Taking days off from an internship Forum

[studebaker07]

I am planning on taking a quick vacation at the beginning of August before the fall semester starts and I would like to take 3 days off from work. I work in-house for a mid-size corporation. I have been working there since January of this year and only took time off around final exams and reading week.

I am also going to have to take 2 days off in like the second week of August for law review orientation.

What does everyone think about asking for time off for non-school related reasons? Will it reflect badly on me if I ask my boss for 3 days off for a vacation?

[Bronte]

Not a problem at all IMO. I'm taking time off from my 1L job, I know others that are taking time off from their 1L jobs, and have heard of no employers blinking. It's not a big deal for 1Ls.

[studebaker07]

Thank you. For purposes of full disclosure, I am going to be a 3L. Would that make a difference?

[Bronte]

Thank you. For purposes of full disclosure, I am going to be a 3L. Would that make a difference?

Only you can really know what the culture is like at your organization. If you feel like it's going to step on toes, probably don't do it. If you've been doing good work and your boss is relatively cool, go for it. Also, you can always mitigate the risk by making clear that it's by no means a mandate, and you'd genuinely like to know if it's going to be okay. But I'm a rising 2L, and my knowledge is limited to 1L internships.

[goodolgil]

Yeah, to me no pay = no problem taking time off.

[studebaker07]

Well the internship is paid too so I would be foregoing a pretty good amount of money everyday (nothing breathtaking, but still $). My boss is kind of hard to approach sometimes (he is a patent attorney) but he has generally been impressed with my work.

Overall the company culture is pretty laid back. The other interns I know have taken maybe a day off but they were in a different department and had a different boss. The only other intern that I work with has been taking summer classes so he hasn't been there every day, all day.

I think I will just go ahead and talk to my boss about it. When I took time off during finals, I took two weeks off so maybe 3 days one week and 2 days the next won't seem like a long time.

[NotMyRealName09]

I took a week off during my SA to get married, and it was not a problem at all - the firm even let me makeup the week at the end of the summer so I had the full 12 week experience.

If its not paid, just tell them well in advance, and they can't say shit.

EDIT: So its paid, but my advise remains the same. Just give them prior notice. A paid intern is unlikely to be critcal cog in the machine.