OK, let’s brainstorm. I just discovered that if I am to ask for a sabbatical for 2015-16, I have to do it now or forever hold my peace.
I can ask for a semester-long sabbatical at 100% of pay or for a year-long one at 50%. What do you, dear blog readers, think I should choose? I trust your opinions because the last time I asked you which of the 2 possible conferences to attend, you picked one, I went there, and eventually published a book thanks to the important information I discovered there.
The year-long sabbatical will let me write the entire second book. The topic is kind of urgent. It is something that has to be written fast or not at all. Plus, having 2 books before the age of 40 is kind of cool. And I really wouldn’t mind not to work for a year. I like being at home.
But 50% of salary is not super attractive. I like money. Plus, I don’t want people to think I dislike working.
Of course, asking doesn’t mean I will get it, so nothing is set in stone anyway.
Clarissa's Blog 
I would personally suggest six months. A one-year sabbatical is long, and therefore there is a good chance it will be unproductive; you start out thinking you have a lot of time, and then you end up wasting most of it. With a six-month sabbatical, you know from the very beginning that time is limited, and therefore you start off by being productive.
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Six months. Combined with a summer before or after it’s really more like 8. No financial sacrifice, and you have always been able to produce scholarship while teaching.
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A year. You’re too motivated to waste the time and you’ll be able to dig in much deeper.
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I would go for a year. You could always apply for grants or external funding to cover the rest of your salary, assuming such things exist in the US.
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Looks like a tie! I break it by saying do 6 months! 🙂
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One year to rejuvenate after the tenure track and Eric.
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If you are passionate about the book and really want to write it and it needs to be written soon, then take the year. I think you will regret it if you don’t. But take a look at your finances and get an idea of what you can and can’t afford that year.
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Definitely a year. It goes by unbelievably fast.
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If you can afford it, I’d probably take a year. That said, I have a hard enough time going back to work after a regular summer. I would probably never want to work again if I took a year off, even doing research every day. I’d say the deciding factor is whether or not you have difficulty with re-entering the school year after summer. If so, take one semester. If not, take a full year, if you can afford it.
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I can’t see you ever becoming unmotivated!
I agree with twicerandomly. Take the year and write the book, you’ll probably end up regretting it otherwise. That would certainly be my choice, even if I had to live on lentil soup. However I do like lentil soup! It may not be your thing…
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I love lentil soup! Actually, I think I’m going to make some today. Thank you for giving me the idea!
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Great, hope you enjoyed the lentil soup! But you’re right, it’s probably not a good idea to make such an important decision when you’re overtired. Look after yourself. x
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Now is not a good moment for me to make this decision. I’m so exhausted that staying in bed for the next 10 years seems like a brilliant life plan. But I have a vague suspicion I might not feel like that always. 🙂
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Unless it will result in your having to file for bankruptcy, ask for the full year.
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You’ve written about your habit of making yourself broke. Would a year sabbatical, soon after buying a house and a car, feed into that habit?
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I would take the year. I can’t imagine anyone thinking you don’t enjoy working, so don’t worry about that.
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