You will not get EI when you are away(in your case).
your EI will be stopped
1) at the end of a year after you get your first EI payment OR
2) you receive all your EI payment(about 9 months)
For example, if you are away for 5 months, you will get your EI payment for only 7 months.
I suggest you to go to HDRC to get the official answer if you really need accurate answer. Good luck.