Sabbatical

A sabbatical or sabbatical year is a long period of unpaid special leave or a career break.

Sabbatical: How long?

This leave of absence from work is usually limited in time and can last from 3 to 12 months.

As a general rule, you can take a sabbatical as often as you wish, as there are no legal regulations. The only requirement is that the employer agrees.

Reasons for a sabbatical year

The reasons for taking a sabbatical are as individual as the employees themselves. Some want to restore their work-life balance or even avoid burn-out syndrome. Others want to continue their professional training, finish an apprenticeship they have started or simply spend more time with their family or travel the world.

We have summarized a few reasons for you below:

Time for your own interests
Travel and discover new things
Prevent burnout
Get to know new languages & cultures
Promote your career

For civil servants, the sabbatical is a little different. They have the option of registering their sabbatical 2 to 6 years in advance. The employer then withholds part of the salary and saves the amount until the sabbatical, so that the civil servant is financially better protected.

You must pay attention to this

Please note this: A sabbatical is unpaid special leave. This means, for example, that the employee takes a year of unpaid special leave and thus waives their continued payment of salary. In return, the concluded employment contract is “paralyzed” for this year. In this case, the employee must also ensure that they pay their own social security contributions.