Work week
Your work week will depend on the type of job that you do and whether it involves specific shift patterns or special working hours. In general, the average work week in Scotland is between 37 and 40 hours per week, with time allotted for lunch breaks.
We understand that every family is different, and will have different needs. As a result, many employers in Scotland allow for flexible working patterns. However, this is completely at the discretion of each employer and should be discussed with them.
Vacation time
All work and no play makes….well, you know the rest! In Scotland, all your hard work is rewarded with a generous amount of paid holiday time, because we know you deserve it. The holidays, known as ‘annual leave’ are calculated based on the number of days you work.
If you work full-time (five days a week) you’re normally entitled to at least 28 days of annual leave every year. It’s also worth pointing out that many companies do offer more than this at their own discretion.
If you work part-time, don’t worry, you still get holidays too! You can calculate the number of days you’re entitled to by multiplying the number of days you work each week by 5.6. So, if you work three days a week, you’re entitled to 16.8 days.
National holidays
Most workplaces in Scotland close for public and bank holidays. While employers don’t have to pay you for these holidays, most do as an added bonus.
There are currently nine public and bank holidays in Scotland each year. While most are in line with the rest of the UK, we do have one or two special ones all to ourselves:
- New Year's Day (January)
- 2nd January (recover from New Year's celebrations!)
- Good Friday (April)
- Early May Bank Holiday (May)
- Spring Bank Holiday (May/June)
- Summer Bank Holiday (August)
- St Andrew's Day (November)
- Christmas Day (December)
- Boxing Day (December)
Down time & leisure
Whatever your working pattern is in Scotland, you'll still be entitled to plenty of leisure time - luckily, Scotland has a whole host of amazing things to keep those evenings and weekends fully occupied. During the summer months, Scotland also benefits from an average of 17 hours of daylight, meaning that even after a long day at work, there is still plenty of time to take a short trip to the beach or countryside and squeeze in a beautiful early evening stroll.
No matter what you like to do with your free time, there are a massive amount of options open to you in Scotland. From immersing yourself in the stunning sights that saw us become 'The Most Beautiful Country in the World', to soaking up the very best in sport, live music, performance and culture.
Over the years, Scotland has played host to a number of major international events in recent years and has developed a reputation for providing world-class hospitality. As well as hosting what quickly became known as "the best ever" Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, we've recently hosted major sporting events such as football’s Champions League Final, rugby’s World Cup and European Cup, golf’s British Open and athletics' European Championships. In 2021, this trend continues as we welcome Europe's football elite for a series of games as part of the UEFA European Championships. .
On top of this, Scotland regularly plays host to some of the biggest bands in the world and is a common stop on most major world tours.
Find out more about what to do in your free time at VisitScotland.com