Job that allows 1-2 months leave?

[AshGreen]

Hi all, I wonder if anyone could share some ideas on a job that might allow 1-2 months sabbatical leave annually?

My parents are based oversea and in their early 70s, I would like to spend time with them while I still can. I have noticed myself not wanting to commit to a job ( currently job hunting) for this reason but I do need a job. I have applied for DWP work coach job purely because of the working flexibility it offers although not sure if 1-2 months leave is possible.

I know someone who was a social worker (retired now),married to a college lecturer. She just used to resign every summer so that they could go travelling. She seemed to find work very easily when she got back.

I am a civil servant and have non contracted weeks (4 weeks per year)
It used to be term time but then as the kids got older I dropped unpaid weeks
Now I take my 4 weeks unpaid outside of the school holidays so it doesn't impact on peak leave times.
As a new entrant though you might find it tricky, particularly as a work coach as they are so under resourced in many areas of the country
Do you have kids?
Parental leave might be another option (can't remember the ins and outs.... )

So if you do apply for some non-contracted weeks, as for June or September rather than july august

I can't see many employers being happy with this on a regular basis. I'm in the public sector, and we would allow possibly a month - maybe 6 weeks - but only with special permission and only once. We need special permission to take more than three weeks, and in some areas of the work, they only allow a maximum of 2 weeks without special permission.

In my company it has become quite normal for people to spend a few weeks working from their parents/ in laws home when its a long haul journey in addition to taking leave. So often it is 2 weeks leave and 2 weeks working remotely, which doesn't cause tax problems and can be done twice a year

Universities usually have 40 days' holiday per year, I have worked at two different ones in the past and had this.

Also schools, as others have said. The independent sector particularly, terms are much shorter and there's usually at least 3 weeks at Christmas, 3 weeks at Easter and around 10 weeks in the summer.

Such flexibility would be ideal for me, would mind sharing what sort of company that you work for or just in which filed? so I can explore further. Thanks

@AshGreen I work in a global med tech, so there are all sorts of roles I know directly who do it. I guess for us it may be easier as people are often going to facilities in other countries and many are mobile workers in the field anyway so the infrastructure for remote working and secure data access is pretty core. I'd imagine you'd have more problems in a UK only company

Yeah that would be a way to do it :) but I don't think I can cope with the stress of job hunting every year. Writing CVs and applications is not my strength, does my head in, in fact....

School finance office? I've done it. It's busy but quite fun as you get to sit with a team and they're usually quite a nice bunch in schools (well in the ones I work in).

I work in another part of the school now but also doing office work. I won't stay forever but it is useful having the big holidays. My pay is quite a bit better than it was as a TA which is ridiculous frankly, but there you are.

I also used to work in the HR department of a local authority and one of my colleagues was allowed to take massive holidays. I don't know why though and I never actually questioned it. She'd take months off at a time

I don't have kids, I wonder if they will still allow me to take non contracted weeks. I don't plan to stay on work coach position long, will be looking for internal transfer once I settle in, hopefully to a position more likely to be approved for non contracted weeks.

That certainly is an option, just not sure where to start looking for companies with such policy.

School burser

I thought of that then found out remotely working abroad could trigger tax implication.

It is now not unusual in the private sector for people to negotiate a set number of weeks that they can work remotely abroad as long as their role is suitable and the time zone isn't extreme. Recognises the international origins of some of the workforce so have seen people take 6 weeks. Three is leave and the other three remote working.

In the NHS we have people who work part of the year abroad, ie three months at a time but again has to be a suitable role and in reality is because of the extreme challenges of recruiting

I work in a job that has a rolling shift pattern

I work X shifts on & x shifts off

This allows myself & others in the team to take a month off work each year. Plus some other holiday time off

All holiday has to be agreed by the management before booking it

@AshGreen There are definitely jobs like that out there but they’re not for everyone I wouldn’t think, how would you feel about also being away from home when you are working?
My DH works offshore and for the most part can set his own schedule as long as his time on/off balances by the end of the year. When it was just him and I he always worked 6 weeks on then 6 weeks off. Him and the guy who replaces him offshore on his time off both had their first children around the same time so decided to switch their working pattern to better suit family life so they now work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.
When I was pregnant DH worked extra so was working 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off which meant he built up lots of time off and he took 3.5month off when baby was born which was incredible.

Supply teaching. Without a teaching qualification you would actually be classed as 'unqualified' or a cover supervisor.

Work doesn't usually start until October and dries up in July.

Are your parents in an English speaking country? If they are not then teaching English as foreign language would give you option in the UK and there.

I work for a large but not massive accounting firm and this might be agreed for a valued employee: effectively you'd be paid for 40 weeks' work and work full-time except on the extended break. It would have to be at a non-busy time of year to suit the business.
When I joined the firm my colleague had an arrangement like this: 12 weeks off rather than the usual 5 as they wanted to spend a lot of time at their house abroad. (Then 2020 happened and they couldn't travel... but that's not relevant to the question!).

I think quite a lot of public sector and charity organisations woudl allow this, once you'd worked there a while and passed probation.

My workplace has a clause in their leave policy about family leave for people whose relative are long distance/ overseas.

I'd recommend finding a workplace that looks to have good flexible working and family-friendly policies. I probably wouldn't mention it when you first start working there. As long as you know they generally have the right culture, just get past your probation and then initiate a conversation.

As long as your role is one that can be covered/ can stand you being away for that length of time, I think a lot of workplaces would allow this.

Wow! I can't imagine doing that... wouldn't it leave your CV looking very 'bitty'?

I guess maybe social workers can get away with it because they are so in demand.

Maybe a working from home job that you can do anywhere as long as you take your laptop with you? That way you can still work and see your patents at the same time.

Out of interest what are the tax implications for the company? I work in tax and I’m struggling to think of a tax based reason but maybe that’s because it’s early

DH works for a large IT company that allow you to buy 4 weeks additional holiday