Clare Lewis writes about the growing popularity of career gaps mid-career and later in life. 

Career break, career gap, sabbatical, gap year. Whatever the label, time out for an extended period of travel, learning, volunteering or personal development has traditionally been synonymous with young people leaving formal education. Yet increasingly professionals in mid-career and beyond are choosing to take structured breaks to recharge, reassess priorities and gain new experiences. Research from a Charter Savings Bank study found that 40% of workers plan to take an extended break after the age of 60, highlighting that even the ‘grey’ or ‘golden gap year’ is trending!

Career breaks are becoming a mainstream feature of modern working life, with employers increasingly recognising the value of sabbaticals for professional development, wellbeing and retention. These breaks can help reduce burnout and absenteeism, create opportunities to build leadership skills through temporary role cover, and bring employees back with fresh perspectives and new capabilities. They also enhance an organisation’s reputation as a flexible and supportive place to work.

Against this backdrop, my family’s sabbatical story may resonate with those who have ever wondered whether stepping away from work for a period is possible, or truly worthwhile. In the spring of 2023, my husband and I took a sabbatical, fuelled by an appetite to do something different as life whizzed by at an alarming rate. What followed reinforced something that careers professionals regularly advocate for others: that growth, learning and development don’t just happen within the workplace. Reader warning – if you continue beyond this point you may be affected by wanderlust! 

The idea

Before marriage, mortgage, pets and children, my husband and I would regularly travel and had ticked off various worldwide destinations. We never explicitly said that our travel lust would have to be parked when we had a family and a mortgage, but in those early days of young children and exhausted parenting, getting on any form of public transport (let alone one with wings and with a luggage restriction) just seemed implausible. Instead, we holidayed within the geographical restrictions of our stress levels.  But as our children grew, and as did their independence and own curiosity for the wider world, the travel lust returned once more. 

And so, a conversation that often began with “wouldn’t it be great if…” gradually turned into “let’s do it.” We weighed up destinations – Asia, Africa, America or Europe – and considered different approaches, from a working holiday to independent travel. In the end, hiring a campervan and exploring Europe felt like the perfect fit. It struck the right balance between adventure and ease with young children, while offering a rich mix of culture, history, and landscapes.

Permission, pets and practicalities

Getting permission from our employers was the first part of a triage process to make our sabbatical a reality. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), since the post pandemic shift towards more flexible working and employee wellbeing, employers increasingly view sabbaticals as a recruitment and retention tool. Our employers reactions to our request confirmed that.

“No-one ever said on their death bed that they wished they’d worked more” my boss said.  “Absolutely! 100%! Go for it, wow, what an adventure! We can make this work!”. 

Next we needed a yes from our children’s school, pet-sitters, and a house rental to come to fruition. Amazingly it all did – thanks to open minded CEOs, great colleagues, and good friends and family. The Lewis family sabbatical was go! As our departure drew closer, the question we were asked most often was, “What’s the plan?” For once, there wasn’t one. We wanted to go with each day as it unfolded, to be led by ideas and conversations that evolved on the road.  The pole opposite of our very planned and routined working lives!

Education

Our children’s school supported us, recognising that the trip itself was an education. We left with work to complete and, as teachers ourselves, felt confident we could facilitate learning on the road. Fools! Had we learnt nothing from lockdown? We quickly realised that the richest learning wasn’t happening around worksheets and timetables. The experiences our children were having was the supa-curricular itself.

My husband and I could see the immediate learning and processing that took place with every day’s encounter.  Even now, the children regularly recall moments from the trip that connect to topics they are studying in school. So, what did they learn? Simple: about the world beyond the little world of their own.

They learnt about currencies, languages, mountain heights, daily mileage and petrol prices. Geography came alive through maps, hydroelectric dams, mountains and caves; history through visits to places such as the Colosseum. They travelled on bullet trains, cable cars and summer toboggan runs, and compared the cost of everyday items across countries (they’ll never recommend Switz shopping to anyone, and don’t even get them started on Luxembourg).

Their confidence flourished as they practised greetings, ordered meals and communicated with people who spoke different languages. They learnt to make friends through the common language of football, chess, and trampolines, and also learnt some less glamorous lessons about European campsite latrines and the importance of always carrying toilet paper.

They learnt key life lessons- how to have quiet time, read independently, use their imagination and avoid mosquito bites and sunburn. Most importantly, they learnt how to live together in a very small space. They learnt patience, flexibility, kindness and communication. They learnt that everyone needed to do their bit to keep our home on wheels a happy one. Those lessons and the 10 countries travelled, more than any worksheet, have stayed with them.

Career impact 

The impact of our sabbatical extended far beyond the journey itself. Professionally, it prompted both our employers to reflect on how career breaks could support staff wellbeing, retention and long-term engagement. Whilst one organisation already had a sabbatical framework in place, the other subsequently developed one, creating opportunities for other colleagues to pursue their own adventures and professional renewal. (According to CMI research, 53% of organisations now offer sabbaticals).

Our absence also provided professional development opportunities for those that stepped into our roles – valued experiences that helped those individuals with their own CPD and skill development.

For us personally, the experience provided something increasingly valued in today’s careers landscape: perspective. Like many professionals, we returned with renewed energy and commitment, but also with greater clarity about our priorities. Research increasingly evidences that well-structured career breaks can strengthen rather than hinder careers, helping individuals return with fresh ideas, enhanced resilience and a clearer sense of purpose. Our experience certainly reflected this.

Within a year, our working arrangements had evolved. I moved into a role with a more focused remit and reduced travel, while my husband accepted a promotion with greater responsibility. Far from representing a step away from our careers, the sabbatical helped us make more intentional decisions about them. It enabled us to align our professional ambitions more closely with our family priorities and long-term goals.

As careers professionals, we regularly encourage clients to be curious and view careers as journeys rather than fixed destinations. The growing interest in sabbaticals and “grey gap years” reflects a broader recognition that the same principle applies throughout adulthood. Careers can, and should, include periods of time-out for exploration. Far from being time away from career progress, this time provides the reflection and renewal needed to approach the next stage of life and work with greater confidence, purpose and enthusiasm.  

Looking back, we do not view our sabbatical as time away from our careers – it was an investment in our family, our wellbeing and ultimately our future professional lives. The experience reinforced an important lesson that feels particularly relevant in today’s world of work: sometimes stepping away is exactly what allows us to move forward.

References:

https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/guides/sabbaticals-guide

https://www.chartersavingsbank.co.uk/news/we-re-all-going-on-a-retirement-gap-year

Further signposting:

CIPD Sabbaticals Guide