who has this job situation? (employee, apply, owner, college degree)

[aquadejoe]

Here is a discussion that my friends/family and I argue about all the time and I'd like your input! The more the merrier. What jobs/careers (other than teaching) would allow you to have 4 or more consecutive weeks off during any given month? I am currently in the health care field and could maybe manage this once every ten years with lots of planning but is there anyone out there who regularly (like say every two years or even every year) is able to take a month or two off each year? My ultimate dream would be to be able to take 4 weeks off every summer to travel around with my husband and kids doing whatever we feel like, enjoying the summer and actually having time to spend together while they are young. I know teachers get summers off but that seems like the only answer people can come up with in my circle. I have also heard free-lance writer but I am still looking for any and all ideas. Please post with your input!

[Charles]

Self Employed
Professional Basketball, Football, and Hockey Players

Many companies provide three weeks paid leave. You might be able to do an unpaid week in addition.

[dick1973]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, will get you a month off every year, plus health benefits, Got a college degree, go in as an officer. But, you will pay a price for that month off!

[chet everett]

IT contractors often take month or so off to visit family in far off country then return to the original employer as the next phase of a complex effort is launched after the initial efforts have been beaten on for a while...

Similarly many trades people can take off a month or more (sometimes not exactly at their choosing) when things switch from one site to another or weather forces a project on hiatus.

Speaking of hiatus I believe TV shows routinely have extended breaks and thus all the worker bees can chill too.

[kodaka]

Some miners get this schedule, if they work in remote mines in places like Montana, Alaska, or Canada's Northwest territories. It doesn't apply to all miners; if there is a nearby town, they usually use a regular shift schedule. But I knew a few people from high school who went into gold mining and they had weeks on/weeks off.

[Pilgrim21784]

Federal employees annual leave:
0-3 years employment = 13 days; over 3 thru 15 years = 20 days; over 15 years = 26 days
Up to 30 days of annual leave may be accumulated and carried over for use in future years. Annual leave may be used for vacations or other personal reasons.

State/local governments - varies by entity, you'll have to check your area.

Private contractors: more than a few independent contractors routinely do less than full year gigs, working on a project by project basis and take multi-week vacations. Many consultants (IT, engineering, graphics design, CAD specialists,nursing, etc.) manage their workloads to allow ample time off.

Small business owners (a very, very tough gig by all accounts) seem to have a fair amount of flexibility in some cases, it all depends. Most that I know are "married" to the business and fret when they are away.

As you are aware, the usual leave pattern as an employee is commonly related to how long you've been on the job. I would guess that your best shot at having 4 plus weeks off per year (sans teaching) without putting in many years of employment would be as an independent contractor or small business owner. One serious factor in your favor is that more than a few occupations/emploment opportunities are moving towards temporary as opposed to permanent positions.

Another consideration is to look for seasonal activities, e.g., tax preparation, ski season or beach related work, etc. and combine that (if desired) with an "off season" activity, i.e., tax - teach a class at community college, tutoring, provide staging services for home sales, etc., etc. - there are many opportunities.

Another area possibly to explore if applicable to your background is to leverage foreign language/multi-cultural knowledge skill sets for commercial purposes, e.g., ESOL training, travel planning for foreigners visiting the US, etc..

Lastly, a skill or service based on telecommuting would be an area I would suggest you explore. Medical billing, editing, proof reading, .... just a few examples.

It obviously depends to a large extent on what income level is required/desired and what skills/service one can provide. Obviously in the current employment environment it will be more than usually tough to break in to a new activity. Hope that helps and best of luck.

[Opyelie]

Move to a country where a decent amount of paid vacation per year is the "norm".