I hate my job, can I take unpaid leave and try temp work to get experience? Then go back to first job?

[AMAZINWOMAN]

I really can't stand my job, combination of being nearly burned out and colleagues who are nasty. I want a new career but tyring to get a job without experience is catch 22, so is it possible for me to take unpaid leave for say 3 months, get a temp job, and then after 3 months go back to the job I hate?

I am doing voluntary work to get experience, but it is so slow.There is no guarantee I would get a temp job, but as it is Sunday evening and I have awful work blues I am considering what i can do. I have kids so I can't just give my notice in although I'd love to.

Depends what you mean by 'is it possible'. If you mean 'will my employer give me unpaid leave', then only they can answer that. Some employers have policies of allowing sabbaticals, usually after long service, 5 or 10 years or something. Have you checked to see if they have a policy like that?

At my old company, they allowed sabbatical leaves after 5 years service but you weren't permitted to earn from any other employment during the leave, so if your company offered something similar you could focus solely on unpaid work to boost your experience but it would be a very skint few months!