[blibble]

the statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks paid holiday/year

and it's for every employee, including those not working for tech giants (e.g. people stacking shelves in supermarkets)

if you normally work 5 days/week that's 5.6*5 == 28 days paid holiday/year

(and this is the minimum, so most jobs give you more)

[seanmcdirmid]

How much does a tech company in Cambridge or London usually give?

I had around 4 weeks at Microsoft (3 weeks + 5 seniority days).

[blibble]

I've had tech jobs in Cambridge and London, and they've all been 25 + 8 public/bank holidays

so 33 total (6.6 weeks)

[seanmcdirmid]

If we are including bank holidays, then I got around 4 weeks + 10 days off in the states.

[blibble]

they're not included, but employment contracts tend to be written as X days off + all bank/public holidays (as employers generally close their offices on bank/public holidays)

the guarantee of 5.6 weeks paid holiday doesn't guarantee when they are taken, as long as you receive at least 5.6

I've always received 6.6 weeks, some of which my employers request I take on bank/public holidays.

the other big difference is in the UK I've never even heard of anyone even feeling remotely pressured into not taking their full entitlement (in fear of being labelled a slacker)

[seanmcdirmid]

If vacation carries and you can cash out the days on leaving the company, the company has no incentive to label you a slacker.