Thinking about taking a Sabbatical?

Posted on by Middle Ground

It all started at a rum shop in Barbados – the idea of a sabbatical was formed. Or, at least, that’s how my husband remembers it. After a couple rum & cokes I thought it was time to pitch the idea of a year abroad. I had my Stay and Go list ready to go:

Staying in Toronto

Going on Sabbatical

  1. Traffic
  2. Same old same old
  3. Continue to work
  4. Winter weather
  5. Our neighbouring country loved Trump and guns
  6. Traffic (it’s worth two points, trust me)
  7. Doug Ford
  1. Be close to world-class skiing
  2. Give our kids international flair
  3. Absence will make the heart grow fonder (of Toronto)
  4. Go someplace you drive to winter
  5. Stop working
  6. Live in the Countryside
  7. Send our kids to the same school
  8. Vacation in Europe
  9. Experience new things
  10. Great weather
  11. Be close to the ocean
  12. Have visitors
  13. Bike all season long
A lot of work to get here…

Timing

Well, timing is everything and we had none. We only had 8 months between the tipsy – yes, let’s do this, to the time we got on a plane. I suggest a year and a half timeframe to plan your sabbatical if you want to stay sane.

Work work and more work…

We didn’t have a lot of time to execute the plan. We worked overtime at our jobs to ensure a smooth leadership transition (while keeping it a secret that we planned on leaving).

Renting our Homes

We hoped to rent both our homes to help fund the trip, but after having three kids and working in a very competitive industry, we didn’t need to de-clutter, we needed to firebomb! My eldest is 9 and I found soothers and diapers tucked away in the closets!

Where to Sabbatical

We knew that an international school would provide an instant community for all of us and our heart was set on Europe so I scoured the European schools for a perfect fit. Mougins School was perfect – it checked all the boxes.

But it was worth it!

  • Accustom to the influx and outflow of students.
  • Education based on British curriculum but not too stuffy
  • After scouring blog posts and feedback pages about various schools, Mougins had the most positive feedback
  • The area was 20 mins to the ocean and 1.5 hours to the alps
  • Average temperatures in the winter were a balmy 15 degrees Celsius
  • It was in the country and close to a quaint old village – Valbonne
  • It was close to Nice International airport