Switching between federal agencies - possible to take a long annual vacation at one agency before starting new one?

[Anonymous]

I'd like to take a vacation in between federal agencies. I don't want to cash out annual leave and be subjected to a break in service. But It also sounds like government agencies don't let you give notice, and then request annual leave for 6 weeks before starting the new job. Is there any way someone has had success with navigating being able to use leave before starting a new fed job?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand what the issue is. You put in for time off before you starting new job. What's the problem? I don't think you can cash out if you are moving one fed to another fed.

[Anonymous]

From what I've read it sounds like government agencies don't want you to give notice and then take a long leave. I think they'd be fine with 2 weeks but my goal would be 6 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I've read it sounds like government agencies don't want you to give notice and then take a long leave. I think they'd be fine with 2 weeks but my goal would be 6 weeks.

I can't imagine why they would care. Just make sure your communication is clear and turnover is done correctly.

[Anonymous]

You can’t. It’s a break in service if it’s over a certain number of days. You can ask your new employer to allow you to take leave right away.

[Anonymous]

I switched between agencies and the new agency didn't want me to take a break because it would give me non-continuous service, but they were nice enough to allow me to work once day (basically orientation) and then take a few weeks of unpaid leave. So just ask the new agency if there's a way for them to make it work. (I couldn't take vacation because they were on different leave systems, so I had to cash out all my old vacation days. YMMV.)

[Anonymous]

Be careful about the possible discontinuity in service. That would be a mess.

[Anonymous]

Yeah it can cause problems if there is more than 3 days between jobs. You don’t want to end up on the new pension payscale or whatever just for a long vacation. Maybe see about LWOP at one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I've read it sounds like government agencies don't want you to give notice and then take a long leave. I think they'd be fine with 2 weeks but my goal would be 6 weeks.

I have not heard of this. Can you tell your supervisor that you'll be leaving soon but that you aren't giving notice until 2 weeks before because you want to take the vacation first? My supervisor would be fine with that so long as I wrapped up my projects before the vacation.

[Anonymous]

I can't really give notice like that and then take leave because we are swamped with work.

[Anonymous]

Is it typical for feds to have 6 weeks of accumulated paid leave? How much do you get per year and is there a limit re how much you can carry over from year to year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it typical for feds to have 6 weeks of accumulated paid leave? How much do you get per year and is there a limit re how much you can carry over from year to year?

You can carry 240 hours from year to year, anything above that you lose at the end of the leave year. So yes, you can have 6 weeks accumulated. But a new fed would take time to get there, first 3 years you get 13 days per year, years 3-15 you get 20 days, and then 15 on you get 26. It was harder in the older days too if you were young and wanted to take time off when you had a baby as there was no paid leave outside of what you’d managed to accumulate.

[Anonymous]

You just need to negotiate your departure and start dates to accommodate the leave on one end or the other. Of course it is not necessarily that simple if either agency wants to be a d&ck about it. But it can be. What you should absolutely not do, as PPs have said, is leave one agency and join the other six weeks later. You need to be in an employment status at one or the other, using your paid leave or recording as unpaid leave if they will let you do that. (Many agencies will not let you use unpaid leave if you have paid leave available to be used.)

There is really no way to know if you can do this until you ask.

[Anonymous]

You could take leave at current job if they let you, then come back and switch. Sure it's a bad look but it is what it is. Otherwise you don't get a 6 week vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't really give notice like that and then take leave because we are swamped with work.

I mean, you're leaving so you will not be doing the work regardless. You can give them a heads up and go on vacation, maybe be available for questions or to come back for a few days ... or you can give them 2 weeks notice and goodbye.

It really just depends on whether the hiring agency will push back your start date.