Career Clinic: Will taking a year out at 2PQE be career suicide?

Life is for living

I would go for it! I am 8PQE and although I have taken a few months out a couple of times in my career, I would love to take a year off but now can't if I want to stand a chance of partnership. I don't think it will be career suicide provided you do lots of stuff in your year off and don't just loaf at home. You will never regret taking the time and will have a fantastic experience to look back on. Just make sure you have a bit of a financial cushion (or can live at home) for a few months when you get back to give yourself a realistic period to get a new job.

Also, a number of Top 30 firms do allow unpaid leave of up to three months once you have been at the firm for 4-5 years so you will get other opportunities.

Finally, if you have made up your mind to leave, you might want to ask your current firm if the door might still be open for you to come back after your time out (although they won't hold your job) - you have nothing to lose by doing so.

Associate -01 Sep 2011 | 16:24

Look deeper

As a young person starting out in your career, if you were in a truly satisfying/challenging/enjoyable job, taking a year out would be the last thing on your mind! You would be living and breathing whatever it was you were doing!

You need to look a bit deeper inside yourself and realise that you are frustrated with your job. You should take the year out, but when you come back you should find another job.

Or, get a job that allows you to travel. I went round the world a few times in a graduate sales job and had great fun while getting paid.

Alternatively, you can resign yourself to a life of quiet frustration in law, with fading memories of a good year off.

Indahouse -02 Sep 2011 | 12:53

The idea that someone has to 'live and breathe' the law is really depressing. Firms which are genuinely good places to work tend also to look for candidates who are interesting, smart human beings as well as good lawyers. Why not take advantage of being young, well-paid and dependent-free? Do something interesting with your time off; climb mountains, learn the guitar, swim with whales, whatever. Live well and breathe oxygen, not law.

Associate -02 Sep 2011 | 13:09

Missing the point!

Sounds like the last poster also needs a career change. If you can't stand the idea of living and breathing law, you have missed your vocation!!! You are allowed to enjoy your work!

As a magic circle lawyer you may be (obviously are) a bit dull and boring, but you are certainly in the top 0.0000000001% of the world's population in terms of educational, intellectual and economic advantage. It therefore behoves you to jolly well find something you enjoy to do with your life and get paid for it. Both for your benefit and everyone else's.

If you really can't find a way to earn a crust and enjoy life at the same time, then you can sell your soul, but only as a last resort. You clearly haven't tried very hard.

Indahouse -02 Sep 2011 | 13:37

Make it useful....

You would be taking a risk. Gaps on CVs never go down well with partners and when you consider how competitive the legal job market is you need to give yourself as much edge as possible.

Consider using the time to do something that shows initiative and could help you develop useful skills such as leadership. Contact volunteering organisations to see what options there are.

Talking to a partner about your experience building a school in a third world country would be far more appealing than regaling them of tales of your antics at a Full Moon Party on some far flung island...

Jonathan Cowan at Bradshaw Rose -02 Sep 2011 | 13:40

Time out is very nice but be prepared for the difficult questions when you try to get back into work. Have a structure to what you are going to do when you are out and think about why you are doing it. Also, staying in touch with your existing employer is good advice.

My husband used to work for a multinational and I followed him to Eastern Europe where we lived for three years in the 1990s. I stayed in touch with my then employer and there followed opportunities to work short term as a Locum while I was abroad and then a job offer when we were repatriated back to the UK. I have had the raised eyebrows about what I did when I was over there (which was not a lot - the point of going there was to support my husband and run the home so he could concentrate on doing a demanding job while I coped with the fun of living outside the EU in the 1990s).
I have been brutally honest about my reasons for going abroad and on the whole it has done no harm to my career whatsoever.

However please do not expect all employers to be broad-minded about people who take breaks. Some will be deeply suspicious of someone who does it so early in their career.
You can get away with saying you wanted to spend time with your young family or to follow your partner. I think there are some who would doubt a person's commitment to work if they took a break and it were not for some kind of health reason or to pursue a course or training that would enhance career prospects. Good luck.

high street solicitor -02 Sep 2011 | 13:50

@ Indahouse - as the person who asked the original question, I am well aware that I am frustrated with my job and did consider quitting law altogether. But it's not as simple a situation as picking another job as a) I don't know what else I'd do and b) it's not the case that I always hated my job - I think this has partially been brought about by the environment I am currently working in. Add to this that I have worked hard to get to where I am and I'm not willing to throw that all away without giving another law firm a chance - who knows, maybe I will regain my passion for the job.

Thanks all for your helpful comments. I have considered volunteering for a few months and building up my language skills but essentially, I want to take the gap year I never had now that I have the means to do so. I just don't want that to completely stall my career in law.

Original Poster -05 Sep 2011 | 14:33

Do it!

I did exactly what you're thinking of doing at exactly the same point in my career - and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Did me no harm professionally, getting a good job with a good firm on my return was not hard and I had the time of my life abroad. Go for it and enjoy yourself!

Grace -06 Sep 2011 | 19:06