Sabbatical models:
How to apply for a sabbatical year with your employer

Escape from your daily routine and take time for personal development. Or just explore the world. The reasons for a sabbatical or sabbatical year are diverse. More and more companies are now getting to grips with the desire for a career break. They already offer applicants the opportunity to take a career break in job advertisements and in doing so portray themselves as an attractive corporate brand. There are various models that you can take advantage of as an employee, teacher or public official.

The fact is that the demand for a sabbatical year is currently relatively high – partly due to the pandemic (source: Sabbatjahr.org). Sabbaticals benefit not only employees but also employers.

A sabbatical year can be beneficial to recharge your batteries and advance the company with new vigour and fresh ideas. However, at the same time, there are challenges as sabbaticals can be difficult to negotiate and finance.

Meaning of sabbatical: What is a sabbatical year?

A sabbatical is usually a leave of absence from work, which is often used for travel, research (e.g. voyage of learning) or personal development.

But where does the term come from and what does it mean? The word "sabbatical" has its origins in the Hebrew word "Shabbat" (Sabbath). The model was developed by US universities for professors who were relieved of their duties during their teaching hiatus and were able to focus entirely on their research.

A sabbatical year or sabbatical in our current working world is a longer break from working life, usually amounting to several months (known as sabbatical leave). The employee receives a specific salary each month during this defined time period, which they have earned through hours worked before or after the break. The employee therefore banks working hours and a monetary amount to a long-term account over a certain period of time in order to finance the sabbatical. Companies and organisations currently implement the following five sabbatical models in Germany.

These sabbatical models and financing options are available

Sabbaticals have achieved recognition in many companies and organisations in Germany – and that means there are also various financing options available.

1

Using a sabbatical as special holiday

Be liberated from work for a whole year? No, it does not have to be twelve calendar months. For some employees, a few days of special leave in addition to the contractually defined annual leave suffice for a sabbatical. For example, you can add up to four weeks of special leave to your 30-day annual holiday entitlement. This ultimately amounts to two months – and these days can be taken easily and compensated without any holiday cover in many companies.

Longer sabbaticals, however, can get tricky because, in this case, the employment contract is considered to be interrupted and you as an employee are no longer covered by the social security scheme.

If you stay within a period of two months, you will continue to be covered by the social security scheme. During the period of the special leave, your monthly salary will usually not be paid. However, social security contributions will continue to be paid.

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Choose the right sabbatical model for you and convince your manager

Don't be afraid to take a sabbatical just because you fear not being covered by the social security scheme. This is not the case in most instances.

We recommend that you consider the various sabbatical models and your legal rights at an early stage and determine the appropriate variant for you in order to plan your career break.

If you are applying for a sabbatical year, you should be well informed when you enter into negotiations with your manager. At first, it may not seem worthwhile for a company to lose competent employees or even managers for a relatively long period of time. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, even for employers. Make it clear to your company that you will be invigorated and motivated when you return from your sabbatical.

Most likely, the following arguments will also apply to you:

The sabbatical year allows you personally to train in specific fields that will benefit your team.
The company benefits from the experiences that you gain abroad and the linguistic and intercultural skills that you acquire.
You pre-empt potential overloading in the workplace and protect yourself in the long-term against common diseases, such as burn-out.
Your reintegration into daily work does not require additional effort as you will not lose your know-how.
Your company becomes attractive by offering potential sabbaticals and stands out from the majority of rival companies in times where there is a shortage of skilled workers.

Have you got a touch of wanderlust and are looking to take a career break? Want to meet an employer who is open to sabbaticals? Send us your application documents and we will find the right company with you.