HOW TO TAKE A SABBATICAL

Question yourself

How will you spend your time off? Are you a self-starter? You need to know, says Konrad, if you can, say, structure and fill your days (it may not sound onerous, but it can be a chore). “You might be surprised when you find yourself wishing for a deadline to get you focused,” she adds.

Pick the right time personally and financially...

Kathryn was nearly 43 when her six-month leave started a couple of years ago. “We had worked diligently to pay down debt and our mortgage,” she says, adding that she and her husband coordinated their time off together. “It took two years, and it was something of a reward for making earlier financial sacrifices.”

…and be ready professionally

Timing a sabbatical involves strategy. “Early in your career is time to build knowledge, abilities, your social network and self-management skills,” says Konrad. “But in mid-career, when you’re feeling stale or demotivated, a leave could be the right choice.” A sabbatical is designed to help rekindle the flame that drew you to your career in the first place, so you should be ready to deepen your skill set and find new perspectives that you can take back to the office.

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After speaking with her manager and her human resources rep, Kathryn says she opted for a self-funded leave, where 20 percent of her salary would be set aside and administered by a trustee for two years. “I was then able to get monthly payments from this fund while I was off,” she says, which definitely helped when Kathryn’s regular paycheques weren’t deposited every two weeks.

Don’t disconnect entirely

You’ve spent years in the game, so don’t drop off the face of the Earth for a year. No one wants to be forgotten, and if you completely disengage from your work life, it’ll be tough to transition back to full time. Kathryn says she made the effort to lunch with her team and meet up with other colleagues while on sabbatical. (Bonus: You’ll be in the loop when you’re back.)

Make the most of it

The experts say this isn’t the time to sit on a beach for half a year sipping mojitos. But if you’re passionate about travel and have an interest in learning about other cultures, like Kathryn does, a couple of months exploring new places (Argentina, Chile, Croatia and Hungary were on her list) will feed your soul. And even though upholstery has nothing to do with her day job, Kathryn re-covered two chairs on her career hiatus. Not bad for six months off.