How can I financially prepare for a career break or sabbatical?

To prepare financially, build a personal 'runway' by saving enough to cover your expenses during the break. Consider reducing living expenses, volunteering for redundancy, or taking on a different job to ease financial stress.

What should my timeline be for a career break?

Have a clear timeline for your sabbatical, but be prepared to extend it. Job searching can take longer than expected, so plan for this in your career break.

How can I maintain professional connections during a career break?

Before your break, inform your network about your plans and when you'll return. This helps maintain connections and facilitates a smoother return to work.

How should I plan to enjoy my sabbatical or career break?

Plan activities for your break, but be flexible and kind to yourself if you don't accomplish everything. Focus on enjoying your time off and celebrating any achievements.

What are the best strategies for making a successful comeback after a career break?

Ease into a routine, build daily habits, make yourself valuable to your professional community, and consider investing in career coaching to support your job search and transition back into the workforce.

The Ultimate Guide to Career Break

Renata Bernarde
Apr 25, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Mar 22, 2024

Episode 131 - How to Plan for a Sabbatical, Enjoy It, and Make a Successful Comeback

I’ve been thinking of doing an episode about sabbatical for a long time. I tried inviting guests, but no one felt comfortable coming out publicly to talk about their experience. This made me even more interested in the whole concept of what these professionals were calling a sabbatical, what it actually was, and why it's still a taboo to take time off from a long career to do whatever else one wants to do or just recover from being laid off and burned out.

Then, last month LinkedIn changed its profile settings recently to allow professionals to identify a career break during their work experience. And in the past couple of weeks, a few prominent Australians quit their jobs. They informed that they were resigning and planning to go on a career break: The Premier of Tasmania, the CEO of the Australian Football League, and former guest of The Job Hunting Podcast and the CEO of Koko Black, Nicolas Georges.

Their message was clear: The past couple of years have taken a toll. In his announcement, Peter Gutwein, former Premier of Tasmania, said that there was "nothing left in the tank."

Undoubtedly, more professionals are feeling burned out and dreaming about taking a break. So, how can we plan and enjoy a proper sabbatical and still make a triumphant return to work?

How to plan for a sabbatical or career break:

Have a Runway: For a well-planned break, you will need to build yourself "a runway". In business, the runway is the amount of time a company has before it runs out of cash. So to make your sabbatical as smooth as possible, you need to plan how many months you’re going to be out of work and start saving to be able to afford it. Here are some ideas of how you can achieve your personal runway:

Volunteer and accept a redundancy: It's part and parcel with being in the corporate sector. Sooner or later you may find yourself in a restructure, and this may provide a chance to embrace the career break path.
Reduce your living expenses: Listen to the episode to learn more about the Reset Your Career content where we discuss this in detail.
Plan a career break from your actual profession, but continue to earn by doing a completely different job. In this podcast episode, I provide a few examples. This may help ease the financial stress that a career break imposes, and may be enough to pay the bills.

Have a timeline - then extend it: When you think you’re done with your sabbatical, that's when you start looking for work again. This job search period can be longer than you expected, and you need to be ready and calm about it. Make sure you plan for it too.

Warm up your connections before you leave for your break. Let them know what your plans are, and when you will be back. This will make your return to work easier.
Consider including in your plans working with a career coach to make your return easier. You will enjoy your time off if you know you have a trusted advisor to support you when it's time to return to the workforce.

How to enjoy your sabbatical or career break:

Make plans for what you want to do during your break, and then be kind to yourself if you don't do everything you planned: Chances are you won't do everything you planned. We are often optimistic about our plans and ability to get things done. It's ok to have a bucket list, but if you don't do everything that's ok too! And remember to celebrate your achievements!

How to make a successful comeback:

If you took a sabbatical and you’re returning to the same employer:

Check their rules before your leave, and
Abide by the rules: While on sabbatical, you are still an employee. This means that NDAs and confidentiality agreements are still in place, as well as working restrictions.

Ease into a routine & build daily habits:

Remember that job hunting is work: This means it needs to be done consistently and you need to do it well.
Make yourself valuable to your professional community: Be careful not to jump back at your network asking for help. Instead, ask if they need help from you.
Invest in career coaching: If you have been away and you’re not an experienced job hunter, please consider hiring a career coach to support you. It will save you weeks if not months of job searching. Click here to learn more about my career services.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Click here to learn more about my career services on my website
Sign up for my weekly newsletter for job hunters and career enthusiasts
Learn more about my group coaching and online course, Job Hunting Made Simple
Free resource - Optimized Job Search Schedule: Free Workbook and Masterclass to start a successful job search routine.
Want to work with me? Check my services here
Ready for private coaching? Book a time with me here

Transcript of this episode

About the Host

Hello, I’m Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach professionals (corporate, non-profit, and public) the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.

If you are an ambitious professional who is keen to develop a robust career plan, if you are looking to find your next job or promotion, or if you want to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market so that when you are ready, and an opportunity arises, you can hit the ground running, then this podcast is for you.

In addition to The Job Hunting Podcast, on my website, I have developed a range of courses and services for professionals in career or job transition. And, of course, I also coach private clients.