How to organise your job, your house, car, pets and other bits and pieces when you take a career break.
Your job
- Leave (a third of career breakers do this)
- Paid sabbatical
- Unpaid sabbatical (around half of career breakers choose this option)
- Holiday time
What about your employer?
- Career break is so accepted now it’s unlikely to damage your career.
- Many big companies now have sabbaticals as part of their employment package – they help to attract and retain staff.
- Usually you have to have worked there for 2 years’ minimum and your sabbatical will probably be unpaid
Put the business case to your employer – show them what they’ll get out of your career break. For example, you can gain new skills you can’t get in the job (which they don't have to pay for), such as:
- Language
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Tackling challenges
- Adaptability
- Negotiation
- Interpersonal
Remember, recruitment is expensive. It is probably cheaper to let you take your sabbatical than to find someone new, hire them, train them and build up relationships with clients, colleagues and suppliers again.If you leave your job, think about how you’re going to get a new one before you leave for your break:
- Stay on good terms with employers
- Must spend your break constructively
- Think about what your industry is doing and what they’re looking for
- Try to come back when your industry is hiring
- Start looking for a new job before you come back – email your CV to a few people reminding them you will soon be available again
- Your career break will stand out on your CV so ensure you promote it – include what you’ve learned and developed.
Organising - general
- Can be overwhelming.
- Write down all you need and sort it out month by month, then week by week. (The Career Break Site has timelines and lists to help)
- Depending on what you’re doing, takes 3 months to a year to plan
- You have to do things in a certain order, eg finalise your ticket before getting your jabs.
Money - saving
Biggest concern of career breakers:
- Not having enough money to do it
- Not earning money while on break
- Trouble finding a new job
- 11-15K for a year's career break (Mintel says average cost is £7,500)
- To save – have separate bank account – make it hard to access
- Remind yourself why you’re doing it
How much you can save:
confused.com says average savings are:
- £150 on car insurance
- £130 on home insurance
- Total: £280
- moneysupermarket.com says average saving on fuel is £180 (uswitch.com says 20% of their users save £325 on gas & electricity)
- uswitch.com says 20% of people saved £140 on their home telephone
- Turn off anything you normally leave on standby and save £371 a year (figure from uswitch)
- Put a jumper on! Turning the heating down saves 10% on fuel over a year, saving £100 on an average of £1,000 (average figure from Energywatch)
- Doing it online takes 5 minutes
- Total: £791
- Starbucks grande latte on every work day - £580
- Sandwich every work day - £700
- Can of drink every work day - £130
- Friday lunchtime pint - £140
- Chocolate bar a couple of times a week - £47
- Magazine (£32), gym membership (£380), takeaway once a week (£520)
- Bus instead of taxi twice a week (£624), eat out once a month instead of once a week (£1,200)
- Total: £4,353
Grand total: £5,424
Money - before you go
- The more organisation you do now, the less worry you'll have while away eg, you can pay into your credit card account in advance, let your bank know where you’re going
- Reclaim anything and everything you’re entitled to – income tax rebate, council tax, security bond (if you rent) – and make sure it goes into your account! This worksheet will help (opens in a new window).
- Get comprehensive insurance – absolutely vital – make sure it covers whatever you're planning to do
- Can also grant someone power of attorney if necessary (or give them authorisation over your bank account). £100 solicitor, £10 DIY
- Direct debit can take care of lots of things but remember to keep enough money in your account!
Money - while you're away
- Budget
- Focus on low-risk and stay cautious: Lloyds TSB say use telephone banking rather than online.
- Take a mix of money (cash, travellers’ cheques, cards).
Car
- Sell
- Lend (insure your friend, leave documents, discuss in advance what will happen in case of theft or damage)
- Store (not recommended)
- Professional storage: decent car storage from £15 a week, basic maintenance (eg driving) extra £4. Many additional extras, eg washing, MOT etc.
Check optional and compulsory extras, eg insurance, collection, road tax arrangements etc.
Tell your insurance company.
Declare SORN
House
Rent – check agreement
Sell
- Leave enough time – may take longer
- Depending on where you live – leave 6 months to a year to complete the sale
- Best to stay in the country until contracts exchanged
- If you’re having trouble selling, you can rent or leave it empty
- If you must sell, you can cut the price
Rent out
- Professional letting agency is easier, although you can do it yourself (get a standard lease agreement from stationers)
- Make sure the agent will check references and collect debts etc – you will pay more for better service
- Possibly admin fee for finding someone (around £75) plus around 10% - 20% of rent
- Need to get gas certificate (£50)
- Need to get it checked for certain health & safety requirements (eg banister, smoke alarm)
- Switch to an interest-only mortgage and call your insurance company - if your letting it unfurnished, you may want to ditch your contents insurance. If so, check what is covered under your buildings insurance and insist the tenant has contents insurance. You might find it easier and safer just to keep your own contents insurance.
Leave it empty
- Need neighbour to check on it and have heating on in winter
- Tell insurance company
- It’s much better to do this in summer than in winter
Get professional house-sitter (v. expensive but good if you have pets/Ming vases)
Get friend to house-sit or rent (although easier, you have to still have a contract, and discuss what will happen if things go wrong – eg if they break your heirlooms and/or cat)
Put things in storage
- Important - is there compulsory insurance and if so, how much is it? Many let you store at your own risk and might not mention it.
- Is there heating?
- Is it damp?
- See if you can go and look first.
The best thing to do for when you move out is have a family member or trusted friend to tie up the loose ends (eg pay your final electricity bill, take care of any post etc). Most people use their parents. If you don’t have anyone to do this, you need to move out and stay with someone before you leave, to ensure there are no unexpected surprises. You can get some things redirected to Poste Restante if you know where you’re going to be.
Staying in touch
- Global sim (eg www.gosim.com)
- Blog – good if you have a digital camera
- Email account
- Phonecard to use anywhere (www.card4anywhere.com)
- Poste Restante
- Addresses (print on labels if you like)
Pets
- Lend to a friend without pets who would like one temporarily
- More difficult with an older pet or something like a snake
- Most animals will adapt OK – especially if you feed them well
- See if you can get your pet fostered – ask your vet
- Possible to sell pet if it’s valuable and you don’t like it much
- Give it away if you aren’t that attached to it
- Don’t give it to a shelter – they have too many already
- Wait
Organising - bits
- Memorise your passport number and write down all vital bits of info (eg insurance number and claim line phone number) on two bits of paper. One goes in your luggage and the other in your wallet. Don’t include identifying info.
- Credit card insurance – one number to cancel everything plus emergency cash loan. Ask your bank, it costs around £20 a year.
- Poste Restante (also useful for your birthday) but not all companies will post abroad.
- Mail redirection – costs about twice as much for international.
- Remember to leave enough time to say goodbye to people, and to get all their addresses! Takes longer than you think. Have a party.
Coming back
If you plan properly before you go away, coming back will be a lot easier, and you won’t spend hours in your parents’ garage with your head in a box shouting ‘but I can’t find my grater’
Practical issues
- Sort out any outstanding financial issues (eg your income tax refund which you can do after you return)
- After a couple of days’ rest, start job-hunting if you need to, as it’ll ease the financial strain
- Revise your CV to include your positive achievements. Use your new skills and make the most of your new-found confidence.
- Look for a new home as soon as you can, so you can get settled
It can feel strange coming back, especially if you have no place to go right away.
Try to return in time for something special, like Christmas, if you can.
Finally
Find out about a place before you go.
Remember
Planning can be overwhelming – can even start to put you off the whole experience. But no-one ever regrets their career break – people only ever regret not doing it.
