Who can take a sabbatical?

Some companies offer their employees a sabbatical for 2-3 months as a reward after reaching a specific tenure and level.

For those in between jobs, ‘gardening leave’, or simply ‘time out’ sabbaticals offer a chance to recharge and explore. This kind of break typically lasts from a few weeks to 3 months until the new job starts.

Entrepreneurs who’ve sold their companies often use sabbaticals as a luxurious break (up to a year) to unwind and explore before their next venture. Senior leaders in high-pressure jobs sometimes take sabbaticals as a way to revitalise themselves before diving back in for another 5 years of work.

Families increasingly choose to embark on an adventure, over the summer vacations or for up to a year. They combine travel with education, utilising online learning programs or hiring travel tutors. The statutory provision of a week unpaid off work per year per child <18 years old, which few people know about, can be accumulated across years to help with time off work. Once the children leave, empty nesters can find themselves with time and additional disposable income on their hands, which they invest in their own experiences during a sabbatical away from work. Recent pensioners, for whom travel was less common in their younger years, make the most of their health and fitness to take their own 'silver gap year'. See our Knowledge Hub for sabbatical tips and inspiration.