6 Jobs That Get the Most Days Off

Full-time work involves a lot of time investment.

If you’re someone who travels a lot, it might be best to know what careers offer the most days off ahead of time, so you know what to focus on when you’re pouring through listings. Job postings don’t usually say much about vacation time and schedule, but if you do your research beforehand, you can know what the right career is for you. 

Luckily, not every decent-paying job requires grueling, year-round work days. There are positions out there that offer good salaries and also allow you to take the time off that you want. You just have to look at them next time you’re cruising Indeed, Linkedin or a regional job sites local to you. Here are just a few examples of good careers that get more days off in a year than most other jobs.


Not every library job is the same, but elementary and secondary school librarians are subject to the same time off as any other position that follows a district calendar. This means summers and holidays off. Sometimes, they may have even more days off and work shorter days than teachers and other staff.

Librarians can make up to $27 an hour, or $54,500 a year. This career has even been described by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best jobs to pursue. A library media science college degree is required before obtaining the position.

Programmer Analyst

According to PayScale’s website, the median annual salary for a programmer analyst is $64,000 a year. This career, which involves writing and analyzing code and testing programs, often has up to three weeks of vacation time a year. Monster lists this position as one of the careers with the most vacation time available for employees. With that time, you can plan either one large international vacation or three small ones a year.


It takes a lot of time and effort to become a judge. The career requires a law degree, a Bar certificate, and years of experience working as an attorney. But eventually, the work does pay off. The annual salary of a judge can be as high as $140,000, but to earn this much you will be stuck with a packed work schedule.

If you want to get a lot of time off as a judge, the trick is working in a small jurisdiction. Judges who work in small courts often are only employed part-time but can still make as much as $60,000 a year.


If you want to make a high salary as an educator, your best bet is becoming a principal or education administrator by earning an administration degree. Principals can earn an average annual salary of $90,000, with almost the exact same time off as the district calendar, meaning time off in the summer and extended holidays.

In general, a teacher’s salary is on the lower side, but there are summers off and a spring and winter vacation. This can total to around three months off a year for post-secondary teaching positions. However, those weeks in which you are working will be very hectic and packed. 

Speech-Language Pathologist

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a speech-language pathologist earns $74,000 per year on average. This career involves working with patients to correct stutters and speech impediments, and the majority of speech-language pathologists are employed in schools and work with students. Like with any job in an elementary or secondary school setting, this means summers and holidays off.

Speech-language pathologists who aren’t employed by school districts often have the ability to set their own appointments, which means there can be a lot of schedule flexibility.

Aircraft Pilot

If the idea of flying a plane interests you, as well as fewer work hours than the average worker, then becoming a pilot for an airline might be the career to aspire toward. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that aircraft pilots limit flying time to 100 hours a month, in order to not overexert pilots. In the end, including other work duties, that’s 50 percent less hours than the average worker.

Pilots have a median annual income of $103,210. Their work schedules do vary a lot, and often there are stretches of long shifts away from home, followed by days off.

Tech and Startup

While not true everywhere, generally tech companies have attractive vacation standards.

Some companies just offer extensive vacation options as part of employment with them to find a better work-life balance. A lot of these companies advertise an “unlimited vacation” policy, though it doesn’t exactly mean that.

This practice is common in the tech and startup communities in order to attract a high-level of talent and to keep employees on board as the companies reach their growth goals.