CAT3A,
I've followed but stayed out of (despite an interest in) the discussion of things at Ek since I'm not particularly qualified to express an opinion. However, I do have a question about the issue of leaving there without a job in hand since gaps in employment history will likely have to be explained downstream and can have an impact on career management strategy.
Job hunting under the best of circumstances is a difficult, fickle and capricious affair. If one leaves EK with no job in hand just "because", takes a few months off just "because" and then sets about applying various places which can take an additional few months, will the total gap in employment be viewed as a negative by the next potential interviewer ?
Bad mouthing a previous employer is an obvious no-no in an interview (it is here and widely acknowledged as deal killer). How does one explain leaving EK because it was just so bad you couldn't take it any longer and setting oneself adrift with no job without having to take EK's inventory in a very negative way and risk being viewed as a problem child in the process (you apparently aren't) ?
I'm not sure I'd trust that person on the other side of the desk to be familiar with and/or sympathetic to the explanation…which you don't actually want to openly "explain"…for why you left your last employer with no job in hand.
Best of luck to you.