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I have three months leave that I want to use in order to take a job at another firm. I want to use my leave to keep my current job in case the new one doesn't work out. Is this the correct way to write my letter of intent?

It is to inform you that I have been selected by a company abroad as a software engineer and expecting to join in a week or two.

It was truly an honour to serve [Company Name] for the five long years of my career where I have learned to be a true professional and shared a great bond with wonderful colleagues. I wish [Company Name] the best success in the future.

Kindly let me know to whom I should transfer the projects?.

Also, consider this as my 3 months leave which shall be transformed into resignation automatically after that much time period if I don't join back.

Kindly acknowledge.

Regards, XXXXXX Sr. Software Engineer XXXXXX

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    You can quit the job to join the company abroad. If you don't want to quit yet, just want to take a leave. I think you'll need your manager's approval for that. You sound like you own this company and you can do anything you want with it.
    – Nobody
    Feb 22, 2019 at 7:53
  • @scaaahu: a correction would be much appreciated.
    – Aamir Zaki
    Feb 22, 2019 at 8:01
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    The correct way is to quit the current job, join the job abroad. If the job abroad is no good, re-apply the job to see if they will take you back.
    – Nobody
    Feb 22, 2019 at 8:22
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    This whole situation seems a little weird. Even if the company values you and would happily have you back in three months time, you still run the risk that they'll find someone just as valuable as you while you are gone (someone who isn't likely to just take three months out with the possibility of not returning). You should definitely get written confirmation of the situation - it sounds like you're expecting that if you just don't come back, you won't have to serve notice? Get that in writing, more importantly find out if the company expects to be able to not take you back with no notice.
    – delinear
    Feb 22, 2019 at 8:37
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    What is the new company's view on you holding another position while being employed by them?
    – ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
    Feb 22, 2019 at 8:41

3 Answers 3

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So you want to test-ride a girlfriend / boyfriend abroad while your current partner is waiting for your decision after 3 months ?!

Do you see how preposterous your proposition is?

Neither parties will have incentive to get into this agreement, especially your current employer.

You can't just try out a company and leave.

You need to sign a contract (usually exclusive) and if you want to leave again, you resign with notice period according to contract.

Neither can you just expect a company to keep your chair warm while you're out galavanting.

Your old employer will have replaced you by then and if they'd take you back you'd not have the same position unless you're one of the many "grunt" workers.

The chances that you however burnt that bridge are fairly high.

The only way to "get in bed" with both companies (if they agree) is to become a freelancer or a company providing service.

But that means you're not part of them, you'll be an external, project based contractor with its own advantages and pitfalls.

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You have to be very careful. As I understand, you will have two contracts for two jobs at two different companies at the same time, for three months.

With this situation:

  • you can break at least one of the contracts / company regulations (very likely);
  • you can break country laws regarding work and employment in at least one of the countries (also very likely);
  • everything can be just fine (quite unlikely);

While it is OK to take long leaves from a company for a large array of reasons, getting another job is not one of these reasons (not usually, at least).

In the best case, you are just in a the middle of a conflict of interests. In any particular situation, which company will you respect and which one will you betray?

In the worst case, I do not even want to brainstorm.

I was in almost the same situation: new job, different country, different company, 3 months probation period... The only legal thing I could do was to quit previous job and take the chance. Everything ended up OK, I am still at the "new" (already old) job.

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    +1. If the existing company would definitely take OP back after 3 months, then the safest thing would seem to be to quit the existing role on the understanding that there's an open offer to return (with continuation of service, if that matters) after 3 months. This is effectively the same deal that OP already has, except it protects all three parties from conflicts of interest.
    – delinear
    Feb 22, 2019 at 9:10
  • The is a small chance that both companies will agree to some solution where employment at company 1 is not lost during the probation period - for the benefit of the continuity of the contract in case of unsuccessful probation. But the chances are slim, because there is quite some amount of legal work and significant risk involved for all parties.
    – virolino
    Feb 22, 2019 at 9:13
  • Agreed, and in this instance, it seems like the overseas company wouldn't really have any kind of incentive to enter into such an agreement. They would have to spend time and money, getting their legal department involved etc, on top of the time and money they will spend on-boarding OP, just so that they can give him the opportunity to safely leave if he doesn't like the new role. Unless OP has been head-hunted by the new company as some kind of industry rockstar ninja guru, the chances of them going for this seem infinitely tiny, and it might just be a deal breaker if he mentions it.
    – delinear
    Feb 22, 2019 at 10:16
  • "rockstar ninja guru" :))) I was recruited for a position almost like "rockstar ninja guru" by the company itself (no headhunters, no CV, nothing - they just found my info on the net). Even so, I was not able to pull anything, except quit one place and then join the other.
    – virolino
    Feb 22, 2019 at 10:20
  • There may also be tax implications of having two jobs at once.
    – Smock
    Feb 22, 2019 at 12:34
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This is what sabbatical leaves are for. Your current contract would be suspended for the duration of the sabbatical leave, and then be active again.

During this time, you can have another contract, or travel the world. I know of a few people that took a sabbatical leave, for 3 to 6 months, and then came back. Other never came back.

But of course, your current employer may not accept a request for a sabbatical leave.

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