can an employer stop you from going to an interview?

Question

i currently work for a school and i am currently looking for a new job. i applied for a job last thursday and told the school on that thursday that i thought that i would get an interview for this wednesday. On friday it was confirmed that i had an interview so i told the school and i didnt hear anything from them so i confirmed the interview. today the school are saying that i cant have the time off because some of my collegaes are going to be away can the school do this?

Answer 1

Yes they can. You shouldn't have told them that you were going for an interview for another job because that shows you are being disloyal. They won't give you any benefits if you're disloyal.

Next time ring in sick, take the day as a holiday or pretend it was a doctor's appointment.

Answer 2

Do we work for the same school?

The SMT where I work are just like that as well...

They can pretty much do as they want and they know it...

It could be argued that on the basis of the information that you had at the time, you gave them enough notice as could be reasonably expected regarding your selection for interview.

It is pretty despicable of the school management to suddenly declare that you cannot have the time off because other colleagues will be absent. Why could they not tell you that last Thursday when you first approached them? Obviously these colleagues would have known in advance that they were going to be absent on the Wednesday and it would have given you a chance to reschedule.

Contact your union rep. for clarification.

Unfortunately there is little you can do about it unless you don't mind attending a disciplinary meeting if you go absent on Wednesday.

As has been suggested, contact the other employers and explain the situation. Just tell them that you approached the senior management team and they did not indicate to you at any point that your absence on that day would be a problem before you confirmed the interview date. That the problem was not made known to you until after the weekend. Ask them nicely if they would consider rescheduling.

Don't mention that you could not get the school to confirm if it was okay first as that might look bad on you for not having the foresight to do that.

I have similarly politically challenged employers who happen to ruin a school. (that should have read 'run' - ha ha)

I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get another interview date - shh, keep it quiet and go sick that day.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

They should have let you know, so you could make other arrangements. Now they know your looking for another job, there kind of giving you the rough treatment. If you really want this other job then go to the interview and explain to the School that they should have given you notice, but probably because it was th weekend and not a business Day that's why they left it until today to tell you. But let them know you have already set up the interview because they didn't let you know and see if maybe they will call the employer your interview was with and see if it can be changed.

Answer 4

If they owe you time off they will have a hard time enforcing the NO. If they do not owe you any time off you should have scheduled the interview when you would be available.

If you just take the time off anyway (sick) and they think that you will be leaving anyway (you are taking an interview for another job) they may tell you not to come back or place you on some sort of suspension.

Answer 5

Why not , you should have been more concrete with your plans and told them you needed the time off when you talked last Thursday , that way you if the interview fell through you would have been able to say so and report to work. Your only alternative now is to call in sick...

Answer 6

Well first of all you are not too bright telling them you have an interview in the first place. You could call in sick, take a personal day, or a vacation day but you might have to change the date of your interview. If you tell the perspective employer the reason he might think your at least conscientious.
Next time don't say why you want your day off, just say its an appointment and leave it at that.

Answer 7

Yes they can. They would reasonably argue that you didn't give them much notice. See if you can get your interview shifted by one week and then ask for the time off. Alternatively, try to get an interview outside your school working hours.

Edit - I forgot to add, good luck with it - sounds like you need a break

Answer 8

well they have to allocate certain time off so that the job can still be covered...your BIG mistake was telling them you are going for an interview. whilst they cant stop you going for an interview elsewhere...they can make it difficult for you under another guise.

all you can do now is a sickie..and if you do that - it will put pressure on the remaining workmates! why not try to re-schedule the interview...and tell nobody.

Answer 9

yes they can, theyre not being snide or horrid they are just making sure there are enough teachers to cover for that particular day. just speak to the people who are giving the interview and explain the situation and arrange another interview, you dont have to tell the school you are attending an interview just take a half or whole day holiday for that particular day. they cant stop you going for another job

Answer 10

Well, they obviously cannot force you to stay at work....they cannot tie you in your chair and hold you hostage instead of letting you go to your interview.

But, they can bring action against you for taking the time off. By "bringing action against you" I mean that they can use whatever the policy states is appropriate for missing work due to an unexcused absence. It could be docking your pay for the time off, and counting against you in absences.

There is an old saying about "burning your bridges". You may need a good reference from this employer someday and taking this time off without their consent may cause you to lose that possibility.