Sabbatical

noun. [ suh–bat-i-kuhl ]

; a break or change from a normal routine

I believe in building space into your career to explore & travel the world, by taking ‘mini-retirements’

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  • The real-life benefits of an extended break
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  • All the steps to go on your planning checklist
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Why a Sabbatical?

You’re stressed and heading for burnout. None of the self-help books are working. You’ve tried everything from meditation to medication but nothing’s working. It doesn’t matter how much you sleep, your body feels tired and your brain fried.

You want to see the world, but your annual leave allowance just isn’t enough. You want to take a longer break, but don’t know how and are worried about how your boss will take it.

Well the good news is you’re not alone. Thousands of people take sabbaticals every year, and do so without hurting their careers, their relationships or their bank balance.

The Sabbatical Guide helps you through that journey, giving you practical tips, real-life stories and linking you in with a community just like you.

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With detailed planning guides & checklists

Get Inspired

With sabbatical ideas and case studies

Get Support

With ways to balance time off with a career

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Work out how much a sabbatical will cost

I’m Ben

I gave my 20s to work, but something had to give. I’ve made some big changes, and in the last 5 years I’ve taken 3 sabbaticals and moved to a new country.

I’m not part of the ‘I quit my job to travel the world’ brigade, far from it. I love having the security of a career, but I don’t want to look back when I’m 80 have missed the rest of life.

I created this site because I found planning a sabbatical hard, as there simply wasn’t a single place to find all the tools I needed.

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Makes considering a sabbatical less daunting

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Being someone who works in a very demanding corporate 9-5 job without a sense of hope in the possibilities of taking a sabbatical, after going through The Sabbatical Guide, I started to feel a sense of hope in that this is something that actually is very much a possible thing I can do that can potentially change my life for the better. 
Sara Byram
– Healthcare Claims Supervisor

This website has been an inspiration!

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I can think of no better website to inspire planning or equip you with the information to set you on your way, than The Sabbatical Guide.
Ben Zabulis
– Travel Writer

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FAQs:

Here are some of the most commonly asked sabbatical questions.

A sabbatical is an extended break from work, used to recharge and reset. They have been used for centuries, largely in the academic field as a way to break from day-to-day routine, gain new perspective and work on projects outside your field. Recently they have become more popular as an antidote to the culture of workism that has developed across the globe, with people taking them to do anything from writing a book to backpacking. They say a healthy work ethic needs a healthy rest ethic. A sabbatical is the ultimate way to reset.

Sabbaticals are generally considered to be longer than four weeks, but after that they can be almost any length. In our research we’ve found that 16% of people take over a year, but over half the people surveyed took less than six months. The length is often constrained by other forces such as workplace policy or cost.

Generally, no, a sabbatical is not paid, however some companies offer than as a paid benefit and some parts of the world, such as Australia, have long service leave built into employment law.

Wow, that’s a tough one, with the answer of course being, it depends. Generally you can calculate the cost by adding any expenses that will recur whilst you are away (such as mortgage payments), to one-off costs (such as flights) and your daily cost of living while you are on sabbatical.

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