Why not do something that could make a real difference to you and your school. Whether you fancy an exchange down under, a chance to don an Oxbridge gown or an insight into industry, somewhere out there is a scheme for you. But where?

Exchange is as good as a rest?

A teacher exchange is a straightforward job swap. You step into someone else's shoes, and they step into yours. The trick is to make sure you're the same shoe size. Finding an appropriate exchange partner means thinking about everything from term dates to exchange rates. If you end up teaching a radically different syllabus, you may spend weekends cramming your subject instead of seeing the sights.

Fortunately, there are several organisations to act as matchmaker and help with the practical details. But if you think you can swap your one-bedroom terrace for a sprawling Californian villa with its own pool, think again. The criteria for exchanges are geared towards making a seamless swap rather than bagging an exotic holiday, and it's usually about benefits for your school as much as topping up your tan. "There's not only the advantage of having an overseas visitor in school to give an international flavour," says Christine Miller, head of programmes at the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers.

"It's an opportunity to bring together best practice from many countries."

Making a difference

The challenge of teaching classes of up to 120 children with few resources and a long walk home to a local shack is something a lot of teachers think about - then dismiss. But your teaching skills are nowhere more valuable, or valued, than in the developing world.

If you're a qualified primary school teacher with at least two years' experience, the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) wants to hear from you. Shorter placements like those offered by VSO  should ease negotiations on a sabbatical arrangement, so you can return to your old job after a spell abroad.

Just give me a break!

God only had to work six days for his first sabbatical; you'll probably have to put in at least ten years. The word "sabbatical" refers to anything connected with the sabbath, or day of rest. It was in the 1800s that the word took on its more secular meaning of a period of leave earned by long service. Sadly, the days when sabbaticals offered a complete break from the day job have largely disappeared; most grants nowadays come with work-related strings attached.

But there is a glorious exception. The Goldsmiths' Company's mid-career refreshment grant is specifically for projects with no obvious link to the classroom.

"The aim of these grants", according to the company website, "... is to give full-time teachers with more than 10 years' classroom experience an opportunity to get away from school and explore a personal interest or passion, preferably unconnected with their specialist subjects, thereby providing refreshment and a chance to recharge batteries mid-way through their teaching careers."

Doing the business

Placements in business and industry are popular with teachers who hanker after a taste of the outside world. "It's a chance to lift your head above the parapet and test yourself against the best," says Richard Harkness, former head of Ercall Wood technology college in Telford, who had a year's secondment to the Department of Transport and Industry's future and innovation unit. Heads, Teachers and Industry (HTI) organises around 50 business placements a year, lasting between six weeks and 12 months. 

Jolly good fellowships

Ever struggled to find the book you want, or somewhere quiet to work? Then swapping the mayhem of the school corridor for the cloistered calm of an Oxbridge quadrangle may give you the facilities and breathing space you need.

With an emphasis on personal academic research, Oxford and Cambridge schoolteacher fellowships typically come with no teaching responsibilities, just accommodation, food and a free run of the libraries.

But it's not all grouse and claret. The fellowships are intended for those who teach the 16-18 age group, and the idea is to break down preconceptions and encourage applications from the maintained sector.

Most colleges offer some kind of placement, but there's no centralised process for applying. If it's something you fancy, it's worth ringing round admissions offices. The scheme isn't widely known and some colleges struggle to fill places.

Ask and it shall be given?

Although UK teachers still lack a coherent, centralised scheme, it's possible to make your own ideas work. And remember, if there's something you really want to do, there's nothing to stop you approaching your head and asking for unpaid leave. Indeed, in Northern Ireland, the careers break scheme allows teachers to apply for up to three years' unpaid leave, with their job kept open for their return.

But wherever you teach, if you give the school enough warning and make a convincing case for professional benefits, you might be pleasantly surprised.