More and more people are taking a break from their jobs to work for charities, learn new skills or simply enjoy a few months off travelling the world.

Sabbaticals are voluntary arrangements where an employer gives an employee time off work - paid or unpaid - over and above their holiday allowance.

Sabbaticals have been more common in Australia and New Zealand while in the UK the mostly unpaid breaks have been largely confined to people opting for further education or writing a book.

Now employers and employees are coming to realise how valuable sabbaticals can be.

Besides the obvious benefits to employees, employers get to keep valuable staff, who return with new skills and fulfilled ambitions.

These benefits can make a company or organisation an employer of choice in a difficult recruitment market.

There is no statutory right to a sabbatical but many employers have policies that outline eligibility and conditions.

These will often require an applicant to have worked for the company for a certain number of years and/or be undertaking specific activities.

American Express, which has its European Customer Service headquarters in Brighton, has had a sabbatical programme since 1994.

To be eligible for a paid sabbatical, employees must have completed at least ten years of service and have a good performance rating.

Employees who have worked for Amex for five years can apply for unpaid sabbaticals.

Employees who have completed ten to 19 years' service may take a one to six month sabbatical, while those who have completed 20 or more years may be eligible for a paid sabbatical for up to a year.

Paid sabbaticals might include working full-time at a shelter for the homeless, teaching at a community centre or other voluntary activities.

Arpi Arayan, who is in her 30s, has just completed a paid, six-month sabbatical working for Comic Relief.

She works for Amex's corporate accounts department but decided taking a sabbatical was a "fantastic opportunity to do something really worthwhile".

She had previously volunteered on a number of Comic Relief projects but wanted to get more involved and decided to take advantage of her 15 years at Amex to apply for a break.

She helped on a number of Comic Relief activities in the run-up to the main event in March, including producing a leaflet and poster.

She also helped to get staff at Amex involved in taking donations on Comic Relief night.

Arpi said: "Without volunteers helping they wouldn't have the resources to get these activities off the ground so it was a really good feeling.

"The six months went really quickly but I learned a lot about marketing, fund-raising and how charities work.

"I've gained new skills and it also made me realise how much I enjoy working at Amex. I made some good friends at Comic Relief. I really would encourage people to consider taking a sabbatical."

Cilla Wadey is four weeks into a one-year sabbatical from Amex. She has worked for the financial services giant for 23 years, the past five as executive office manager.

One of the biggest challenges for her was choosing who to volunteer for.

Cilla, 48, from Henfield, said: "I've been at Amex a long time and I felt I needed a change. I thought taking a sabbatical would give me the sort of challenge I was looking for. The only problem was I couldn't decide what to do."

She eventually volunteered for the Alzheimer's Society in Hove, partly because her father had suffered from the disease before his death and the society had supported her family.

Cilla has already helped organise fund-raising events, including last Sunday's Bodies in Motion event, and used her administrative experience at the charity.

She has also used her connections with Amex's technology department to help update the society's computer system.

She said: "It has been quite a big shock because I've been used to the Amex culture for so many years. I miss my colleagues and the day-to-day banter but, having said that, everyone here is very friendly and I like to think I'm settling in well.

"The challenge for me is to work out what exactly I can do to help the society's work. I've bought books on Alzheimer's and Fundraising For Dummies and I'm determined to be of use."

Not every person decides to spend their sabbatical volunteering their sabbatical volunteering or studying new skills.

An increasing number of people have taken unpaid sabbaticals to travel or focus on personal development.

Kate Baker decided to spend her three-month, unpaid sabbatical travelling in New Zealand and Australia.

She said: "I've been working for Family Assurance since 1998 and I've got a high-pressure job with lots of sales targets. I just knew it was getting a bit stale.

"A lot of my friends from university went travelling but I decided I wanted to establish my career and pay off my debts but I had been wondering what I had missed out on."

Family Assurance does not have a formal sabbaticals policy but Kate approached her manager with the idea of taking a break from work, which was approved.

Kate said: "For people back in the office, three months might not seem long but for me every day was different and I came back refreshed and enthusiastic.

Mind you, I've just been paid for the first time in three months and that was nice too."

Anyone who wants to support the work of the Alzheimer's Society should call 01273 726266, visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/brighton or write to Alzheimer's Society, 206 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DJ.

Tuesday April 29 2003