Career breaks 'can enhance professional development'

People can give themselves the best chance of enhancing their professional development by taking a career break for six months, according to an industry expert.

Friederike Heine, writing for the Times Educational Supplement, said that savvy employers are now more open to letting people take a career break, as they are seeing the benefits which it can add to their business.

Louise Hutchinson, a teacher in Colwyn Bay, decided to undertake voluntary work in Africa in 2008.

"It was not easy to swap the cool air and comfort of my classroom at Pendorlan for the dust and heat of northern Ghana, but in retrospect, it is the best thing I've ever done," she added.

Jackie Holt, writing for the Australian, said that taking a career break can give people personal and cultural experiences which will stay with them for a lifetime, adding that she returned home from Swaziland "an extremely happy volunteer".

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( Last Updated: 2010-02-05 18:50:29)