"We Americans...with the shortest vacations in the developed world..." --Rick Steves

[Violet_Crumble]

28. I work for the Australian govt, and we've got that sort of thing too...

It's not as fantastic as it sounds on first glance. What happens is the four years of work get paid at a reduction of 20% and the amount put aside by the employer over those four years is paid out in the fifth year when yr taking the break. Long Service Leave is far better. Once you've been working at the same place for ten years you get given three months long service leave, and there's no pay reduction or anything like that...

That probably didn't make sense, so here's the bit from my work's enterprise agreement.

Sabbatical Leave



An employee whose sabbatical leave application is approved receives one years' Sabbatical Leave by agreeing to forgo 20% of their eligible salary on each payday in each of the four years immediately prior to going on one years' sabbatical leave.


During the sabbatical year employees will be paid an amount equivalent to the amounts forgone from salary for the previous four years, in equal fortnightly instalments.