In July the second round of the Burda Digital Degree was celebrated. CEO Katharina Herrmann and Marc Al-Hames presented the graduates with their well-deserved certificates and a toast was raised together.
Whether it's a complete trip around the world, yoga in Bali or trying to find the perfect coconut in New Zealand - sabbaticals at Burda are diverse. Our employees have experienced a lot and have exciting insights for you.
Our three Burda employees recently took a sabbatical and give an insight into their experiences. How did the planning, financing and traveling to another country go?
"Personalize" your sabbatical: adapt the duration and financing model to your needs. All three sabbatical goers agreed a savings period with their manager, during which they set aside a certain portion of their salary for the sabbatical. This portion was then paid out in the non-working months.
Lisa took the opportunity to take a two-month trip through Canada and Panama. Her sabbatical application was approved in no time and her replacement at Corporate HR was carefully prepared. Lisa returned to her position as Training Coordinator full of energy.
Isabel from BurdaVerlag learned to surf during her four-month sabbatical in Bali. Before her trip, she saved half of her salary for four months and during her sabbatical she received the other half so that she didn't have to do without anything while she was there.
Something else that is super important when traveling: You are still fully insured during your sabbatical. Because something can quickly happen when surfing or doing other recreational sports.
Amelie, Recruiting Consultant at Burda, says that the ideal time for a sabbatical can be any time. She herself took a three-month sabbatical after two years with the company and traveled alone through Australia and New Zealand. To finance her stay abroad, she saved 25 percent of her salary for eight months and had this money paid out during her trip.
One tip that all three sabbatical goers can give you: Don't be afraid to travel alone. The world is waiting to be discovered by you.
"Be open and approach people - even if there are language barriers," advises Lisa. "Especially on a longer trip through different countries, it becomes clear: different countries, different customs. But that's also the exciting thing about getting to know the diversity and beauty of other parts of the world and getting to know the country and its people."
Although Isabel flew to Bali alone, she met an incredible number of nice people at the surf camps: "The people you meet at the camp take you to other events where you meet other like-minded people. It works like a snowball system."
"New Zealand and Australia are great countries to travel alone because there are a lot of backpackers and solo travelers there and you get to meet a lot of people," says Amelie. "I saw lots of great impressions and beautiful places, met lots of new people and friends and had an unforgettable time. I hope that one day I will be able to travel to New Zealand again."
The needs of our employees and a good work-life balance are important to us. This also includes the flexibility to allow sabbaticals. We are already looking forward to seeing where our colleagues will go next.
You can find all Burda benefits here.
