views on taking a work sabbatical?

Has anyone got any particular advice for someone thinking about taking a sabbatical (2-3 months) i.e. giving up work for a while for travel, R&R, study etc. ?

I often consider this option myself but pragmatism seems to step in at the last moment.

I am thinking now may be a time to consider this course of action again.

I'm in the IT area for 10+ years and have few commitments and a good few years salary sitting there waiting for me to use productively. I've eschewed the joys of house buying so I've no mortgage worries. I've up to date dev skills in a steady area that should help me when I get back, and I've got a continuous work record with top companies since the early to mid-90s.

I find my life has become increasingly work-centred recently, due to others leaving and having to assume their workload. I'm beginning not to enjoy the daily grind as much. No chance of holidays any time soon either despite the fact I have loads to take.

Last time I looked, some months ago, I was offered two interviews in the one week so I should be able to get back into the workforce relatively easily in the autumn.

It's just the benefits in the company I work for are excellent. I lived through the late 80s and early 90s jobs market so the step of giving up a good steady job is scary.

However, I would like some time to do something just for the life experiences.

Slogging through a job at the moment just to peer at a bank statement at the end of the month doesn't have too much appeal. I think this
is becoming obvious to those around me also, particularly management, so while I am very much needed I still feel I won't go much further in the current
job and feel the vultures will be circling when I am less needed.

Any opinions welcome.

Do it while you can, while you have the money, the energy, your health & your desire.

Most people never do...at least you can look back in years to come & say you've done it.

I never did & now have many committments (not regretable)...but nevertheless ones that prevent me from doing what you are thinking.

Just make suure you map out a clear plan in advance of what you want to do & when you intent returning to 'normality'

Go For It & best of luck.

ninsaga

Agree with Ninsaga. Seize the day.

I say go for it.

I changed jobs a few months ago and the new job is just not working out. It got to the stage where I just dreaded the thoughts of coming in each morning. After discussing it with my hubby I decided to hand my notice in. Its been a long month but I am leaving next week and it can't come soon enough.

I have been talking to a couple of agencies and looking at the job websites and there are plenty of jobs out there for me. The last time I was looking I had a heap of interviews within a week.

I have been working solidly for over 10 years now so I'm going to take a couple of months off and stop and smell the roses..

... no-one on their death bed ever regretted not spending enough time in the office

It is worth considering what happens any occupational pension shceme membership when you go on sabatical.

Can you continue to make contibutions? Will contributions be matched by your employer?

aj

I was made redundant in 2004 and decided to use the redundacny money to travel the world. We did the complete circle in 5 months without working. Definately worth it. If you have the desire in you and it's something you would like to do at some stage then go ahead. One bit of advice, take as long as possible - although I was glad to return when I did it only took a few weeks for it to seem like a distant memory.

It's a very liberating feeling not having any responsibility other than where you are going to go next. It definately makes you realise what life is for. Even if travelling isn't your bag there must be something that everyone would like to do more of if they didn't work, unless their job is that particular thing, and it seems as though financially you are in that position. I couldn't have done the travelling without the redundancy as I didn't want to do it enough to get into big debts. I also wanted to do it in a way that I wouldn't be struggling while I was away so I was very fortunate.

I'm also in IT and I got a job when we returned with very little difficulty, actually having the motivation to get back into the rat race was harder than securing the actual job.

If you don't do it now when will you?

It might be worth going to your employer & asking for a careerbreak (& I would defo go more for 4/5 months). The worst they can do it say no! & If they say yes then no problems..........able to have you time away but yet know that you are coming back to a job.

As you say you have no committments so why not go & do the whole working in Oz thing.......or go and do some volunteer work in Africa.........there are plenty of options - especially if money is not a problem.

Life if too short to spend it doing nothing but work.......(I should listen to my own advice!)

I'd say, go for it!

It's unusual to be in the position to have money, time, inclination and opportunity. In a few years time you could be settled with a mortgage, kids, etc, and not be in a position to take a sabbatical.

A few years ago I took a few months off work and travelled around Sth America. Best thing I ever did, not just the travelling, but also to open your mind to the fact that there is more to life than the daily grind of going to the office, to appreciate the different landscapes and how fortune we are. I find I got to know myself much better, being away from all the trappings of normal life. Excellent experience.

Since you work in IT, there shouldnt be a problem to get work when you come back. Or would it be possible to ask for leave of absence from work?

You should do it. Though you should really consider going for a lot longer than 2 or 3 months. Why not 12 or 13 months if you've got the money ? A way to travel long-term without getting bored/sick of it is to visit different cultures, eg. 4 months Australia /NZ, 3 months Asia, 3 months Sth. America etc. If you're 35 or under, you can also apply to get a 1 year work visa for Canada, via usit.ie. So you could add another 12 months on to your travels.
Well, have you got your bags packed yet ?

Try having a chat with your current employer - they may well consider offering you the opportunity of unpaid leave, rather than lose you completely.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply to this. I'm overwhelmed by the positive responses.

I suppose I haven't always taken the view that time off was better than money in the bank particularly as I don't own my own house and have been saving for years to buy (er 10 years to be precise - opportunities missed aplenty). I'm the reverse of all the folk on Eddie's RTE2 programmes on debt, tiny ancient car, limited outgoings etc..

I suppose that I am suddenly beginning to realise that life is moving on and I better start to enjoy it while I have no commitments or have a life at all ... old enough to have had the "never know the day nor the hour" drilled in to me at national school!!

On a few points, my company seems to have a policy of not re-hiring people taking career breaks and I would leave a hefty pension (mid-teens %) and other bonuses behind. So there is a financial cost, but I've the nest egg put away for that house in D4 - or D44 at this stage, so some of that can go on a life enhancing venture!

I need to make up my mind what I want to do though, as I've been vacillating between staying in the office, partly because I'd be leaving good friends, and leaving to do who knows what. This has been going on for months. It's strange as more choice leads to more stress... a nice position to be in though.

One idea was to travel Latin America, learning Spanish - then travelling to Oz and NZ. I've been a bit scared off solo travel in South America though, excepting Chile and Argentina due to crime. Will I enjoy solo travel? Is it safe e.t.c? It's all the standard concerns...

I need to work it all out myself then decide, but thanks everyone for your support again.

Think I will need to take the first step and leave, then decide where to go.
I know this goes against advice but a first month reading travel books in the garden and watching the World Cup wouldn't be too bad.

Regards, G.

Gearoid,

Solo-travel is the only way to travel. I know it can be a bit daunting etc. but once you get over that you are so free and flexible and who knows who you will hook up with along the way - all in a non-commital way. It's my experience that no matter how tight you are with a person before you go travelling it somehow always comes asunder at some point during the journey. Whereas you head solo, it's often tought initially you meet so many more people and are in control of the ones you like and don't like.

Also, places like Argentina which have 1st world services at 3rd world prices can provide a long term low cost base from which to explore latin america.

re the safety issue, this was something I was very concerned about before going and as a result we didn't do Cambodia or Vietnam. This wasn't due to them being exceptionally unsafe but the direction we travelled meant that these places would have been quite early on our itinerary and we weren't prepared to jump in at the deep end. However, if I had the time again I would definately have added them in and jumped in at the deep end. Safe travelling is all about common sense, if you have it then you will get on fine. It only takes navigating one area safely, that you thought you would feel unsafe in originally, to make you realise this.

As for South America so long as you do your research, have common sense and keep your wits about you then it is perfectly safe.

Sorry can't comment on the solo travel as I went with the missus but I'd agree with Charmar - based on my friends experiences who did travel solo.

the Tuesday Travel on the Right Hook on Newstalk 106 had a piece on travelling alone which I think they podcast, or you can contact the show and get the details emailed to you. It was all basic common sense though, try activity based trips, stay in hostels to meet people, make the effort to talk to people etc.
I did the year in Australia/ travelling with friends and spent 3 weeks on my own in Laos/ thailand at the end... I'd have to admit that they were propably the best 3 weeks of the trip, it was great to do what I was really interested in (cooking courses and treking) at my own pace and as a single women travelling on my own I didn't feel in danger at any point.
If your worried about meeting people there are usually 'standard' backpacker routes where your bound to meet people that you can travel along with, ex the loop from changmai, into laos, 2 days on the slow boat down the mekong and on down back to thailand, or traveling up the east coast of Australia. I'm sure in South America there are similar routes if your interested.
Go for it and enjoy the trip!

Gnash

The very fact that you're thinking about it,means you have got to go!.I can honestly say it will be the best time of your life-you will enjoy it.Forget the bonuses,pensions etc,money doesn't make people happy,freedom does & you're obviously not free at the moment.Don't wake up in 20yrs time & have regrets!
I went travelling 2 yrs ago for 9 months-best time of my life,by a stretch-fulfilled a couple of dreams,eg learning to dive on Great barrier reef et.
Beware of when you come back,you will have a diferent outlok on life & you might consider going off again as it can be hard to seetle back into rain,gridlock,expensive prices!!

Hi Gearoid,

instead of taking a career break, could you apply for unpaid leave of absence. In this case, the company would not re-hire you after your break - in effect you were always working for the company, just unpaid some of the time. This would mean you wont loose any pension entitlements (there are other issues here - like do you pay into your pension while you're not there).
Some companies look very favourably on unpaid leave - for example in my company (large american IT), they think that if we take unpaid leave, that we get the travel bug "out of our system" and will settle back for the longterm in the company.

Highly recommend Sth America. I started off doing an organised trip with Journey Latin America and then branched off on my own. I found it a good way to ease into the travelling. The freedom of travelling on your own is great, and there are known tourist trails which everyone follows, and you'll meet the same people in different towns along the way.
For studying spanish, some places are popular - like Quito in Ecuador and Cuzco en Peru. Cuzco is choc-a-bloc with backpackers - you'd never feel lonely for home/english there.
I'd love to be in your position - if you have the urge to go, you really should, and not look back and regret not doing it. The only problem is that it can be hard settling back, because your appetite for travel and new experiences is whetted.
Best of luck.

re South america on your own -Would recommend that you sign up on a language course for minimum two weeks
I was met @ the airport by people who spoke english and brought to a lovely family home where I stayed for a week -should have done @ least one more but was a bit pressed for time.
It settled me in though and gave me a bit of confidence to head off on my own
Stay in hostels if possible as meeting people is easiest, Bolivia was my favourite country even though its the one I was most scared of before i went from what people told me .

In regards to staying or going what is going to change in the next 6 months that is going to make you feel more satisfied -if nothing then the only reason you arent leaving is fear
-You will have to give up things and it wont be 100% joy all the time but you dont have too much to lose.

I am thinking of doing something similar to the OP and have thought about the year in Canada option. I would like to spend a few months in the USA but is there any way of getting a job there legally (obviously it will depend on the area) but anyone have any ideas?

Hi Gearoid.

Sounds Great.
if you are sick of the job, then why stick with it?
the best way to get better pay/conditions can be to leave it for another one. there are plenty of IT jobs out there. perhaps go contracting!

I have taken 6 month breaks several times. IMHO they are brilliant, you couldnt do anything better for personal development. Travelling on your own may seem daunting but once you are doing it you will laugh at your insecurity. I think the organised overland tours are brililant. you get to see everything and travel with generally v nice people. It is both a easy way to travel and great way to make friends. I did a trip from cape town to Zimbabwe which took 20 days and was the most incredible thing ever, i would reccomend it to a 15 year old or 60 year old. I have done a few overland trips and they have all been superb.

I would recommend making sure your money is well invested when you head off. and take a budget and try to adhere to it. 3 months is way too short, you will working the rest of your life.

If ever i have to make a decision like yours i pretend i am 50 and looking back at my life. should i have a.) stayed in the job for 30 years and had a grand oul safe time or b.) stayed in the job for 10 years went travelling for a year, saw amazing places met tons of people and became a lion tamer ( chicks dig lion tamers)

Only thing i would say is keep a close eye on the IT market. I got screwed in 2002 looking for work, but am happily back contracting, looking forward to the end of this year when i am heading back for more of Africa.

hope this helps.
Cheers

I definitely think you should just do it. You are so lucky to have the lack of commitments, the money etc. Its something you should do at some point in your life and you should just do it now...otherwise you will always find some reason why you should put it off for the time being and then never do it. You will probably love it and worst case scenario if you don’t, just come back. At least then you won’t regret not trying it.
In regards to traveling alone-I traveled with Friends and prior to that I thought I wouldn’t travel alone, but so many people both male and female do it. So many people traveling are welcoming to meeting people and you keep bumping into the same people so while you will have your space and you will be able to ensure you do all you plan to you will still have company for going for meals. Also trips, day tours etc will guarantee that by the end of the day you will have met people. So you get the best of both worlds. I have a friend who also wouldn’t have traveled alone but one of her friends had to return home leaving her with no choice and she had the best time ever.
There were some places my friend wasn’t too keen on traveling to alone but in the course of her trip she met others and sometimes arranged to travel to certain places of for a few days together.