Tips: Sabbaticals and Gap Year

I travelled among unknown men
In lands beyond the sea;
Nor England! did I know till then
What love I bore to thee.
William Wordsworth

Sabbaticals

Sabbaticals are extended absences arranged with your employer. Your employer guarantees that you?ll have a job after returning from sabbaticals and you agree to come back to work. Typically American employers, outside of academic circles, are reluctant to arrange for a sabbatical, however, a surprising number of large employers have instituted policies to facilitate sabbaticals.

Several employers see sabbaticals as a good employee benefit (usually they don?t pay you during the stay, however). If you think you?d like to have a sabbatical, here are a few things that you should take into account before broaching the idea to your employer: 

• Make some arrangement for someone to take over your work while you?re gone. Offer to train someone else to do your job (if you can suggest a specific person). Your absence can be a great way for other employees to expand their job-related knowledge and skills. 
  
• Make it easy for your employer to contact you while you?re away. Check in with your employer often throughout the trip.
   
• If possible, emphasize skills or relationship that you may be able to build while you?re away. Some sabbatical takers have found creative ways to help their company while they?re gone. I?ve heard of employees who help their employers develop vital contacts during their sabbatical. 
  
• Ensure your boss that the sabbatical is not a response to your unhappiness at work. They need to feel comfortable that you?ll stick to your commitment to return at the end of your sabbatical. 
  
• Emphasize the benefits you?ll get from the sabbatical. If you?ve been working really hard, you may want to mention that the sabbatical will help you be more rested and mentally alert when you return

Gap Year

The British recognize the power of travel better than Americans. It is common ? and even often encouraged ? for young people just out of college to take a ?gap year? to travel between college and working full time. Many British employers believe that a gap year gives their workers a better ability to deal with other cultures and helps build more resourceful employees. A gap year indicates the year just after graduating from college.

In Europe and Australia, many young people spend this year traveling around the world While the US is slow to adopt the gap year concept, it is gaining popularity. Until ten years ago, gap years were considered as a bad career move. Now, more employers are beginning to see the year as a benefit like the Brits. In addition, young people often find that the year helps them gain contacts that help them find a job when they return (job hunting involves networking. You meet many more people on the road than at home. Best of all, you?re more relaxed with others on the road. A lot of people report that they can really connect to potential employers and explore options while away.)

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Notes:

• Do you agree or disagree with any of these tips? Do you know any great tips that should be added? If so, send your comments to me (Paul Heller, founder of the Big Blue Marble) and I'll post them on my blog.
• Check out the my extensive library of book reviews and links about long term living, working, retiring, volunteering, and studying abroad.