Sabbatical length quandary

[Ruralguy]

Oh, yes, if this is for NEXT year, for gosh sake apply. You can always decide  to pull it later. Yeah, I get that would lead to departmental inconvenience, but they'll live. It also gives you time to think of an alternate plan.  Ditto on everything related to full prof.

[emprof]

Thanks, all! You've convinced me: I'm applying for the full year, 2021-22. Applications go in at the end of October. The committee has traditionally favored applications that involve travel/residence at other universities. I'm wondering 1) how on earth that was ever possible for young families and 2) how they may change that in the face of pandemic travel bans.

[Vkw10]

Thanks, all! You've convinced me: I'm applying for the full year, 2021-22. Applications go in at the end of October. The committee has traditionally favored applications that involve travel/residence at other universities. I'm wondering 1) how on earth that was ever possible for young families and 2) how they may change that in the face of pandemic travel bans.

For my first sabbatical, I arranged to spend year at a university about two hours drive from extended family. The residency consisted of me doing several lectures and serving as outside judge for a competition, totalling about six days work. We rented a state park cabin about 10 miles from family for eight months, at off season rates. Nephew spent morning with Granny, then attended kindergarten in afternoon.

The university wouldn't have been my first choice for sabbatical residency, but the location worked well. Both partner and I met our research objectives, partner's mother was ecstatic, and the university faculty were congenial.

[Hibush]

Thanks, all! You've convinced me: I'm applying for the full year, 2021-22. Applications go in at the end of October. The committee has traditionally favored applications that involve travel/residence at other universities. I'm wondering 1) how on earth that was ever possible for young families and 2) how they may change that in the face of pandemic travel bans.

For young families, you just put the kids in school at the new location. Rent a place to live for the year. People make this out to be some huge problem, when it really is not. I am saddened by all the missed opportunities that result from this unjustified concern.

Pandemic is going to make the specifics different for sure, but that is an independent issue.

[Ruralguy]

The issue isn't so much the kids (though it might turn out to be if one spouse just goes away and the other is left with the kids most of the time), its dual careers. Its rare that both spouses can really go away for 6 months to a year to some remote location. There are potential solutions to this problem, but its still likely to be the major barrier, with child care just exacerbating it.

[emprof]

Thanks, all! You've convinced me: I'm applying for the full year, 2021-22. Applications go in at the end of October. The committee has traditionally favored applications that involve travel/residence at other universities. I'm wondering 1) how on earth that was ever possible for young families and 2) how they may change that in the face of pandemic travel bans.

For young families, you just put the kids in school at the new location. Rent a place to live for the year. People make this out to be some huge problem, when it really is not. I am saddened by all the missed opportunities that result from this unjustified concern.

Pandemic is going to make the specifics different for sure, but that is an independent issue.

I wish that were true, but my child is a toddler and not yet in school. Daycare spots in quality programs are HARD to get even if you live in the area, and even if we could secure a good place at the sabbatical location, we would lose our place in our hometown daycare.. Even aside from that, my partner is not an academic, and not eligible to work remotely. Moving the family across the country as you describe would mean the loss of 1/3 of our income and reliable childcare for the foreseeable future. Those are pretty huge problems.

[Hibush]

The issue isn't so much the kids (though it might turn out to be if one spouse just goes away and the other is left with the kids most of the time), its dual careers. Its rare that both spouses can really go away for 6 months to a year to some remote location. There are potential solutions to this problem, but its still likely to be the major barrier, with child care just exacerbating it.

Dual career is indeed a common deal-breaker.

I have seen it work when both spouses are academics at the same place and can take coordinated sabbaticals. The other was where the spouse was an executive at a multinational corporation and was able to work remotely. She was on video calls all day, similar to what so many of us are doing now. Because so many people are figuring out working remotely this year, I bet more can make that sabbatical-spouse deal in the future.

[tiva]

I would absolutely take the full year--the 15 months of research time are amazing, even if your travel is a bit more limited with COVID. Full pay for a full year!! Wow.

Everyone I know who delayed their sabbatical regretted it (you're giving free leave time to the university, because delaying a year doesn't shorten the time to the next leave. You just get less leave in your overall career). And everyone I know who took only a semester regretted it, because the leave felt too short and constrained.