Sabbaticals - Some Guidelines

Key Contact: The Revd Dr Kon Apokis (Clergy Training Officer)
Tel: 01636 817208  or e-mail kon@southwell.anglican.org 

What is study leave?

A brief definition of study leave is a period of paid leave of absence from work for study or research purposes.  Although "sabbath" suggests a rest, as in Genesis 1, a sabbatical is not intended to be a holiday or time off work to recover from the rigours of the job. It follows therefore that study leave should have certain further characteristics.

FREEDOM FROM EVERYDAY TASKS OF WORK
This can be achieved by taking the study leave away from home or simply by avoiding contact with the work environment - the latter being more difficult for people who work from home.

AN OVERALL PURPOSE
Because study leave is part of work, even if not in an everyday sense, there needs to be a clear rationale behind it.  Anyone proposing to take one must answer the question, "What do I intend to learn as a result of doing this and why is this important to my work?

A CLEAR PROCESS TO BE FOLLOWED
In order to achieve the overall purpose of the study leave there needs to be a number of objectives, which in turn will provide a series of stages through which the person must work in order to complete the learning task they have set themselves.

AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
However good the overall purpose and however clear the process, little can be achieved if there are no resources to be had.  Resources may include people and places as well as written materials, but they need to be accessible and identifiable in advance.  If resources are either too few, or too numerous or too scattered, or too far away they will be of little help.

SOME EVALUATION OF WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED
Simply gathering information, though useful, is not an end in itself.  The information must be assessed, and reflected upon in order to be fed back into the person's daily work.

SOME TANGIBLE MATERIAL WHICH CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHER PEOPLE
Although the study leave may have been undertaken primarily with one person's needs in view it is important that something can be shared with other people in the same or similar line of work, thereby adding to the stock of professional knowledge or insight.  The most common form of such material is a written report, although other forms of media can be used.

Thinking about Study Leave?

If you wish to take study leave, you need to start planning things well in advance, at least twelve months before the date on which you intend to begin.  One of the most obvious considerations is to think about what iwll happen to the jobs you normally do: which might be done by other ministers in or outside the parish; which can be handled by lay people or left to run themselves; and which will need to be suspended or left in abeyance.  Responsibility for covering Sunday services and rites of passage like weddings and funerals will be a prime consideration and needs to be dealt with early on.

Technically, you may not need to have your congregations' permission to go on study leave, but it would be wise to enlist their understanding and cooperation, particularly about why you are doing it and the arrangements beign made in your absence.

You may not have a particular area which you wish to study for your study leave, or there may be several "possibles".  It would be helpful for you to talk about this with The Revd Canon Dr Nigel Rooms (Associate Director:Practical Theology), not least because there may be concerns which the diocese would like to have someone working on which may be of interest to you.  Please feel free to get in touch with Nigel as early in the process as you wish.

It is important to think about where you will spend your study leave, which will in turn be dependent upon what you plan to study.  Working form home can be difficult and you may need to think how you will handle occasional callers or other unplanned interruptions.  Because it is intended to be part of your work, it may equally not be advisable to try to combine study with a family holiday; it may also suggest to other people that you really are simply on an extended holiday after all.

As noted above, it is important to be clear well in advance not only where resources like people, institutions, libraries and so on are located, but that you can have access to them.  It is most inadvisable to assume that you can simply turn up at the front door and ask to be admitted, or that even in publicly accessible places like libraries it will be possible to locate material for you without prior notice.  Enquiries by phone should be followed up in writing even when the request is months in advance of the date you expect to visit.

Always allow plenty of time for reflection (or, sometimes, pursuing unforeseen leads and ideas) and for writing up.  The diocese asks that you produce a written report on your sabbatical project of up to 5,000 words, a copy of which can be retained for resource use.  It is usually very difficult to find the time to write up a project after you return to work and by the time you find an opportunity to do so you may have lost the thread of your thinking and have to spend a lot of time picking it up again.

Precisely because a sabbatical is not a holiday, you need to think carefully about whether you intend to return to your everyday duties immediately after completing it.  It might be advisable to take at least a few days holiday afterwards, and probably avoid starting back on a Sunday.

Diocesan Allowances

Study leave ought to be for a period of not less than six weeks and not more than twenty weeks away from normal duties.  Financial assistance of up to £750 can be offered, subject to a clear estimate of costs being submitted in advance, though applicants are encouraged to apply to other funding bodies as well.  Further assistance may be available if resources allows.

It would greatly help planning if funding applications for study leave commencing between 1st April and 30th September could be received by 31st December in the preceeding year; and by the preceeding 30th June for sabbaticals commencing between 1st October and 31st March.

There are additional sources of sabbatical funding, and the following list might be useful:
- The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group: Ministry Bursary Awards Scheme (The EIG Bursary Awards Scheme is open to those in full-time stipendiary ministry in a Christian Church and can provide a grant towards a work-related project, contribute to a study course away from a demanding ministry, or support reasearch in the UK and abroad.  Applicants must normally have completed at least 10 years full-time stipendiary ministry, either in the Anglican Church or in one that is fully recognised within the mainstream of Christian Churches in the UK.  The closing dates for applications for awards each year is generally the end of September of the previous year.  For more details, see the EIG website, call Iain Hearn of EIG on 01452 528533 extn: 2104 or e-mail ecclesiastical@eigmail.com

-The Alexis Trust: Small grants (c£50) for Christian based activities. Write to Prof D W Vere, 14 Broadfield Way, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, IG9 5AG

The St George's Trust: Grants to people involved in the service of the Church of England and churches in communion with her, including clergy grants towards  sabbatical expenses.  Write, with details of the project, its likely cost and an indication of funds, as far in advance as possible before March or September each year, with an sae to St George's Turst, Senior Trustee, Saint Edward's House, 22 Great College Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3QA.

- Women may also make applications to: The Women's Continuing Education Trust. Download WCMET Application Form and Download WCMET Guidance Notes. Note the application form needs to be endorsed by our CME officer The Revd Canon Dr Nigel Rooms.

Click here to download a copy of our Study Leave Guidelines.

Click here to download a copy of our standard application form.  The Revd Dr Kon Apokis expects to discuss all sabbatical proposals with all applicants before details are finalised.  Please contact him at an early stage in your planning and he will be pleased to help in any way he can.  Kon can be reached on 01636 817208 or via e-mail kon@southwell.anglican.org