Study leave

In principle, employees are entitled to study leave. If granting study leave would cause the employer significant inconvenience, the employer has the right to postpone the start date of the study leave by up to six months.

If the training programme in question is organised less frequently than every six months, the employer may postpone the study leave for no longer than until the start of the next corresponding training programme. The employer also has the right to postpone the study leave if less than six months have passed since the employee’s previous study leave and the employee does not intend to complete previously started studies or training during the new study leave.

Employees may postpone the taking of a study leave granted for a period longer than five days if this does not cause significant inconvenience to the employer. Any notifications of not taking granted study leave must be submitted to the employer no later than two weeks before the start of the study leave.

Employees may apply to postpone their study leave by up to one year at a time. Any notifications of not taking granted study leave and applications to postpone study leave must always be submitted in writing.

Study leave is granted by giving the employee one or more consecutive full days off during a predetermined period.

Study leave can also be granted by giving the employee parts of working days off or by dividing the study leave into several periods of leave, between which the employee is at work.

If they have been granted study leave for a period longer than 50 working days, the employee may interrupt the study leave and return to work. The employee must notify the employer of the interruption of study leave four weeks before returning to work. Any notifications of or requests for interruption of study leave must be made in writing.

If the employer has hired a substitute for the duration of the study leave, the employer is not obligated to take the employee back on before the end of the study leave.

If the employee is unable to work for more than seven days during a period of study leave due to illness, childbirth or accident, any days exceeding seven days are not counted as part of the study leave. The employee must request this from the employer without delay. The employee can apply to take the rest of the interrupted study leave at a later date, as long as they take it within five years of the first day of the study leave. At the employer’s request, the employee must provide a certificate of their incapacity for work.