What’s the booking procedure?
Firstly, we ask you to fill in an application form so that we have your details – this does not commit you to anything, it is simply to help us to help you in addition to reserving you a place on your chosen trip. The application form link is available on all of our trip information pages and here.  After we have received this, we will invite you to come in for one of our open afternoons or if you live too far away, we will book you in for an informal phone interview or online webinar. This is so that we can get to know a little about you, be sure you have chosen the best trip for you and so that you know what to expect from your time overseas. The final stage is to complete a health form, sign our terms & conditions and send these in to us with a non-refundable (but exchangeable) deposit of £250 to guarantee your place.   

Why take a sabbatical?

A sabbatical or career-break can be the ideal opportunity to go and satisfy the travel-bug that has been making your feet itch, to go and make the real hands-on contribution you’ve always meant to make, to experience a completely different way of life or simply to give yourself time for space and reflection.  It also has benefits for your CV, helping you improve your communications skills, sometimes learn a new language, improve your understanding of diversity management and build your confidence.  Time-out is also a great motivator and it can refresh the passion you once had for your career or help you gain the courage to head in a new career direction.

As well as sharing your existing skills, taking a grown-up gap year is a fantastic way to develop new ones.  QUEST will help you find a placement that will offer a diverse range of challenges and we will support you throughout the process, ensuring that you have the most fulfilling time possible.      

Travelling and volunteering in Africa or Latin America can’t fail to broaden your horizons and let you see your life from a different perspective.  You’ll make new friends, work with new cultures and return to your life with memories and experiences that you will treasure forever.

Sabbatical advice
Our Managing Director Jo took a sabbatical and has written this article about her time overseas which may help you in making your decisions.

Will my employer let me take a sabbatical?

Many employers are keen to ensure that their employees are getting their work-life balance right, so that they are a happy and motivated employee and in return, get the best from them.  As a result, many are becoming increasingly supportive of the idea of employees taking career-breaks or sabbaticals.  In a work culture where people change jobs much more frequently than in the past, it can often be preferable for an employer to hold a job open for an agreed sabbatical period, rather than having to go through the whole process of recruitment and training for a new employee.  A sabbatical is also seen as advantageous to an employer where the break serves as prevention of mid-career burnout; keeping valuable employees creative and productive.  

The important thing is to be up-front with your employer, reminding them of the benefits to the company as regularly as possible.  Some larger companies have a policy of offering sabbaticals as a reward after a certain period of service.  Alternatively it may be that you are the first person in your company to ask, in which case it is often possible to negotiate an arrangement specific to you.  If your manager is really not convinced after you’ve discussed the idea with them, then consider saving up your holiday allowance to take in one go or offer to compromise and use half of your holiday allowance instead.  

If your employer is concerned that you will lose touch with your area of business whilst you’re away, there are many ways to ensure that you don’t - browsing the internet is achievable even in fairly remote places, or you could arrange to have a regular company publication sent out to you.

You can also ask your overseas manager/leader to provide a reference detailing the impact you made on the overseas project you worked on, which you can pass on to your employer when you return.

How can I take a break from family responsibilities?

Many people who consider sabbaticals are nervous about leaving friends and family.  The technological revolution has brought the world together, and there are now very few places where it is not relatively easy to keep in touch either via email or telephone.  QUEST have had parents travel with us that said they chose to take their life-break opportunity to be a positive example to their children in terms of making the effort to do some good and experience new cultures, which is a really nice way of looking at it.

Taking a life-break is also a fantastic way to meet and make new friends, and this is seen by many as one of the best things about their trip overseas.

Should I embark on an individual placement or a team project?

Some career-breakers wish to use their existing skills in the developing world and some want to get away from everything related to their daily life and do something completely different!  If really depends on you and your objectives as to whether a project or placement is best.

QUEST have a long-term commitment to and a very close relationship with all of the projects that we are involved with.  This means that we genuinely care about everyone we send away, matching their skills and wishes to the project or placement goals to ensure both their sustained success and the best result for you as an individual.  So have a think about what you want to gain from your time away and we will advise you on how to achieve this.  Taking a sabbatical with QUEST might find you helping to build a school, teaching, caring for orphaned animals, giving valuable nursing support to an orphanage or using your conservation skills and knowledge.  Whatever it is you commit to, all of our projects contribute tangibly to the goals of sustainable development and a large proportion of the contribution you make will go directly to the project you work on to ensure that after you have left it will have the funds and expertise to continue.