Mini career breaks

Mini career break path

Want a career break but just don't have time? A mini career break could be what you need. Mini career breaks last from 1 week to 1 month, and if you put your heart into it, you can make a tremendous difference during that short space of time - to yourself as well as to other people.

Why take a mini career break?

In short, to get a career break experience in a short space of time. Reasons include:

Wanting to test the water before committing for a longer period of time
Wanting more than just an ordinary holiday - using your holiday time to give something back or to learn something new
Work (being unable or unwilling to take a sabbatical)
Financial restrictions
Commitments at home, eg not wanting to take children out of school (although many career break companies now accommodate children too)
A last-minute decision - mini career breaks take less time to plan than longer ones

What can I do on a mini career break?

A lot of volunteer organisations now offer placements of 1 to 4 weeks, as mini career breaks become more popular. Adventure travel companies can also accommodate shorter career breaks, and there are a number of studying and training options, such as learning Spanish in South America.

How can I organise a mini career break?

Firstly, decide how long you're going to be able to take. If you don't have enough holiday time left, ask your HR manager about 'buying' another week or two, explaining that you want to use the time to do something constructive.

Next, decide what you want to do on your mini career break. Your three main options are learning, volunteering and travelling, but these can sometimes be combined into a single placement. For example, you might do a 2-week volunteer placement, then 1 week of travel, and a scuba-dive course.

Finally, decide if there's anything else you want to get out of your mini career break. As you are going for a relatively short length of time, you might choose to do more research about your destination before you leave, or learn some of the language before you go. You might also decide to keep a journal, blog or photo diary of your experience.

What will I get out of my mini career break?

It depends on what you do, but generally you'll find you learn more than you would on a normal holiday, and if you do volunteer work, you'll get a sense of doing something worthwhile. You might get a taste for the particular place that you visit and be able to organise a longer career break there in future. You might also get an idea of what studying abroad, adventure travel or volunteering abroad really involves, so you know what to try next time!