Plan your sabbatical to suit your needs
Shaping your planned time off to suit your personal wishes is important. A sabbatical is too precious to use it for anything other than wholly for your own good. So take enough time beforehand to answer the following questions:
- Why do I want to take time off?
- How do I want to use the time off; what for?
- Do I want to spend my time off alone or in company?
- Am I planning to change my life afterwards, or to continue as before?
Once you are clear about these issues, you are ready to take the next steps towards implementation. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a legal entitlement to a sabbatical. It is up to your employer. If you are, however, able to agree a sabbatical with your employer, realising your dream of some time off is of course that much easier. And the chances are good: The idea behind sabbaticals is already common knowledge and accepted in many firms. In light of the shortage of specialists, a lot of companies are willing to accept flexible models to remain attractive as employers. Even if nobody before you has gone on sabbatical in your company – it's definitely worth a try. Make sure you are well prepared for the discussion with your employer.