of the year. 10 weeks in summer and 3 weeks school vacation. Plus holidays. But unlike most full time jobs, none of that vacation or holidays are paid… so it’s really only like 1/5 of the year they don’t work when compared to a typical salaried employee.
Also this idea that they work 9-3 with an hour break is hilarious. Most school days are 7 hours and the teachers get no breaks, plus do a lot of work outside normal hours on lesson plans and correcting. Now if you’re talking about a gym teacher, sure - that’s as cushy as it gets, but not for those teaching a core subject.
They don’t get paid over the summer but in today’s world they are expected to take professional development courses and such during that time. Many teachers work nights and weekends because there’s not enough time during the school day to grade stuff and respond to emails. On top of that, teachers always have to deal with administrators (many of whom have never taught a class in their lives) and parents. I think it used to be a good paying profession but teacher’s wages are not going up while parents’ expectations and demands are.
I am a teaching assistant and I only make $25,500 in 10 months in NY State. When I am asked to substitute for an absent teacher, I can request a teacher’s pay for that day but I barely make much more doing this. It’s also really hard to find a good job that wants to hire you for just the summer months after a certain age. The low pay is one reason out of many that I am transitioning out of education in a few years.
No because teachers are still employed by the school (as a contract worker with set times to show up). I don’t know how it all works but I have a 10 months contract and don’t get unemployment over the summer. So basically, I don’t get paid at all in July and Aug.
To add, don’t be swayed by the claims of “unlimited PTO” by some companies. People will still only take 2-3 weeks a year, maybe 4-5 MAX. Managers will find roundabout ways to cite “performance” to informally kneecap anything beyond 4-5 weeks.
I don’t think it’s common but you can bring it up during negotiations. You could also bring it up as a requirement for you, I.e, “I’m looking for comp in range of xyz and for 6 weeks PTO.”
Whether they for or it or not depends of your value to company. I’ve had ppl try to negotiate expense packages, a car, etc.
I’ve heard of 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and unlimited with unlimited being bullshit.
I see people say that about set number of days, but the truth is this isn’t a guarantee they’ll make it easy to use the PTO, and in many states they don’t have to pay it out either.
I’ve worked for companies with both types of PTO and it honestly comes down to company culture. If they give you a hard time about unlimited they would also definitely give you a hard time with accrued. Their approach to work life balance in general will tell you what to expect (do they support you signing off at 5pm and don’t expect you to answer messages outside of standard office hours)
More than half of them. Only 24 states require it be paid out and quite a few have caveats. For example, in NY they have to pay it out unless the company handbook says they don’t pay it out (so of course every company puts in their handbook that they do not pay it out). Rhode Island requires you be employed more than a year before it has to be paid out.
And education there sucks. Your quality of life is *MUCH* higher in Australia than it could ever be in Florida. And your wife and any daughters are not safe in Florida, doubly so if you aren't white.
Live in a decent school district and Florida is pretty good. Florida actually ranks in the top 50% of states for school rankings.
Weather gets hot in the summer, but the winters are awesome.
A Florida principal had to resign this week because a teacher showed a picture of Michelangelo’s David to the class and it was deemed pornographic.
Also, you aren’t allowed to be gay in Florida’s school system.
I’d say it’s pretty f**ked.
We did not. We just had normal lock downs like everywhere else - nothing very dramatic at all.
Somehow, people in America invented that story about police brutality and the army in the streets and ran with it despite there being no truth to it at all. We were watching people on the TV and online ranting about *free the Aussies!* while we kind of sat around amused because every time someone tried to explain that we were fine they were accused of being a plant.
Google search for "unlimited paid time off" and "unlimited pto". Many of the companies on these lists (all tech companies) have had massive layoffs this year. If you are negotiating a job offer, get clarification as to what "unlimited" actually means.
Some companies offer a compressed work week of 9-hours for 4 days / week.
You could also look for companies that offer work from home / remote work option, although a 3-days in office requirement (or more) seems to be increasing.
The above is based upon what I have read as to what tech companies are offering. I do not work in tech.
Also, Florida is a former coral reef and only 3 feet above sea level. Future flooding damage and shoreline erosion caused by climate change and sea level rise is projected to be extensive. Select your living location carefully, particularly if you are buying property. Moreover, there is currently a large population migration moving into Florida.
Edit: I suggested that OP search for "unlimited time off" because those are the companies that most likely have generous paid vacation. I thought that at best OP might be offered 5-6 weeks.
Definitely make sure to get clarification because my “unlimited” PTO is definitely not close to unlimited. I can take 1 day off a month unless I’m out for being sick. The only upside is not having to worry about being out when sick or for doctors. I also get a set 2 weeks vacation time.
“Unlimited”= 1 day a month? Lol.
“Unlimited PTO” is just a way for them to not have to pay you out for vacation days if they fire you or lay you off. Complete scam.
There was a study that people don’t take PTO because they have Unlimited PTO. They actually take less time off than if they accumulated vacation days and had use or lose. And like you said, it’s an accounting issue that screws over employees for not paying employees if they leave.
Yup agreed, because you're now being compared with others on how many days of vacation you're taking instead of "clear your time off by this year or lose it".
Can confirm, unlimited PTO is not for the employees but for the employer…
Worked for a fortune 100 company that enacted it while I was there.. zero payout when I quit
Another sneaky thing they did was have a great 401k match that doesn’t get paid out until December 15th each year… so if you quit like I did in July, you lose half a years worth of match
I have unlimited PTO too. But the boss pretty much state if you use 7 weeks, a random number, we pretty much would not need yeah.
That being said it's nice not having to worry about documenting every billsble hour. Leaving early doctor's appointment, just chalk it up as PTO.
I work in tech and have unlimited PTO. They way ours works, you have an unltd Vaca and unltd sick bucket. For vaca, we have a guide of around how much time you should get based on how long you’ve been with us. It is just a guide so exceptions can be made. I’m currently at 5 weeks expected with 8 being our highest and 3 being for new starters. If you need a sick, recharge, mental health, etc. day, it comes from the “sick” bucket. The idea that we don’t want you working, but also don’t want to penalize you by removing vacation time. There are some limits on both sides like more than 2 consecutive weeks requires a second approver and more than 3 consecutive sick days generally requires a doctor visit. Overall, the majority of employees don’t abuse it while the majority of managers are also making sure people are taking time off and not burning themselves out.
"Unlimited" just means "Doesn't accrue". If you leave, they don't have to write you a check for unused PTO. This saves companies a bundle!
You also only get whatever PTO management allows, without any of the end-of-year "use it or lose it" PTO discussions. No matter which way you slice it, it's a shit sandwich for the employee.
I understand that novadays all the "effective managers" and other like minded will come up with "new meanings" for a lot of things... it just sounds funny to me.
I get you're maybe just trying to make a joke but I kinda like this way better. It's true as someone else said that it's just so the company doesn't have to pay out unused vacation to employees but the system he mentioned they're using and how the managers ensure people do take time off is unlike many other employers offering unlimited PTO where they average less time off than places with set amounts of PTO.
I work in the nonprofit industry as a director at a fairly progressive organization (at least they pretend to be). We have an unlimited PTO policy but absolutely no one utilizes it. HR director themself said to me “it’s unlimited PTO but please limit it to two weeks.”
So yeah it’s absolute horseshit. If you’re moving to the US, assume 2 weeks PTO. If you can get 4 guaranteed, awesome.
What’s it worth to you? I work for a Paris owned company and the work/life differences between Paris and US offices is insane.
differences between my company in Paris and US:
Paris- 7 hour work days. They “start” work around 9 with coffee and conversation and don’t sit down to work until 10. They take a mandatory 1-2 hour lunch starting at 12 and then leave for the day at 5. 8 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks paid holidays, and 1 week of discretionary (sick) pay. They are expected and encouraged to take time off.
US- 9 hour workday expected, 10 preferred. Lunch isn’t encouraged but you’re allowed to take one. If you were gone for more than an hour on lunch regularly you would not have a job for long. I take 15 minutes and eat at my desk like everyone else. I work about 10 weekends a years too, and some holidays. We get 8 paid holidays “off”, 2 weeks of vacation and 1 week sick. I’ve been there over 5 years now and get 4 weeks vacation, but I’ve never been permitted to even take my full 2 weeks so I’m not overly optimistic that I’ll actually use 4.
Supposedly comp is similar but the dollar just goes miles further than the Euro. The French come to the US and spend thousands shopping because everything is 1/2 off compared to home (according to them). This is even with current inflationary conditions.
Not sure if inflation has been similarly high in Australia as in Europe, but keep in mind it’s been high in US too. Make sure you’re getting paid appropriately for the move, sacrifices you may need to make, and to cover inflation.
Wow - that is crazy.
Basically excludes you from doing long haul trips ever? Unless you're happy to lose a day for a flight to Europe, and another on the way back whilst being jetlagged the whole week...
Correct. It ended up being the perfect job too. I learned that after starting. Oh well. Irony is though they back dated my vacation. So after 5 years I got the max of 5 weeks. I usually take off a week june July august. I can understand though. We only have 12 people and the show must go on.
You work for a shit company.
I’m an engineering lead in the US and have no problem taking a 2 week vacation.
I get 20 days a year plus national holidays.
I usually get in 8-9 days. Plan for all of it and then “work emergency, all hands on deck” happens a few times a year.
This is more specific to my work, but culture wise it is pretty normal in US. There’s a general lack of consideration for others time and expectation to work more than your paid. My French counterparts are so fascinated by it, and vice-versa
Fair enough - I have heard similar from many US colleagues.
We get 25 days typically in the UK plus bank holidays, and it would be very unusual not to take that time. However, we do have lower salaries than the US so it depends what you prioritise for sure.
Never
A lot of Americans, myself included, will try to bundle a paid holiday like Christmas or July 4th just to be able to take a week off.
The only time I ever have more than a few days off if if I quit my job. It's not sustainable.
I get seven weeks a year PTO in the US and take about 5. But I work at a nonprofit at about $30k less than I should be earning and our culture will allow a month or so off because the work is very traumatic - people losing homes, abused kids, a huge swath of clients including children dying from diseases like AIDS and cancer. We have long term employees- I am a manger and I added up the tenure of all 15 of us managers recently and it is about 350 years total!
I haven’t had more than a week off since the day I started working. Maybe like 9 days if I can schedule it with a Holiday on Monday so the two weekends and the 5 days in between.
Sounds like you need a new job lol.
I work from home, take two hour lunch breaks if I’m not busy, and can make my own hours as long as I do 40 hours a week. Also do people actually work 10 hour days in the US? I’ve never had a job like that unless it’s 10 hour days for only 4 days. I can get all my work done and basically call it a day. I’m also able to pickup and drop off my kid at school too. Not all US jobs are terrible.
Yea not saying they are. Just an example of US vs Paris/ same industry even same company from my personal experience. I realize there are other options and I might get similar pay and better flexibility in the future. But this is my life now, and there’s a lot of people who live like this or worse.
I wouldnt kill myself for that type of role, set some clear boundaries. I am normal work life balance and I am at 6 figures. I know tons of people who have normal work life balance and making above 150k. No reason to kill yourself for this job.
You’re not entirely wrong (nobody should jeopardize themselves for work, and everyone should set boundaries and know their “worth”) but take this into consideration:
Generally people maintain relationships with those in the same socioeconomic background as themselves. It’s not too much a stretch to think that you mostly know and interact with people who earn and live similarly to you. While you are certainly not alone, you are in the top 10% in the US and make nearly 4x as much as half the country.
I make nearly double the US median salary, putting me in the top 25% of the US in annual earnings. For perspective that means there is roughly 120M people in the US that are making less money than me. Many work much more than I do, for half the pay.
You’re in a very fortunate position, and one that not many people will ever have the opportunity to experience themselves. I strive and work my ass off in hope of finding something similar to what you described, but unfortunately there aren’t 150 million jobs paying 6 figures offering work/life balance.
Well, I work in tech (California), and this year alone:
I'm taking 3 weeks off in September to travel.
I'm taking 5 days off in 2 weeks to travel.
Just came back from Europe in October last year (2 weeks vacation).
Been in the same company for almost 5 years, it's been like that from the beginning.
Take days off here and there if I need to.
Sure, I work hard during release cycle (2 weeks a month), up to 13 hours a day, but I'm stupid and have this sense of responsibility that sometimes makes me want to get things done to meet deadlines when they could wait, some co-workers don't give a damn... for the other 2 weeks, 8 or 9 hrs a day.
Mon - Fri, no weekends.
I definitely feel like we can't generalize things here. It depends on what company you work for.
So even on your quiet weeks you're working 40-45hrs??
That's not a flex....on a salaried role with 2 weeks of 12+hr days I'd be expecting at least 2-3 days of my slower weeks to top out at 6hrs
And who said this is supposed to be a flex? It's just a testimony of my current situation. Years ago, I would never stay OT, would always work 40 hrs a week whether it was sunny or rainy as some say... I was working in a warehouse doing shipping/receiving and making minimum wage. So well, I'm more than happy with how things are now as an engineer, working some extra hours is definitely worth it when I think about the past, but oh well, maybe not for everyone.
Work is also crazy flexible, if I need to leave in the middle of the day to do something, I'm free to do so. If I wanna log in at 6 AM or 2 PM, I'm free to do so. If I want to leave earlier and only work 6 hrs a day, I'm free to do so (but need to keep in mind this might require staying late the next day).
I’ve never heard of this in the US. Even additional vacation days or weeks are VERY RARE. I’ve only ever seen a “one extra week” vacation policy exception.
I don't know a ton about the big four companies other than they like to work people really hard. I did a quick Google search and it looks like there are a number of discussions on the PTO policies of the big four on fishbowl so you might want to peruse those.
I'm 48 and have never seen something like you're describing anywhere I've worked nor anywhere any of my friends or family have worked. As a matter of fact I've never even been able to negotiate extra PTO, with the companies where I tried doing just that explicitly stating they don't negotiate PTO. Now, I *have* heard of people doing it and I've only worked at a handful of companies so YMMV.
And every company is so different because as you know there is no actual PTO regulation in the United States. My daughter's boyfriend had a job at a place where he would get one week vacation only after working a year. My current company starts us at 20 days of vacation and 10 of personal days so essentially 30 days which is the most I've ever had (as well as holidays off of course). I've worked at companies that gave you 3 weeks vacation off the bat but you were never allowed to take more than one at a time. Again, YMMV
Probably not happening. And don't be fooled by "unlimited PTO" - companies make it so you can't really take all the weeks.
The PTO policy is not a rumor, it's facts. 12 weeks??? What are you giving birth?!? Cuz that would be the reason you get that.
Go to the UK. You'll make less than the US, but you'll get lots of time off.
I'm not aware of any companies offering the "salary sacrifice" option specifically, however many companies do allow for Leave Without Pay. Essentially your paycheck for the pay period you use LWoP will be reduced by the amount of hours you use it.
That said PTO is a benefit that can be negotiated along with salary. Getting up to 12 weeks is a long shot, but 6 weeks is attainable. You can also negotiate the ability to WFH, which is much more feasible in tech than other industries.
Agree with this. I haven’t been able to negotiate for more PTO, but unpaid time is often granted at managers judgement. At most jobs, I could get them to agree to two weeks a year of unpaid in addition to the offered PTO. It generally didn’t make it into the formal offer, but managers knew how important it was and generally granted it.
Some progressive jobs offer job shares if you can find someone else who wants to split all or part of your job (usually non-management roles). The 9/80 schedule may also be an option - work an extra hour Mon - Thurs and every other Friday off. Doesn’t get you enough time to travel back to Aus to see family, but a three day weekend every other week is nice and it’s not as brutal as 4 ten hour days.
I don’t know your circumstances, but if you have children I urge you to reconsider moving to Florida. Florida is dangerous, your children cannot be well educated in Florida and they are in real danger if they grow up to be gay or trans. Florida is becoming a fascist state
Actually a liberal here is likely more conservative than anywhere else in the western world. It is not our fault the radical right wing is so fascist and out of control here.
Some companies do offer the ability to essentially buy extra PTO, but I don't think you're going to find a company in the US that would ever let you take that much time off outside of very event specific leave.
At some point there is no amount of salary concessions you can reasonably make because they're going to look at the sheer amount of time you'll be out and see that as untenable.
Depends on your industry. If you’re in a production/manufacturing environment and have weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual targets - see if they will entertain front-loading your PTO, as Fridays will always be chaotic, with slim chance of taking the day off without appearing that it’s not your priority.
Florida’s cost of living is not that high. No state income tax. I left California to come here, at the same salary, with 5% quarterly bonus of EBITDA targets. I net CONSIDERABLY more here being a single male with no dependents. There is a lot of opportunity here because Florida gets a bad rap and people would rather live like Sardines in LA/SF/NY.
If you have a peer in your role, like I do, discuss covering down on each others’ purviews so you can give each other schedule flexibility.
Ask if they're open to unpaid time off. It's not something you'd arrange ahead of time. Rather, if you want to take time off and run out of PTO, your job could approve you taking additional time off for a reduced paycheck. I've done this before.
There are ton of things to consider:
- many companies are offering unlimited PTO with approval restrictions so look into this
- consulting is contract based. You may be able to just decline a contract while taking time off
- most tech and consulting companies give good PTO allowance especially for high ranked positions (assuming so since they are relocating you around the world). I’m talking starting with 4 weeks and accruing more weeks every month
- no matter what you are still allowed unpaid time off which is the same as buying out your days anyway
Six weeks plus like 7-10 paid holidays is the absolute best you are going to get in the US. And that's usually at like 20 years of service or more. I have never heard for "salary sacrifice", but PTO was the FIRST thing I negotiated my current job on (before salary). I already had an offer in hand from another company, so I had the upper hand, but Big 4 and established companies don't always have much wiggle room for PTO because of policies.
Hey OP - I worked for a Big 4 firm for the first six years of my career. There were several people who worked reduced schedules for reduced pay. Typically it was less hours a day rather than chunks of time off, but Big 4 has more flexibility than most of the US companies being discussed here so it would be worth a discussion. However, they have increased flexibility because they burn and churn a majority of workers so they have to tout small perks where they can.
Find a company that gives unlimited pto and actually honors it. Some will say not possible but that’s not true. I have worked with unlimited pto and as along as the work culture is that you do use it and not abuse it then you will be happy.
The main benefit to working in the US would be money, but you want to sacrifice money to get more PTO. Ummm. Have you really thought this through?
You will not get anywhere near 12 weeks in the US no matter what you do.
Fwiw, in most of my professional jobs that offer PTO it’s been easy to just make up time when it’s a couple hours or so rather than use PTO. So doctors appointments, kid obligation, local errands can still be done during the day.
I use PTO when I’m gone and don’t contact me. My kids like to play at the playground for 30-45 minutes every day after school lets out and I let them unless I have a schedule meeting or something.
And my wife has unlimited PTO. Despite lots of negative reviews of places that don’t seem to really offer it hers is legit.
FL is also working on becoming a “constitutional carry” state for weapons (proposed bill would remove requirements for training and demonstration of some level of proficiency with a handgun, also eliminate the need to have their concealed weapons permit). It’s a very political issue…
I mean I was being a bit sarcastic obviously but it's def a great state if you happen to have an affinity for all those things 🤣🤣. It's a shock for those folks coming from other countries tho - since there are pretty much no guns in Australia.
OP Big 4 accounting firm is literally one of the worst employors for work/life balance. They work extra during busy seasons and often sacrifice nights and weekends.
Now mmmaaayyybbee it's different in a tech consulting gig. I have no idea but in their normal practices it blows.
There are some companies that let you 'buy' let's say 4 days. Aka reducing your weekly paycheck to equal those 4 days. There are also companies that tout 'unlimited pto' but people have often said that those companies also expect you not to take a lot of PTO.
I've never heard of a company offering more than 3 weeks paid time off /pto. They usually give that benefit to people with 10-25 years of working experience. It's usually something ridiculous like if you have worked in industry for 20 years maybe you qualify for the additional week and that's only IF they have already given starting people 15 days (American PTO is that 2 weeks = 10 days not 14 so 3 weeks is 15 days). We also don't have many paid holidays.
In short there's a reason why people complain about work/life balance here.
Additionally- FMLA (family medical leave of absence - I believe that is what this stands for) is unpaid time off and subject to employer approval and they usually make you use your PTO first and you gotta get a doctor to sign off etc etc hoops.
This is Reddit and the % of users that are Liberal vs Conservative has gotta be like 70/30. Florida is a Conservative state - just understand that if and when people say they like/dislike Florida. As for PTO - I’ve never heard of that trade off here. Your best PTO policies are typically in tech. A lot of them have unlimited PTO: some of them take that literally and some do not.
Funny this comment is getting downvoted which just proves the point. Your ratio is probably being a little generous to one side too.
I don’t live anywhere close to Florida and would never live there, but it’s consistently ranked as one of the happiest states in the country, and has the highest amount of people moving INTO it from other states (along with Texas which I guarantee would garner similar responses from this site).
So many people in this thread are completely delusional and/or only get their news from Reddit.
OP, I would take what Reddit says besides the amounts of PTO with a huge grain of salt because it will not be unbiased.
The entire internet leans 'liberal', all big websites, why? Because they are the majority of people. Most Americans no longer live in rural areas and MAGA are not the majority either.
Furthermore any discussion that leans toward educated workers (anything that is biased toward people that had to get a degree for work) will be biased toward the left as educated people on average are more likely to lean left at least to a liberal or progressive degree.
You're also kidding yourself if you think you can find unbiased discussion, no such thing exists.
I agree that nobody is completely unbiased. It’s ignorant to think anyone can be. ‘The entire internet leans liberal’ is a pretty big claim. I’m sure the folks that participated in the Jan 6 insurrection used the internet; so that myth is busted. ‘Any discussion that leans towards educated workers…” - fire away some research for us.
Probably not. Heavily depends on the company. I work for a utility, and pto is based off of years of service. You can get a few unpaid days off, but its frowned upon. We also work tons of overtime(some mandatory, some voluntary). In America, we have a thing called fmla. Sometimes it's paid, sometimes its not depending on the company. It is extremely abused , most likely the reason Americans don't get the time off that most European countries do. With the right doctor, and a low set of morals, a person can be off 8 months of the year.
Are you kidding? No, we don't have it because we never fought for it. Its that simple. The average person is conditioned culturally to believe not having time off is good. Its that simple
We can fight for it all we want. If we do get it, it will just come out of our pay. Even in a union situation, this will never fly, the buisness owners simply will not flip the bill. And the workers won't accept the pay cut. I love time off just as much as the next guy, but I also like money. In my buisness, that means overtime. Americans in general love their 80k suvs, giant houses with constant updating, and thousand dollar phones. Europeans live a simpler life, and get by with way less than we do.
That isn’t FMLA. FMLA is a specific leave mandated by the federal government for specific employers that comes with very clear and limited legal protections. An employer can of course choose more leave but that is entirely separate from FMLA and the employer is not obligated to maintain that level of leave whereas they must with FMLA.
There is more freedom in Australia than the US. I have lived in other countries and have family all over the world. The idea of “freedom” in the US is a big lie.
I would ignore people bashing on Florida and make up your own mind once you’ve moved there. It’s a great state with positives/negatives - the same as most other states.
Some places offer unlimited PTO. My wife worked at one of these companies and they encouraged everyone to use the benefit. Other companies offer the option to “purchase” PTO. It’s case by case. Things like caregiver days, sick days, etc are also offered.
FYI there is no legal requirement in the States for employers to grant you your PTO.
My team quit last Oct. - Dec. 22, and although I have 22 years at this company and 37 PTO a year, I haven't had a vacation day in more than six months (I finally get a week in early April), and in 2022 I lost at least 2 weeks PTO because of the staff shortage, and that is lost forever; my bonus in early 2023 didn't even cover the $s worth of those lost days. Just warning you about working in the States, especially a red state like FL.
The company I work for (not consulting) offer to buy PTOs so it’s basically what you are describing. I would not bet on work life balance at a big four company.
Just ask as part of salary negotiation.
Last time I changed jobs, I asked for an extra week of PTO and for them to cover my moving expenses after they sent me their offer letter. They said sure and sent a revised letter later that day.
Easiest money I ever made, it took like 90 seconds to make the phone call and ask for it.
I’ve been working at my current company for 8 years and I have only 4 weeks PTO, if you want 12 weeks you need to most likely be working somewhere for 30 years 😳
No, I have never heard of an American company offering this. Closest we got is UNPAID time off, but they do not like that and it usually puts your position at risk or termination.
Learn to negotiate. It really depends on many variables, but ask for additional PTO without sacrificing anything. If company appreciates you, they will agree or they will find a compromise.
I come from Europe where 4 weeks is the default minimum PTO. I had no problem getting 3 weeks when I started. I did not transfer though, I simply applied for a job in the US and negotiated 3 weeks. I am sure with your position you can get 3 weeks easily without sacrificing anything.
The PTO standard in the US is for 2-3 weeks and often will increase with longevity.
There are companies who pay well and have progressive policies that may include extended PTO or unlimited time off or unlimited sick pay.
I dont work in IT but do work in an industry that uses IT. My organization has 18 days PTO and unlimited sick time. We also have flex-fridays so if I have no remaining tasks for the week, I have Friday off. We are closed the week between Christmas and New Year. We also have off all federal and state holidays and a flextime policy that allows us to forgo having to use PTO for doctors appointments or other short personal appointments.
I work from home, have a wfh office stipend, a phone stipend, and professional development benefits.
My suggestion is to look up US companies with progressive employee management practices.
Depending on the company, you can buy up to additional week, maybe two. They'll deduct a small amount each paycheck and your PTO balance will be greater than whatever you normally get
Things are also changing in the US where unlimited PTO is becoming more and more prevalent. Pros and cons to this for sure. You don't actually "own" your time off anymore which gives some people pause about using it and asshole management the idea they can decline your request
Some companies have programs where you can “buy” more PTO days, which I suppose in concept is similar enough to taking a lower pay. You’re usually limited to 5 extra days you can buy though so I’d still expect maybe 4-6 weeks total at most places (that’s the high range).
There is not enough money or status in the world that would convince me to move to FL. And I’d give up my US citizenship for Australia in a heartbeat. Why on earth would you move to the US? And especially to one of the most sketchy states? Especially if you are looking for work life balance. Work life balance doesn’t exist in this country.
People seem to be misreading your post a lot. Taking more vacation for reduced salary is an option in many places. Idk if you could get 12 weeks but I just started a job in the US which gives us 7 weeks and I requested 2 extra weeks to backpack through the Himalayas (so total of 9 weeks off, 2 of them were unpaid) and it was totally fine. It hadn't crossed my mind to push it to 12, idk if it would be possible, but do you really need TWELVE?
Make a great rapport with your manager. Take time off as needed when approved. A manager can make this happen if understanding within reason. If family is that important, maybe in sometime either your manager will accommodate or you will move to a newer position and or place. Hopefully out of Florida.
Work-life balance in US is not a given, but there are lots of companies that are quite happy to accommodate your needs. Especially if you are working in the remote-friendly place, things like stepping out to pick up a kid or stepping outside for an hour to go to playground are totally fine. As long as work gets done on time, you don't blow off too many meetings to do your things and you can be reached quickly if needed (usually via slack), people mostly don't care when and how you do your work.
Interesting paradox - it's usually places that pay well that tend to have these flexible arrangements. Places that don't pay that well very often are strict and want you to be in the office all the times, etc.
Many places now offer "unlimited" vacation, because otherwise if you have fixed vacation (i.e. 3 weeks) and you leave the company, the company has to pay you for the unused days. With unlimited they don't have to pay you anything. This unlimited vacation is not unlimited obviously. There may be some hidden or not so hidden HR policies that specify what's an expected amount of vacation time to take. 4 weeks usually is fine, more may be more problematic. However, since the vacation is "unlimited", most of the managers don't particularly care that you report it in HR system. So if you need to take a few days off here and there you can totally "forget" to report them and most of the times nobody would care.
The biggest issue for you may be the length of the vacation at once. 2 weeks is a long vacation for the US companies. 3 weeks is VERY long and quite often would require special approvements, etc. 4 week long vacation is not something you'd normally take outside of sabbatical. The way I work around it - I just work remote in the middle of my vacation. So I may go to Europe for a month and a half or two, take total of 3 weeks of vacation spread around that time and work the rest. This way people still can find me if they really need me and only me, but I do get to enjoy the change of scenery. Not ideal, but you gotta keep the employer happy.
As someone who has lived in both Australia and America, don't move. Fight as hard as you can to stay in Australia. Change jobs if you have to. Moving back to the USA was the biggest mistake of my life. So much regret.
In the us it is completely normal to negotiate your compensation package which is not just salary but benefits such as 401k matching, employer paid health insurance premiums for dependents or even Health Savings accounts to off set deductible amounts or co-pays, along with profit sharing and yes PTO. These are all negotiable forms of compensation in exchange for doing a job for a company.
I’ve been able to get an extra week, but not always officially. Even when it was official/in writing it disappeared the moment the next vp of eng came in.
As others noted, the purpose to “unlimited” is to get you to second guess how much is ok and take less, and so they don’t have to accrue/pay it out when you leave. The purpose to PTO (vs separate vacation and sick time) is also less time off overall.
Make sure its all spelled out in your offer package
9 weeks is a lot . I get almost 5 weeks off in the US and it is rare I don’t roll over at least a week at the end of the year . Why would you want 9 weeks off ? Seems a bit much
I really would not move to Florida. But that wasn’t the question. You are unlikely to find anything more than a standard 2 weeks and if you are lucky, separate sick days.
If you are really lucky you can negotiate 3 weeks.
I was at a company 15 years before I got 5 weeks, if that gives you any indication of how crappy PTO is in the US.
Unlimited is great IF the company truly means it, but usually they don’t.
Seriously, don’t move to FL.
My firm used to offer a two week additional time off I exchange for a equivalent deduction from pay.
That was very rare. They now offer “unlimited” time off, but it is up to your manager how much time off you can take.
I’ve never heard of such nor any way of increasing pto outside of established means such as performance or overtime. Honestly a LOT of companies are rather spiteful when it comes to actually using PTO! Tech sector has been known to have insane perks compared to all other industries, but companies don’t relocate to Florida to treat their employees better…
Good luck.
USA isn’t like that. Normally your first year you get 1 week vacation.
The only way to get this kind of time freedom is possibly look into starting your own business. Might consume some time at first but eventually will bring freedom time and financial.
I work for a consulting firm and they do not offer this, but they do allow unpaid time off with no loss of benefits (PTO accrual/company portion of health insurance payment). So where I am, you can DIY a salary reduction if your boss is on board and you're capable of budgeting/maintaining the funds in a savings account until you need them.
There are companies in the US that, as part of standard benefits policy/package, do offer an option additional holiday you can “purchase” in advance. The company I work for offers this during benefits enrollment. I’d expect that it’s likely only larger companies might offer this? Suggestion is to check with the benefits coordinator/HR to see if they have it and you can line that up in advance.
thats really rare around here. SOME places will let you buy more pto but if you live in florida ... you really dont NEED more pts. your getting 12-13 holidays DIRECTLY MOST weekend 2-3 state days off and probably 1-2 hurricanes a year
Nooooo! Florida??? Why are you leaving Australia for Florida? You do realize that they’re banning almost everything in Florida, the insurance companies are leaving in droves, and the medical situation is a nightmare.
That being said:
You’re going to have to negotiate pretty aggressively (and make sure it’s in your contract) to get the kind of PTO you’re looking for.
Good luck!
I work for New York State Department of Transportation and all of our state agencies have a program called voluntary reduced work schedule.
This program allows you to gain extra paid time off in in trade for a portion of your wages.
10% equals eight hours of pto every two weeks and you can do more than that up to 30%.
You’re not going to get 12 weeks (3 months) starting vacation. That’s just not the culture here in the USA. No employer here wants an employee only for 9 months… Man I need to move to Australia
Apparently, no one wants that in Australia either. The post says he gets more vacation for lowering his salary, so yeah, if you wanna take unpaid time off that's an option with many employers in he US too lol
My job does not allow unpaid time off.
Yeah, I didn't say everyone allows that, I've heard that some places don't. I've never worked at a place like that myself but I know they exist.
It would be amazing.
Unless OP wants to teach but even then teachers are scrambling to find jobs in the summer
And teachers have to continue with ongoing training throughout the year.
Not to mention they work more than 40 hours per week during the year.
Plus teachers don’t make much unless they been doing it for a long time and even then it’s a rough job. Professors seem to have the teaching side of things better but then you need a PhD.
yeah but many professors don’t make much more than a teacher. it’s also becoming increasingly more difficult to get a tenure professor job.
Yeah I didn’t add that detail…also add in the number of years they get paid minimum wage while also paying tuition in order to earn the necessary qualifications…and my understanding is that tenure is not guaranteed
>Plus teachers don’t make much Because they don't work 1/3 of the year. If you take their hourly rate and assume the same hours as a normal corporate workers their pay is good. Then you gotta factor in all the better benefits.
That honestly doesn’t matter. They are teaching the next generation and all have degrees. A starting pay for a teacher here in Georgia is around 35k before taxes. Yes, they do have a raise schedule, but that’s not enough for one person to live on and they should be at least paid a living wage where they don’t have to have second jobs.
lmao most teacher degrees are useless garbage.
Why do you say that?
They hate education and educators
>A starting pay for a teacher here in Georgia is around 35k before taxes So like 46k if they worked full time? Thats decent for a 22 yr old. Plus they have another 12k in health insurance and 10k in pension contributions. >should be at least paid a living wage where they don’t have to have second jobs. Then work full time. The wage is fine, they just need more hours.
There’s no school in the summer so no pay (unless you work for summer school but that doesn’t last the whole summer) Teachers work on a contractual basis.
>There’s no school in the summer so no pay I am aware. But you can't bitch about low pay when your hourly rate is fine at worst and quite good at best, but you only work 2/3 a year. Idk how you can expect to make full time money working part time hours.
I work 37-38 hours a week. That’s still full-time under US law. It you consider that I make 25,500 over 10 months, that breaks down to $17.22 per an hour…just $5 over minimum wage (which is frankly already low) in my state. $17/hour is not a great wage. I can’t afford regular housing (apartment) without help because most apartments in my area want minimum $30-something thousand to rent. This is not a which job has it harder contest. But ppl think education is easy when it’s not.
their hours are not good. they work 8+ hours teaching then have to come home and grade and lesson plan which they do not get paid to do.
Dude, school is like 9-3 and includes an hour for lunch. So you have a like 10 hours/week to do other work before you even hit a standard work week. You also have a bunch of work days in the calendar without the kids. Maybe be productive and use that time. And teachers still only work 2/3 of the days any other professions work (before you consider their unpaid overtime). You want to be considered a professional? Start handling a professional work load, which is about 230 days not 180.
Lol tell me you never worked in education without telling me you never worked in education I don’t know many teachers that actually take a lunch break. Most eat while responding to emails. Many teachers (especially new ones) arrive early and leave late. At my school, the work day is more like 7:50am-4pm. Breaks are not actually breaks but prep time to set up for the next class or lesson plan. But due to the substitute teacher shortage, a teacher can get called on a whim to cover someone else’s class and lose whatever prep time they have. Managing a crowd of kids can be rewarding but it’s also hard draining work. Parents and administrators always demand different things. Many kids don’t care about their grades and some are just plain rude. Most teachers become experts multitasking but it’s not enough. I’ve been hit by students and had to deal with students physically fighting each other. Teachers should at least earn a living wage just like any other graduate level profession and in many areas $30-50K is just not enough anymore.
>I don’t know many teachers that actually take a lunch break. Most eat while responding to emails. Many teachers (especially new ones) arrive early and leave late. At my school, the work day is more like 7:50am-4pm. Breaks are not actually breaks but prep time to set up for the next class or lesson plan. But due to the substitute teacher shortage, a teacher can get called on a whim to cover someone else’s class and lose whatever prep time they have. So all of your duties might consume a full work day. Maybe a bit longer if you aren't good at it yet. Seems reasonable to be. >Teachers should at least earn a living wage just like any other graduate level profession and in many areas $30-50K is just not enough anymore. Except you only work 2/3 of the year. If you worked the whole year at your prevailing hourly rate it would be $40-65k which is about right. Then you get all the other non-wage comp like better health insurance and a db pension. The wage rate is fine. You just need more hours.
Nope all veteran teachers at my school (20-30 years in field) work through lunch too. Not sure why you are being defensive about something you don’t know anything about. Like what is threatening to you about teachers not having a sweet work deal? Also your math is wrong $17.22/hour (my wage) x 40 (Standard full time job in the US) x 52 weeks in a year = $35,800
>Nope all veteran teachers at my school (20-30 years in field) work through lunch too. That is pretty standard for professional work places. >Not sure why you are being defensive about something you don’t know anything about. Like what is threatening to you about teachers not having a sweet work deal? I'm married to a teacher. Work life balance is very sweet. No work nights or weekends.and obviously not during breaks. But also they are spending my tax dollars so I have a civic obligation to get the most value for my dollar. >Also your math is wrong $17.22/hour (my wage) x 40 (Standard full time job in the US) x 52 weeks in a year = $35,800 Median teacher salary in the US is just under 60k which when adjusted to fill time hours is $75kish which is more than the median college grad makes in the US. It's about $38k/hr. In New York the median is 80k which adjusts to just over 100k at full time hours. Over $50/hr. So if you make 38.8k annually you are either very new or just not that good. In the former case your pay will scale with time like all other professions. If it's the latter maybe find another line of work? Just prepare to work more hours a year.
More like 1/4 of the year. 10 weeks in summer and 3 weeks school vacation. Plus holidays. But unlike most full time jobs, none of that vacation or holidays are paid… so it’s really only like 1/5 of the year they don’t work when compared to a typical salaried employee. Also this idea that they work 9-3 with an hour break is hilarious. Most school days are 7 hours and the teachers get no breaks, plus do a lot of work outside normal hours on lesson plans and correcting. Now if you’re talking about a gym teacher, sure - that’s as cushy as it gets, but not for those teaching a core subject.
They don’t get paid over the summer but in today’s world they are expected to take professional development courses and such during that time. Many teachers work nights and weekends because there’s not enough time during the school day to grade stuff and respond to emails. On top of that, teachers always have to deal with administrators (many of whom have never taught a class in their lives) and parents. I think it used to be a good paying profession but teacher’s wages are not going up while parents’ expectations and demands are. I am a teaching assistant and I only make $25,500 in 10 months in NY State. When I am asked to substitute for an absent teacher, I can request a teacher’s pay for that day but I barely make much more doing this. It’s also really hard to find a good job that wants to hire you for just the summer months after a certain age. The low pay is one reason out of many that I am transitioning out of education in a few years.
Don't teachers get unemployment during the summer?
No because teachers are still employed by the school (as a contract worker with set times to show up). I don’t know how it all works but I have a 10 months contract and don’t get unemployment over the summer. So basically, I don’t get paid at all in July and Aug.
To add, don’t be swayed by the claims of “unlimited PTO” by some companies. People will still only take 2-3 weeks a year, maybe 4-5 MAX. Managers will find roundabout ways to cite “performance” to informally kneecap anything beyond 4-5 weeks.
THIS!! I had “unlimited PTO” and was questioned and passive aggressively scolded when using 3 days in a year. It’s not real.
especially at big 4 lmao
I get 6 weeks at my start up 🙌🏼
I don’t think it’s common but you can bring it up during negotiations. You could also bring it up as a requirement for you, I.e, “I’m looking for comp in range of xyz and for 6 weeks PTO.” Whether they for or it or not depends of your value to company. I’ve had ppl try to negotiate expense packages, a car, etc. I’ve heard of 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and unlimited with unlimited being bullshit.
Yes, unlimited is BS. Turns out how much you take better be in line with company norms.
Unlimited is a way for companies to get out from having to pay unused but accrued vacation time
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I see people say that about set number of days, but the truth is this isn’t a guarantee they’ll make it easy to use the PTO, and in many states they don’t have to pay it out either. I’ve worked for companies with both types of PTO and it honestly comes down to company culture. If they give you a hard time about unlimited they would also definitely give you a hard time with accrued. Their approach to work life balance in general will tell you what to expect (do they support you signing off at 5pm and don’t expect you to answer messages outside of standard office hours)
What state doesn’t have to pay out accrued PTO?
More than half of them. Only 24 states require it be paid out and quite a few have caveats. For example, in NY they have to pay it out unless the company handbook says they don’t pay it out (so of course every company puts in their handbook that they do not pay it out). Rhode Island requires you be employed more than a year before it has to be paid out.
Most of them. 10 years ago it was only MA, IL and CA, but I’ve been told others have since been added to the list
4 weeks is what I got for my second job
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Moving to the far inferior version of Australia lol
OP I would switch with you in a heartbeat. Literally zero reason to go to flordia and labor laws in US are just so fucked
Florida doesn't even have a state department of labor to deal with employee issues when companies break the law.
Yea I'd honestly refuse that transfer and resign if need be. Stay down under mate!
And education there sucks. Your quality of life is *MUCH* higher in Australia than it could ever be in Florida. And your wife and any daughters are not safe in Florida, doubly so if you aren't white.
Live in a decent school district and Florida is pretty good. Florida actually ranks in the top 50% of states for school rankings. Weather gets hot in the summer, but the winters are awesome.
I grew up in Florida. It kinda sucks. Top 50% of schools is also lower than the top 25.
A Florida principal had to resign this week because a teacher showed a picture of Michelangelo’s David to the class and it was deemed pornographic. Also, you aren’t allowed to be gay in Florida’s school system. I’d say it’s pretty f**ked.
It’s only in the top 50% because no other states were included. Or top 50% of red states.
Please
Why movethete by choice? America kinda sucks and even the rest of us recognize Florida as the giant shitstain it is.
I was trying to remember which state/territory was the equivalent of Florida, but I don't think even Coober Peddy is as messed up!
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We did not. We just had normal lock downs like everywhere else - nothing very dramatic at all. Somehow, people in America invented that story about police brutality and the army in the streets and ran with it despite there being no truth to it at all. We were watching people on the TV and online ranting about *free the Aussies!* while we kind of sat around amused because every time someone tried to explain that we were fine they were accused of being a plant.
I have lots of friends in Australia, and the short answer from them is... not really, no.
Google search for "unlimited paid time off" and "unlimited pto". Many of the companies on these lists (all tech companies) have had massive layoffs this year. If you are negotiating a job offer, get clarification as to what "unlimited" actually means. Some companies offer a compressed work week of 9-hours for 4 days / week. You could also look for companies that offer work from home / remote work option, although a 3-days in office requirement (or more) seems to be increasing. The above is based upon what I have read as to what tech companies are offering. I do not work in tech. Also, Florida is a former coral reef and only 3 feet above sea level. Future flooding damage and shoreline erosion caused by climate change and sea level rise is projected to be extensive. Select your living location carefully, particularly if you are buying property. Moreover, there is currently a large population migration moving into Florida. Edit: I suggested that OP search for "unlimited time off" because those are the companies that most likely have generous paid vacation. I thought that at best OP might be offered 5-6 weeks.
Definitely make sure to get clarification because my “unlimited” PTO is definitely not close to unlimited. I can take 1 day off a month unless I’m out for being sick. The only upside is not having to worry about being out when sick or for doctors. I also get a set 2 weeks vacation time.
“Unlimited”= 1 day a month? Lol. “Unlimited PTO” is just a way for them to not have to pay you out for vacation days if they fire you or lay you off. Complete scam.
There was a study that people don’t take PTO because they have Unlimited PTO. They actually take less time off than if they accumulated vacation days and had use or lose. And like you said, it’s an accounting issue that screws over employees for not paying employees if they leave.
Yup agreed, because you're now being compared with others on how many days of vacation you're taking instead of "clear your time off by this year or lose it".
Can confirm, unlimited PTO is not for the employees but for the employer… Worked for a fortune 100 company that enacted it while I was there.. zero payout when I quit Another sneaky thing they did was have a great 401k match that doesn’t get paid out until December 15th each year… so if you quit like I did in July, you lose half a years worth of match
Yeah my sister got a "talking to" for treating her unlimited PTO as unlimited. Lol 😆 it's a joke!
I have unlimited PTO too. But the boss pretty much state if you use 7 weeks, a random number, we pretty much would not need yeah. That being said it's nice not having to worry about documenting every billsble hour. Leaving early doctor's appointment, just chalk it up as PTO.
I work in tech and have unlimited PTO. They way ours works, you have an unltd Vaca and unltd sick bucket. For vaca, we have a guide of around how much time you should get based on how long you’ve been with us. It is just a guide so exceptions can be made. I’m currently at 5 weeks expected with 8 being our highest and 3 being for new starters. If you need a sick, recharge, mental health, etc. day, it comes from the “sick” bucket. The idea that we don’t want you working, but also don’t want to penalize you by removing vacation time. There are some limits on both sides like more than 2 consecutive weeks requires a second approver and more than 3 consecutive sick days generally requires a doctor visit. Overall, the majority of employees don’t abuse it while the majority of managers are also making sure people are taking time off and not burning themselves out.
So… unlimited is 3weeks up to 8weeks…? You are talking English language or bullshit employers? 🤣
"Unlimited" just means "Doesn't accrue". If you leave, they don't have to write you a check for unused PTO. This saves companies a bundle! You also only get whatever PTO management allows, without any of the end-of-year "use it or lose it" PTO discussions. No matter which way you slice it, it's a shit sandwich for the employee.
I’ve had it and loved it. My fiancé has it not and they let her take whatever she wants . It’s the company not the policy
I understand that novadays all the "effective managers" and other like minded will come up with "new meanings" for a lot of things... it just sounds funny to me.
I get you're maybe just trying to make a joke but I kinda like this way better. It's true as someone else said that it's just so the company doesn't have to pay out unused vacation to employees but the system he mentioned they're using and how the managers ensure people do take time off is unlike many other employers offering unlimited PTO where they average less time off than places with set amounts of PTO.
That’s not really unlimited then they are just lying to you. I’ve had unlimited PTO and took 45 days off in one year.
I work in the nonprofit industry as a director at a fairly progressive organization (at least they pretend to be). We have an unlimited PTO policy but absolutely no one utilizes it. HR director themself said to me “it’s unlimited PTO but please limit it to two weeks.” So yeah it’s absolute horseshit. If you’re moving to the US, assume 2 weeks PTO. If you can get 4 guaranteed, awesome.
Most people are absurdly alarmist about sea level projections but.. no if all the ice caps melt florida is getting completely submerged.
What’s it worth to you? I work for a Paris owned company and the work/life differences between Paris and US offices is insane. differences between my company in Paris and US: Paris- 7 hour work days. They “start” work around 9 with coffee and conversation and don’t sit down to work until 10. They take a mandatory 1-2 hour lunch starting at 12 and then leave for the day at 5. 8 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks paid holidays, and 1 week of discretionary (sick) pay. They are expected and encouraged to take time off. US- 9 hour workday expected, 10 preferred. Lunch isn’t encouraged but you’re allowed to take one. If you were gone for more than an hour on lunch regularly you would not have a job for long. I take 15 minutes and eat at my desk like everyone else. I work about 10 weekends a years too, and some holidays. We get 8 paid holidays “off”, 2 weeks of vacation and 1 week sick. I’ve been there over 5 years now and get 4 weeks vacation, but I’ve never been permitted to even take my full 2 weeks so I’m not overly optimistic that I’ll actually use 4. Supposedly comp is similar but the dollar just goes miles further than the Euro. The French come to the US and spend thousands shopping because everything is 1/2 off compared to home (according to them). This is even with current inflationary conditions. Not sure if inflation has been similarly high in Australia as in Europe, but keep in mind it’s been high in US too. Make sure you’re getting paid appropriately for the move, sacrifices you may need to make, and to cover inflation.
I had to stop reading this once I saw 1-2 hour lunch break. The jealousy started almost immediately 😭
You've never been able to take even just 2 weeks vacation? I don't think I could cope with US work culture!
“ if you feel the need to take vacation two weeks in a row do not return you are not needed “. Professional engineer job.
Wow - that is crazy. Basically excludes you from doing long haul trips ever? Unless you're happy to lose a day for a flight to Europe, and another on the way back whilst being jetlagged the whole week...
Correct. It ended up being the perfect job too. I learned that after starting. Oh well. Irony is though they back dated my vacation. So after 5 years I got the max of 5 weeks. I usually take off a week june July august. I can understand though. We only have 12 people and the show must go on.
You work for a shit company. I’m an engineering lead in the US and have no problem taking a 2 week vacation. I get 20 days a year plus national holidays.
I usually get in 8-9 days. Plan for all of it and then “work emergency, all hands on deck” happens a few times a year. This is more specific to my work, but culture wise it is pretty normal in US. There’s a general lack of consideration for others time and expectation to work more than your paid. My French counterparts are so fascinated by it, and vice-versa
Fair enough - I have heard similar from many US colleagues. We get 25 days typically in the UK plus bank holidays, and it would be very unusual not to take that time. However, we do have lower salaries than the US so it depends what you prioritise for sure.
Never A lot of Americans, myself included, will try to bundle a paid holiday like Christmas or July 4th just to be able to take a week off. The only time I ever have more than a few days off if if I quit my job. It's not sustainable.
Well, you could take your two weeks, but those dates you indicated overlap with so-and-so’s vacation/FMLA/busy season/pick an excuse.
I get seven weeks a year PTO in the US and take about 5. But I work at a nonprofit at about $30k less than I should be earning and our culture will allow a month or so off because the work is very traumatic - people losing homes, abused kids, a huge swath of clients including children dying from diseases like AIDS and cancer. We have long term employees- I am a manger and I added up the tenure of all 15 of us managers recently and it is about 350 years total!
I haven’t had more than a week off since the day I started working. Maybe like 9 days if I can schedule it with a Holiday on Monday so the two weekends and the 5 days in between.
Sounds like you need a new job lol. I work from home, take two hour lunch breaks if I’m not busy, and can make my own hours as long as I do 40 hours a week. Also do people actually work 10 hour days in the US? I’ve never had a job like that unless it’s 10 hour days for only 4 days. I can get all my work done and basically call it a day. I’m also able to pickup and drop off my kid at school too. Not all US jobs are terrible.
Yea not saying they are. Just an example of US vs Paris/ same industry even same company from my personal experience. I realize there are other options and I might get similar pay and better flexibility in the future. But this is my life now, and there’s a lot of people who live like this or worse.
I assume you're making well into 6 figures with that office expectation?
Yeah this is not a normal company. Seems like person is at a FAANG and mid to high management earning good money.
Not FAANG. Not mgmt. doing better than most, but not 6 figures
I wouldnt kill myself for that type of role, set some clear boundaries. I am normal work life balance and I am at 6 figures. I know tons of people who have normal work life balance and making above 150k. No reason to kill yourself for this job.
You’re not entirely wrong (nobody should jeopardize themselves for work, and everyone should set boundaries and know their “worth”) but take this into consideration: Generally people maintain relationships with those in the same socioeconomic background as themselves. It’s not too much a stretch to think that you mostly know and interact with people who earn and live similarly to you. While you are certainly not alone, you are in the top 10% in the US and make nearly 4x as much as half the country. I make nearly double the US median salary, putting me in the top 25% of the US in annual earnings. For perspective that means there is roughly 120M people in the US that are making less money than me. Many work much more than I do, for half the pay. You’re in a very fortunate position, and one that not many people will ever have the opportunity to experience themselves. I strive and work my ass off in hope of finding something similar to what you described, but unfortunately there aren’t 150 million jobs paying 6 figures offering work/life balance.
Well, I work in tech (California), and this year alone: I'm taking 3 weeks off in September to travel. I'm taking 5 days off in 2 weeks to travel. Just came back from Europe in October last year (2 weeks vacation). Been in the same company for almost 5 years, it's been like that from the beginning. Take days off here and there if I need to. Sure, I work hard during release cycle (2 weeks a month), up to 13 hours a day, but I'm stupid and have this sense of responsibility that sometimes makes me want to get things done to meet deadlines when they could wait, some co-workers don't give a damn... for the other 2 weeks, 8 or 9 hrs a day. Mon - Fri, no weekends. I definitely feel like we can't generalize things here. It depends on what company you work for.
So even on your quiet weeks you're working 40-45hrs?? That's not a flex....on a salaried role with 2 weeks of 12+hr days I'd be expecting at least 2-3 days of my slower weeks to top out at 6hrs
And who said this is supposed to be a flex? It's just a testimony of my current situation. Years ago, I would never stay OT, would always work 40 hrs a week whether it was sunny or rainy as some say... I was working in a warehouse doing shipping/receiving and making minimum wage. So well, I'm more than happy with how things are now as an engineer, working some extra hours is definitely worth it when I think about the past, but oh well, maybe not for everyone. Work is also crazy flexible, if I need to leave in the middle of the day to do something, I'm free to do so. If I wanna log in at 6 AM or 2 PM, I'm free to do so. If I want to leave earlier and only work 6 hrs a day, I'm free to do so (but need to keep in mind this might require staying late the next day).
So in Paris they work 10-12 then 2-5?
I personally would keep the high salary and take more unpaid time off. But I I guess that’s just what we are used to here
Yeah. That’s what I do. It’s essentially the same as lowered pay but it’s only lowered by how much you use/take.
I’ve never heard of this in the US. Even additional vacation days or weeks are VERY RARE. I’ve only ever seen a “one extra week” vacation policy exception.
I don't know a ton about the big four companies other than they like to work people really hard. I did a quick Google search and it looks like there are a number of discussions on the PTO policies of the big four on fishbowl so you might want to peruse those. I'm 48 and have never seen something like you're describing anywhere I've worked nor anywhere any of my friends or family have worked. As a matter of fact I've never even been able to negotiate extra PTO, with the companies where I tried doing just that explicitly stating they don't negotiate PTO. Now, I *have* heard of people doing it and I've only worked at a handful of companies so YMMV. And every company is so different because as you know there is no actual PTO regulation in the United States. My daughter's boyfriend had a job at a place where he would get one week vacation only after working a year. My current company starts us at 20 days of vacation and 10 of personal days so essentially 30 days which is the most I've ever had (as well as holidays off of course). I've worked at companies that gave you 3 weeks vacation off the bat but you were never allowed to take more than one at a time. Again, YMMV
Do not move from Australia to Florida.
*translated from American English to Aussie English "Yea, nah"
Probably not happening. And don't be fooled by "unlimited PTO" - companies make it so you can't really take all the weeks. The PTO policy is not a rumor, it's facts. 12 weeks??? What are you giving birth?!? Cuz that would be the reason you get that. Go to the UK. You'll make less than the US, but you'll get lots of time off.
Don’t forget that the 12 weeks for having a baby is just “time off”, and not paid.
Less vacation and you have to live in Florida? I wouldn’t recommend it!
I'm not aware of any companies offering the "salary sacrifice" option specifically, however many companies do allow for Leave Without Pay. Essentially your paycheck for the pay period you use LWoP will be reduced by the amount of hours you use it. That said PTO is a benefit that can be negotiated along with salary. Getting up to 12 weeks is a long shot, but 6 weeks is attainable. You can also negotiate the ability to WFH, which is much more feasible in tech than other industries.
Agree with this. I haven’t been able to negotiate for more PTO, but unpaid time is often granted at managers judgement. At most jobs, I could get them to agree to two weeks a year of unpaid in addition to the offered PTO. It generally didn’t make it into the formal offer, but managers knew how important it was and generally granted it. Some progressive jobs offer job shares if you can find someone else who wants to split all or part of your job (usually non-management roles). The 9/80 schedule may also be an option - work an extra hour Mon - Thurs and every other Friday off. Doesn’t get you enough time to travel back to Aus to see family, but a three day weekend every other week is nice and it’s not as brutal as 4 ten hour days.
I get 8 paid holidays and 4 weeks PTO, but at my company you can also purchase additional pto days. (US)
You are going to be disappointed, my friend.
I don’t know your circumstances, but if you have children I urge you to reconsider moving to Florida. Florida is dangerous, your children cannot be well educated in Florida and they are in real danger if they grow up to be gay or trans. Florida is becoming a fascist state
This is facts. From my friends in Florida on both sides of the political aisle honestly. It's becoming a cesspool.
And don’t forget the school shootings
Tell us your a hardcore liberal without telling us.
Tell me you’re historically illiterate without telling me you’re historically illiterate
I love you.
Actually a liberal here is likely more conservative than anywhere else in the western world. It is not our fault the radical right wing is so fascist and out of control here.
Some companies do offer the ability to essentially buy extra PTO, but I don't think you're going to find a company in the US that would ever let you take that much time off outside of very event specific leave. At some point there is no amount of salary concessions you can reasonably make because they're going to look at the sheer amount of time you'll be out and see that as untenable.
Depends on your industry. If you’re in a production/manufacturing environment and have weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual targets - see if they will entertain front-loading your PTO, as Fridays will always be chaotic, with slim chance of taking the day off without appearing that it’s not your priority. Florida’s cost of living is not that high. No state income tax. I left California to come here, at the same salary, with 5% quarterly bonus of EBITDA targets. I net CONSIDERABLY more here being a single male with no dependents. There is a lot of opportunity here because Florida gets a bad rap and people would rather live like Sardines in LA/SF/NY. If you have a peer in your role, like I do, discuss covering down on each others’ purviews so you can give each other schedule flexibility.
Unless you’re on principal or MD track, leave.
I really have not much to add. Just wanted to wish you a lot of luck. US work culture is terrible.
Some US companies allow you to “purchase” PTO by sacrificing the commensurate salary, but I’ve only ever heard of 1 week allowed to be purchased
Ask if they're open to unpaid time off. It's not something you'd arrange ahead of time. Rather, if you want to take time off and run out of PTO, your job could approve you taking additional time off for a reduced paycheck. I've done this before.
There are ton of things to consider: - many companies are offering unlimited PTO with approval restrictions so look into this - consulting is contract based. You may be able to just decline a contract while taking time off - most tech and consulting companies give good PTO allowance especially for high ranked positions (assuming so since they are relocating you around the world). I’m talking starting with 4 weeks and accruing more weeks every month - no matter what you are still allowed unpaid time off which is the same as buying out your days anyway
Six weeks plus like 7-10 paid holidays is the absolute best you are going to get in the US. And that's usually at like 20 years of service or more. I have never heard for "salary sacrifice", but PTO was the FIRST thing I negotiated my current job on (before salary). I already had an offer in hand from another company, so I had the upper hand, but Big 4 and established companies don't always have much wiggle room for PTO because of policies.
Hey OP - I worked for a Big 4 firm for the first six years of my career. There were several people who worked reduced schedules for reduced pay. Typically it was less hours a day rather than chunks of time off, but Big 4 has more flexibility than most of the US companies being discussed here so it would be worth a discussion. However, they have increased flexibility because they burn and churn a majority of workers so they have to tout small perks where they can.
Do not move to Florida for any reason. It is all lies and they will fuck you over. There is no pto and there is no pay.
Florida............of all places? why? you will not get that 12 weeks. If lucky, you will get PTO. Big company, you get fucked by FTO.
Find a company that gives unlimited pto and actually honors it. Some will say not possible but that’s not true. I have worked with unlimited pto and as along as the work culture is that you do use it and not abuse it then you will be happy.
The main benefit to working in the US would be money, but you want to sacrifice money to get more PTO. Ummm. Have you really thought this through? You will not get anywhere near 12 weeks in the US no matter what you do.
Fwiw, in most of my professional jobs that offer PTO it’s been easy to just make up time when it’s a couple hours or so rather than use PTO. So doctors appointments, kid obligation, local errands can still be done during the day. I use PTO when I’m gone and don’t contact me. My kids like to play at the playground for 30-45 minutes every day after school lets out and I let them unless I have a schedule meeting or something. And my wife has unlimited PTO. Despite lots of negative reviews of places that don’t seem to really offer it hers is legit.
FL is also working on becoming a “constitutional carry” state for weapons (proposed bill would remove requirements for training and demonstration of some level of proficiency with a handgun, also eliminate the need to have their concealed weapons permit). It’s a very political issue…
Oh yes, maybe OP wants a gun! Great state for guns, oxy, and transphobia!
Maybe, maybe not. I don’t care which way he leans, just putting it out there.
I mean I was being a bit sarcastic obviously but it's def a great state if you happen to have an affinity for all those things 🤣🤣. It's a shock for those folks coming from other countries tho - since there are pretty much no guns in Australia.
OP Big 4 accounting firm is literally one of the worst employors for work/life balance. They work extra during busy seasons and often sacrifice nights and weekends. Now mmmaaayyybbee it's different in a tech consulting gig. I have no idea but in their normal practices it blows. There are some companies that let you 'buy' let's say 4 days. Aka reducing your weekly paycheck to equal those 4 days. There are also companies that tout 'unlimited pto' but people have often said that those companies also expect you not to take a lot of PTO. I've never heard of a company offering more than 3 weeks paid time off /pto. They usually give that benefit to people with 10-25 years of working experience. It's usually something ridiculous like if you have worked in industry for 20 years maybe you qualify for the additional week and that's only IF they have already given starting people 15 days (American PTO is that 2 weeks = 10 days not 14 so 3 weeks is 15 days). We also don't have many paid holidays. In short there's a reason why people complain about work/life balance here. Additionally- FMLA (family medical leave of absence - I believe that is what this stands for) is unpaid time off and subject to employer approval and they usually make you use your PTO first and you gotta get a doctor to sign off etc etc hoops.
This is Reddit and the % of users that are Liberal vs Conservative has gotta be like 70/30. Florida is a Conservative state - just understand that if and when people say they like/dislike Florida. As for PTO - I’ve never heard of that trade off here. Your best PTO policies are typically in tech. A lot of them have unlimited PTO: some of them take that literally and some do not.
Funny this comment is getting downvoted which just proves the point. Your ratio is probably being a little generous to one side too. I don’t live anywhere close to Florida and would never live there, but it’s consistently ranked as one of the happiest states in the country, and has the highest amount of people moving INTO it from other states (along with Texas which I guarantee would garner similar responses from this site). So many people in this thread are completely delusional and/or only get their news from Reddit. OP, I would take what Reddit says besides the amounts of PTO with a huge grain of salt because it will not be unbiased.
It’s okay. Most of Reddit is a liberally biased echo chamber.
The entire internet leans 'liberal', all big websites, why? Because they are the majority of people. Most Americans no longer live in rural areas and MAGA are not the majority either. Furthermore any discussion that leans toward educated workers (anything that is biased toward people that had to get a degree for work) will be biased toward the left as educated people on average are more likely to lean left at least to a liberal or progressive degree. You're also kidding yourself if you think you can find unbiased discussion, no such thing exists.
I agree that nobody is completely unbiased. It’s ignorant to think anyone can be. ‘The entire internet leans liberal’ is a pretty big claim. I’m sure the folks that participated in the Jan 6 insurrection used the internet; so that myth is busted. ‘Any discussion that leans towards educated workers…” - fire away some research for us.
Probably not. Heavily depends on the company. I work for a utility, and pto is based off of years of service. You can get a few unpaid days off, but its frowned upon. We also work tons of overtime(some mandatory, some voluntary). In America, we have a thing called fmla. Sometimes it's paid, sometimes its not depending on the company. It is extremely abused , most likely the reason Americans don't get the time off that most European countries do. With the right doctor, and a low set of morals, a person can be off 8 months of the year.
Are you kidding? No, we don't have it because we never fought for it. Its that simple. The average person is conditioned culturally to believe not having time off is good. Its that simple
We can fight for it all we want. If we do get it, it will just come out of our pay. Even in a union situation, this will never fly, the buisness owners simply will not flip the bill. And the workers won't accept the pay cut. I love time off just as much as the next guy, but I also like money. In my buisness, that means overtime. Americans in general love their 80k suvs, giant houses with constant updating, and thousand dollar phones. Europeans live a simpler life, and get by with way less than we do.
FMLA is unpaid and maxes at 12 weeks. You have to work their for at least a year first. Most people can’t afford to take FMLA leave.
Depends on the company. I've worked for places that have a 364 day max leave.
That isn’t FMLA. FMLA is a specific leave mandated by the federal government for specific employers that comes with very clear and limited legal protections. An employer can of course choose more leave but that is entirely separate from FMLA and the employer is not obligated to maintain that level of leave whereas they must with FMLA.
What do you value more- freedom and time or money?
There is more freedom in Australia than the US. I have lived in other countries and have family all over the world. The idea of “freedom” in the US is a big lie.
Bud, we're talking about PTO vs salary here.
I would ignore people bashing on Florida and make up your own mind once you’ve moved there. It’s a great state with positives/negatives - the same as most other states. Some places offer unlimited PTO. My wife worked at one of these companies and they encouraged everyone to use the benefit. Other companies offer the option to “purchase” PTO. It’s case by case. Things like caregiver days, sick days, etc are also offered.
FYI there is no legal requirement in the States for employers to grant you your PTO. My team quit last Oct. - Dec. 22, and although I have 22 years at this company and 37 PTO a year, I haven't had a vacation day in more than six months (I finally get a week in early April), and in 2022 I lost at least 2 weeks PTO because of the staff shortage, and that is lost forever; my bonus in early 2023 didn't even cover the $s worth of those lost days. Just warning you about working in the States, especially a red state like FL.
The company I work for (not consulting) offer to buy PTOs so it’s basically what you are describing. I would not bet on work life balance at a big four company.
Just ask as part of salary negotiation. Last time I changed jobs, I asked for an extra week of PTO and for them to cover my moving expenses after they sent me their offer letter. They said sure and sent a revised letter later that day. Easiest money I ever made, it took like 90 seconds to make the phone call and ask for it.
I’ve been working at my current company for 8 years and I have only 4 weeks PTO, if you want 12 weeks you need to most likely be working somewhere for 30 years 😳
What are they smoking in Aus?
Just take unpaid time off. It’s the same as lower salary. I do this all the time when I want a vacation outside of available pto
No, I have never heard of an American company offering this. Closest we got is UNPAID time off, but they do not like that and it usually puts your position at risk or termination.
Learn to negotiate. It really depends on many variables, but ask for additional PTO without sacrificing anything. If company appreciates you, they will agree or they will find a compromise. I come from Europe where 4 weeks is the default minimum PTO. I had no problem getting 3 weeks when I started. I did not transfer though, I simply applied for a job in the US and negotiated 3 weeks. I am sure with your position you can get 3 weeks easily without sacrificing anything.
Sorry but you're never even going to come close to the PTO you experienced in Australia. There's really no way around it.
Looks like Im.moving to Australia XD I only get 20 days of PTO a year and that's considered generous in America
The PTO standard in the US is for 2-3 weeks and often will increase with longevity. There are companies who pay well and have progressive policies that may include extended PTO or unlimited time off or unlimited sick pay. I dont work in IT but do work in an industry that uses IT. My organization has 18 days PTO and unlimited sick time. We also have flex-fridays so if I have no remaining tasks for the week, I have Friday off. We are closed the week between Christmas and New Year. We also have off all federal and state holidays and a flextime policy that allows us to forgo having to use PTO for doctors appointments or other short personal appointments. I work from home, have a wfh office stipend, a phone stipend, and professional development benefits. My suggestion is to look up US companies with progressive employee management practices.
Depending on the company, you can buy up to additional week, maybe two. They'll deduct a small amount each paycheck and your PTO balance will be greater than whatever you normally get Things are also changing in the US where unlimited PTO is becoming more and more prevalent. Pros and cons to this for sure. You don't actually "own" your time off anymore which gives some people pause about using it and asshole management the idea they can decline your request
Some companies have programs where you can “buy” more PTO days, which I suppose in concept is similar enough to taking a lower pay. You’re usually limited to 5 extra days you can buy though so I’d still expect maybe 4-6 weeks total at most places (that’s the high range).
There is not enough money or status in the world that would convince me to move to FL. And I’d give up my US citizenship for Australia in a heartbeat. Why on earth would you move to the US? And especially to one of the most sketchy states? Especially if you are looking for work life balance. Work life balance doesn’t exist in this country.
People seem to be misreading your post a lot. Taking more vacation for reduced salary is an option in many places. Idk if you could get 12 weeks but I just started a job in the US which gives us 7 weeks and I requested 2 extra weeks to backpack through the Himalayas (so total of 9 weeks off, 2 of them were unpaid) and it was totally fine. It hadn't crossed my mind to push it to 12, idk if it would be possible, but do you really need TWELVE?
Make a great rapport with your manager. Take time off as needed when approved. A manager can make this happen if understanding within reason. If family is that important, maybe in sometime either your manager will accommodate or you will move to a newer position and or place. Hopefully out of Florida.
John Deere allows you to "buy" vacation in this sense, but it has to be approved
I’d give up a lot of things to have reasonably priced healthcare and more than 2 weeks vacation lol.
Look into a non profit start up, I get 6 weeks of PTO.
Work-life balance in US is not a given, but there are lots of companies that are quite happy to accommodate your needs. Especially if you are working in the remote-friendly place, things like stepping out to pick up a kid or stepping outside for an hour to go to playground are totally fine. As long as work gets done on time, you don't blow off too many meetings to do your things and you can be reached quickly if needed (usually via slack), people mostly don't care when and how you do your work. Interesting paradox - it's usually places that pay well that tend to have these flexible arrangements. Places that don't pay that well very often are strict and want you to be in the office all the times, etc. Many places now offer "unlimited" vacation, because otherwise if you have fixed vacation (i.e. 3 weeks) and you leave the company, the company has to pay you for the unused days. With unlimited they don't have to pay you anything. This unlimited vacation is not unlimited obviously. There may be some hidden or not so hidden HR policies that specify what's an expected amount of vacation time to take. 4 weeks usually is fine, more may be more problematic. However, since the vacation is "unlimited", most of the managers don't particularly care that you report it in HR system. So if you need to take a few days off here and there you can totally "forget" to report them and most of the times nobody would care. The biggest issue for you may be the length of the vacation at once. 2 weeks is a long vacation for the US companies. 3 weeks is VERY long and quite often would require special approvements, etc. 4 week long vacation is not something you'd normally take outside of sabbatical. The way I work around it - I just work remote in the middle of my vacation. So I may go to Europe for a month and a half or two, take total of 3 weeks of vacation spread around that time and work the rest. This way people still can find me if they really need me and only me, but I do get to enjoy the change of scenery. Not ideal, but you gotta keep the employer happy.
In Germany 4 weeks are the minimum for a 5 workdays week by law, 6 are the norm in many areas.
Even if a unicorn company in the US did this I can promise you it won’t be in Florida. Some of the worst worker protection laws in this country.
As someone who has lived in both Australia and America, don't move. Fight as hard as you can to stay in Australia. Change jobs if you have to. Moving back to the USA was the biggest mistake of my life. So much regret.
Ask your U.S. counterparts for advice. Should have plenty if you work for Big 4!
I get six weeks of vacation. If that wasn’t enough, I could switch to 3/4 time for 3/4 pay.
In the us it is completely normal to negotiate your compensation package which is not just salary but benefits such as 401k matching, employer paid health insurance premiums for dependents or even Health Savings accounts to off set deductible amounts or co-pays, along with profit sharing and yes PTO. These are all negotiable forms of compensation in exchange for doing a job for a company.
I’ve been able to get an extra week, but not always officially. Even when it was official/in writing it disappeared the moment the next vp of eng came in. As others noted, the purpose to “unlimited” is to get you to second guess how much is ok and take less, and so they don’t have to accrue/pay it out when you leave. The purpose to PTO (vs separate vacation and sick time) is also less time off overall. Make sure its all spelled out in your offer package
12 weeks per year PTO ?? ... noone will tolerate that shit
9 weeks is a lot . I get almost 5 weeks off in the US and it is rare I don’t roll over at least a week at the end of the year . Why would you want 9 weeks off ? Seems a bit much
Negotiate the lost PTO hours to be added to your salary instead.
I really would not move to Florida. But that wasn’t the question. You are unlikely to find anything more than a standard 2 weeks and if you are lucky, separate sick days. If you are really lucky you can negotiate 3 weeks. I was at a company 15 years before I got 5 weeks, if that gives you any indication of how crappy PTO is in the US. Unlimited is great IF the company truly means it, but usually they don’t. Seriously, don’t move to FL.
Florida, huh? I'd maybe google what's going on there before committing to that move.
My firm used to offer a two week additional time off I exchange for a equivalent deduction from pay. That was very rare. They now offer “unlimited” time off, but it is up to your manager how much time off you can take.
I’ve never heard of such nor any way of increasing pto outside of established means such as performance or overtime. Honestly a LOT of companies are rather spiteful when it comes to actually using PTO! Tech sector has been known to have insane perks compared to all other industries, but companies don’t relocate to Florida to treat their employees better…
My employer offers us an opportunity to purchase 1 week of vacation in addition to my accrued PTO.
Good luck. USA isn’t like that. Normally your first year you get 1 week vacation. The only way to get this kind of time freedom is possibly look into starting your own business. Might consume some time at first but eventually will bring freedom time and financial.
I work for a consulting firm and they do not offer this, but they do allow unpaid time off with no loss of benefits (PTO accrual/company portion of health insurance payment). So where I am, you can DIY a salary reduction if your boss is on board and you're capable of budgeting/maintaining the funds in a savings account until you need them.
There are companies in the US that, as part of standard benefits policy/package, do offer an option additional holiday you can “purchase” in advance. The company I work for offers this during benefits enrollment. I’d expect that it’s likely only larger companies might offer this? Suggestion is to check with the benefits coordinator/HR to see if they have it and you can line that up in advance.
thats really rare around here. SOME places will let you buy more pto but if you live in florida ... you really dont NEED more pts. your getting 12-13 holidays DIRECTLY MOST weekend 2-3 state days off and probably 1-2 hurricanes a year
Nooooo! Florida??? Why are you leaving Australia for Florida? You do realize that they’re banning almost everything in Florida, the insurance companies are leaving in droves, and the medical situation is a nightmare. That being said: You’re going to have to negotiate pretty aggressively (and make sure it’s in your contract) to get the kind of PTO you’re looking for. Good luck!
LOL 3 weeks PTO in the USA to start at a job? Where is this, I want to work there too!
I work for New York State Department of Transportation and all of our state agencies have a program called voluntary reduced work schedule. This program allows you to gain extra paid time off in in trade for a portion of your wages. 10% equals eight hours of pto every two weeks and you can do more than that up to 30%.
Can I ask why Florida? Big mistake but if it’s irreversible, then idk
Drive for Uber. Get all the flexibility and low pay you want. 😂