Jobs with Long Vacations

Published by julia | Filed under Market Trends, Miscellaneous, Shout Outs

Compared with workers in other countries, Americans work too much. We take little time off for rest and pleasure. More than half of us don’t use any vacation time at all, adding up to more than 421 million unused vacation days a year. We’re workaholics.

Most Americans only earn on average 14 vacation days a year, compared with our Italian counterparts (42 days a year), the French (37), Germans (35), and Canadians (26). Even the Japanese–long considered the most over-worked people on Earth–average 25 vacation days a year. No wonder American job burnout is common from coast to coast.

Fortunately, not everyone lives to work. State and federal employees enjoy ten paid holidays a year, along with earned vacation time. If you’re not employed by the government, consider training for careers (that offer generous holidays, flexible schedules, or ample down time. Comparatively speaking, the following occupations afford American workers a fair share of vacation days:

Teachers and School Administrators

The notion that teachers have the entire summer off is a myth. They work after the students leave to complete grading, additional training, and class preparation. However, many American teachers have ten paid holidays, spring and winter breaks, and at least a month off in the summer.

Career training begins by earning your bachelor’s degree, then completing either a teaching credential or master’s degree program. You can do it all through online colleges, too. Secondary school teachers earn on average $52,450 a year, but time off is invaluable.

Holistic Health Professional

Alternative medicine is rapidly becoming part of mainstream health care. Holistic health care professionals typically join an existing practice or manage their own business, which means that you may work hard, but you also work smart, setting your own hours. Prepare for a rewarding career by taking online courses in natural health, nutrition, or massage therapy. There are associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees available.

Love the tropics? Holistic health pros often organize retreats or workshops at spas, resorts, and on cruises. Team up with other body workers, nutritionists, or natural healers to cover your client appointments while you enjoy extended leave. The national average wage for health care practitioners in 2007 was $65,020.

Freelance Game Designer

As many a game designer will tell you, game development companies only produce a few titles a year. A production may take four months to complete, with work piling up at burn-out levels as the game advances deep into the production schedule. That’s why companies find it advantageous to hire designers on a freelance basis. Do the job and you’ll be asked back again when another idea hits the table.

That means plenty of time between gigs to relax at the beach. Train for this career through a computer science or graphic design program, earning an associate or bachelor’s degree. Multimedia artists earned on average $61,010 last year.

Business Consultant

Business management consultants belong to one of the fastest-growing, highest-paying career groups. It’s a great profession for entrepreneurs who want to work on a freelance basis, taking on strategic clients, conducting corporate research, or delivering workshops on topics such as process flow or change management.

Consider adding an MBA to your existing business or computer science credentials. Focus on human resource, financial, technical, and administrative management. Business management professionals averaged $96,150 a year in 2007. Combine business and pleasure by conducting training workshops at hotels and resorts. Play golf. It may be tax deductible.

Convention and Tourism Planner

If you can’t take time for a vacation, why not pursue a career where your job is actually an extended tour in paradise? Hotel managers and convention planners help corporate clients book long business meetings at luxurious accommodations in resorts and spas. Your work will seem like a juggling act, but you’ll be ideally situated to get the most of your off hours and long weekends. When the dust settles from a major booking, you can use compensation time for swimming and tanning.

There are a wide range of online hospitality career training programs, leading to associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in travel, tourism, fine dining, and hotel management. Employment in of full-service luxury hotels, casinos, and resorts is predicted to grow by 14 percent during the decade of 2006-2016.

When considering these careers, remember that most of the country takes the day off on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day–and in many cases, so will you!

By Gabby Hyman