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So you’re thinking of taking a year off? What does that mean?If you think it means catching up with Richard and Judy or being able to go out on a week night and get up late the next day or setting a world record for sitting on the sofa and sleeping as much as possible...THINK AGAIN! A year off doesn’t just mean not being in full-time education, it can offer you a great many opportunities and valuable experience before, during and after your higher education. |
Whatever you choose to do in your gap year it is very important that you research and plan your ideas. It is extremely important that before you even start planning your year out, you need to make sure that the course you are planning to do would encourage it. Some courses recommend that students do not take a year out as they will find it too difficult to get back into the subject on their return.
Once again, you will be spending a whole year of your life doing something that you need to enjoy, find interesting and useful and that will be of benefit to your future steps, be it university or your career after that.
Your main options are (be it in the UK or abroad):
Apart from earning some money, paid employment can also benefit students in other ways. Many courses and careers will see your work experience as advantageous and this will put you in a good position when participating in courses or competing for jobs when you leave university.
Employment during your year off is similar to jobseeking in general. It is varied and you may look for temporary or seasonal work, either in the UK or abroad. Some major organisations offer particular placements for GAP year students and others may be able to offer opportunities to work abroad. If you want to work abroad you may need to consider issues such as visa and permits and you would need to look into this when planning your activities.
Voluntary work is also a great way of gaining experience and new skills as well as meeting a range of people from a variety of backgrounds. Just because voluntary work is unpaid, this does not mean that voluntary organisations will take on anyone. You may find that some volunteering schemes, particularly those abroad will require you to come up with your own expenses etc. It is important that you do your research on what type of voluntary work you would like to do and the domestic arrangements.
No….I haven’t lost the plot!!
I know it sounds a bit weird to consider taking a year off to continue with study but this might be a great opportunity for you to study something a bit different or maybe study a subject that might compliment your future plans after higher education. For example if you are considering a business degree you might find it useful to get some office, computing or accountancy skills or even learn a new language as a complimentary skill / qualification to your main course subjects. You may find some good opportunities as a customer services manager after you’ve completed your degree, but you’ll have even more if you can speak Spanish or French also.
You could also consider studying something completely unrelated to your course or future career because you enjoy doing it, because it could help you earn some extra cash or because it’s something you’ve always been interested in!
Lifelong learning is important because everyone can benefit from learning new skills and gaining more qualifications and believe it or not………..it can be quite enjoyable as well!!
Travelling during your year out is not quite as easy as it sounds. It’s not like stepping onto a plane and flying off to Ibiza for two weeks. It would involve a lot of preparation, planning and in many cases CASH! In some of the above options we have looked at working abroad and some schemes will allow some time for travelling.
You need to think about where you want to go, costs, visas and permits, accommodation, transport, who you will go with, whether its organised or independent and much more. The positive side of travelling is that you will get to see some wonderful sites, meet lots of different people, experience different languages and cultures.
Whatever you do, you need to think about your year out carefully. Taking a year out can give you some time to think about your future. It can also give you some ideas. Getting work experience is similar to school. It will give you a good idea of whether you like the type of work and stand you in good stead for when you start applying for either courses or jobseeking when you leave university. Earning some money and gaining new skills is also useful and all of the options could really help you when it start your course and beyond.
Don’t forget, it is not easy having time out to trek across a mountain or have a regular income when you have to go back to the structure of university or college. Your friends may be a year ahead of you and you may be out of touch with your subject. You may find getting back into the routine of education difficult or you may be in debt when you start your course. You may have found that taking a year out to work was not as easy as you’d thought and you’d spent more time looking for a job than actually working.
There are loads of opportunities available when taking a year off. It is absolutely vital that you plan and research what you want to do. Talk to your parents, tutors and Connexions / Careers Advisers and make sure you have a look at the books available in you Careers / Connexions libraries which provide detailed information on the ‘year out’ options. When researching you can use the web to find out more and have a chat to someone you know who took a year out and find out how they got on. If you plan this year out carefully, it could be one of the best years of your life to look back on.
Good Luck!
Jennie Glitherow
Connexions Lincolnshire & Rutland
To get back to this page to use the links on it - enter http://www.careers-gateway.co.uk/mainpage.htm and click on Magazine then Mind The Gap!
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