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Section 2: Exploring your options
This section should take you 20 to 30 minutes. We recommend that you work through the
section from beginning to end without a break.
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A POSSIBLE PLAN FOR AN OVERSEAS YEAR OUT
EXPERIENCE
For most students a gap year lasts 15 months from finishing A levels/IB/BTEC in June to starting
university in September the following year.
We suggest that within this time frame a gap year should have three components:
(1) Fundraising (it’s a valuable experience).
(2) A project in a working situation (we suggest 2 to 3 months minimum if you want to
make a difference).
(3) Independent travel (inexpensive unless you want to go globe-trotting).
You could be back in the UK around June for the summer holiday jobs season.
Mini Gaps and Maxi Gaps.
MINI GAP EXPERIENCES
Most gap organisations offer short projects from 2 weeks to 3 months.
These can be taken during the summer between exams and starting university, and during
university vacations.
We recommend you give the project as long as you can spare. The more you put in, the more
satisfaction and enjoyment you will gain.
MAXI GAP EXPERIENCES
Other organisations require commitment for up to a year.
Project Trust sends volunteers abroad for 8 or 12 months to work in schools and on social care
projects. (Website: www.projecttrust.org.uk)
The Year in Industry placements usually last 11 months. (Website: www.yini.org.uk)
Don't be put off by the length of these programmes. They are very highly regarded by
universities and employers.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO GO STRAIGHT
TO UNIVERSITY?
These are the main options:
Teaching Overseas
Community Work Worldwide
Here are some organisations that offer teaching and community work overseas:
Africa & Asia Venture: www.aventure.co.uk
Karen Hilltribes Trust: www.karenhilltribes.org.uk
Lattitude Global Volunteering: www.lattitude.org.uk
Outreach International: www.outreachinternational.co.uk
Oyster Worldwide: www.oysterworldwide.com
Projects Abroad: www.projects-abroad.co.uk
Project Trust: www.projecttrust.org.uk
The Leap: www.theleap.co.uk
Expeditions and conservation work worldwide
Here are some organisations which offer expeditions and conservation work overseas:
African Conservation Experience: www.conservationafrica.net
British Exploring Society: www.bses.org.uk
Conservation Volunteers Australia / New Zealand:
www.conservationvolunteers.com/au,
www.conservationvolunteers.co.nz.
GAPFORCE: www.gapforce.org
Madventurer: www.madventurer.com
Quest Overseas: www.questoverseas.com
Raleigh International: www.raleighinternational.org
The Leap: www.theleap.co.uk
Caring for the disadvantaged (UK or overseas)
UK opportunities:
Community Service Volunteers: www.csv.org.uk. CSV places applicants with a wide range of charities
and other volunteering organisations in the UK.
L’Arche: www.larche.org.uk
Overseas opportunities: Look at organisations listed above under ‘Teaching Overseas’ and
‘Community Work Worldwide’, and also:
Latin Link: www.stepteams.org
Travellers Worldwide: www.travellersworldwide.com
Paid UK placements in engineering, finance and management
Organisations offering placements
The Year in Industry: www.yini.org.uk
Deloitte: www.deloitte.co.uk/scholars
IBM: www.com/start/uk/gapyear
Working with children: au pair, summer camps, activity centres
Some organisations offering paid gap year opportunities working with children:
BUNAC: www.bunac.org
Camp Leaders: www.campleaders.com
Childcare International: www.childint.co.uk
PGL Travel: www.pgl.co.uk/gapyear
IST Plus: www.istplus.com
Skills development: IT, office, business, languages
Some organisations offering these opportunities:
Projects Abroad: www.projects-abroad.co.uk
Travellers Worldwide: www.travellersworldwide.com
The Leap (Intern + Volunteer programmes): www.theleap.co.uk
Sports and Outdoor Pursuits: play, be coached, coach children
Some organisations offering opportunities in sport and outdoor pursuits:
Africa & Asia Venture: www.aventure.co.uk
Sporting Opportunities: www.sportingopportunities.com
Sport Lived: www.sportlived.co.uk
SPORTFORCE: www.gapforce.org
Projects Abroad: www.projects-abroad.co.uk
Project Trust (for Outward Bound): www.projecttrust.org.uk
Work & travel programmes: N America, OZ & NZ, China, Russia
Some organisations offering overseas paid work opportunities:
Bunac: www.bunac.org
Gap Year Canada: www.gapyearcanada.com
New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme: www.immigration.govt.nz/ukwhs
Oyster Worldwide: www.oysterworldwide.com
IST Plus: www.istplus.com
Career experience: medical, law, journalism, tourism, veterinary, etc (UK or overseas)
Some organisations offering career experience schemes:
Global Volunteer Projects: www.globalvolunteerprojects.org
The Leap (Intern + Volunteer programme): www.theleap.co.uk
Also The Year in Industry, Accountancy firms, Projects Abroad, Travellers Worldwide and others.
Some specialist opportunities include:
Art History courses in Italy
Art History Abroad: www.arthistoryabroad.com
John Hall Venice Course: www.johnhallvenice.co.uk
Cookery courses
Orchards School of Cookery: www.orchardscookery.co.uk
Leiths School of Food and Wine: www.leiths.com
Archaeology
Archaeology Abroad: www.britarch.ac.uk/archabroad
Drama at Stratford-on-Avon
Year Out Drama: www.yearoutdrama.com
Ski & water sports instructor courses
Peak Leaders: www.peakleaders.com
NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard: www.nonstopski.com
Gap Year Canada: www.gapyearcanada.com
Ticket to Ride and Base Camp: www.ttride.co.uk
Flying Fish (Watersports): www.flyingfishonline.com
WHY TAKE A GAP YEAR?
Gain skills and experiences that universities and employers are looking for.
“It really helped in my university interview that I was planning on spending a month at Moholoholo Wildlife
Rehabilitation Centre. It was great experience for my future career too.” Elizabeth, Africa Conservation Experience
“Now I’m applying for jobs within the social sector with renewed confidence and a CV that bursts from the seams
with the skills I have developed. I feel as though I can talk quite happily about my achievements and about what I
can bring to the table for potential employers.”
Kate, CSV
“The AHA courses I went on were definitely influential in helping me gain my place at university, and indeed sparking
the love of the subject that made me want to apply in the first place.” Student, Art History Abroad
Independence & confidence and a sense of achievement
“My gap year gave me the time to pick up new skills and qualifications and helped to guide my career choices. The
biggest impact my gap year had on me was increased confidence and maturity.” Rupert, Africa & Asia Venture
“I feel like I grew so much as a person, gaining confidence and maturity. My parents looked over my photos and were
amazed and proud of what I did.”
Haley, Africa Conservation Experience
A chance to rethink your future
“It was an awesome summer experience that gave me the drive and motivation to train to be a primary school
teacher.”
Emma, PGL
“Taking a gap year gave me an extremely valuable experience to really think about what I want to do with the rest
of my life. While in Japan I withdrew from medicine and have accepted an offer from UCL to study chemistry. Had I
not taken one I would have spent a lot of time and money on a degree that wasn't right for me.”
Flora, Lattitude Global Volunteering, worked in a Japanese hospital
(Editor’s note: Many students realise during their gap year that they have made the wrong choice of higher
education course, and they change their UCAS application. Consequently they are less likely to drop out of
university. The student quoted above is an example.)
You will get more out of university
“Meeting so many new people on my gap year and having so many different experiences set me up really well for
starting uni. I think the biggest bonus for me was the confidence boost it gave me - I wasn’t afraid to dive straight into
the social life, and in my seminars I wasn’t afraid to pipe up and give my opinions”
Laura, The Leap, Kenya
“I gained knowledge useful for my degree, got sponsored through uni, and have a year of work experience on my
CV.”
Joseph, The Year in Industry
Learn new skills
“It was a totally different experience from anything I’d get at home. I was lucky to get some hands-on experience and
saw diseases that we vaccinate against in the UK, but never come across, even one case of rabies.”
Mary-Rose, Projects Abroad, veterinary experience in India
Improve your employment prospects
“If you look at the ‘buzz’ words for any application form or job interview, you can relate them to a gap year
experience: teamwork, leadership, initiative, independence, creativity, resourcefulness, motivation.”
Amy, Lattitude
Making a difference to others and getting things into perspective
“I never imagined that our presence in the townships could have such a huge impact on the kids and be so greatly
appreciated. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Matt, Sporting Opportunities, Football Coaching in South Africa
“Visiting Africa was the best thing I ever did - it has broadened my outlook on life helped me to realise how lucky I
am to have an education and good start in life”
Carole, The Leap
Fun and new friends
“My gap year was life-changing! I met some amazing people, made life-long friends and improved myself as a person”
Charlie, The Leap
“Being paid to have fun while becoming more employable; what's not to love?”
Will, Year in Industry, Kohler Mira Ltd
New experiences and a chance to see new places
“Volunteering in my gap year was an absolutely fantastic, inspiring way to travel and see the places in the world you
can only dream of. It was an experience which can never, and will never be forgotten”
Jenna, The Leap
“Becoming accepted as a member of a rural Malawian village was an incredible experience. Smiles and laughter
surrounded us as the women taught me to cook ‘nsima’ and weave mats and the children taught me to pound
maize and play ‘fishi-fishi’.”
Isla, Project Trust, taught in Malawi
Learn more about yourself
“I took a Gap year to Australia to experience the world on my terms before throwing myself into university life. After
the secure environment of home and school, my gap year gave me the freedom to become me!”
George, BUNAC, worked in Australia
“I’ve learnt a lot about myself, others and different cultures during my time away. I’ve learnt that I’m really
comfortable in social situations and that I can happily talk to anyone, despite any language barriers.”
Elizabeth, Raleigh, expedition to India
If your parents have concerns about you taking a gap year, there is a paper ‘For
Parents’ in the zip file. You can print it and take it home to them.
FINANCING YOUR GAP YEAR PROJECT:
We believe that the organizations which we recommend are not overcharging.
Many people are put off by the high cost of gap year projects. Don’t be. It may seem daunting, but
the experience of raising the money you need is all part of the challenge.
SOME OPTIONS WHICH CAN PAY FOR THEMSELVES
Industrial / commercial placements: paid professional work placements sometimes include a
travel grant.
Social / caring work in the UK: food, accommodation and pocket money will often be provided.
Working with children: for a USA children’s camp, food, accommodation and an allowance are
usually provided.
'Work and Travel' programmes Australia, New Zealand, Canada or China.
OPTIONS FOR WHICH FEES ARE PAYABLE
Teaching / community work overseas
Expeditions / conservation work
Career experience overseas (but some placements may be in paid work)
Outdoor pursuits and sport
Skills courses
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Most overseas volunteering projects: £2000 to £5000 (depending on length of project, air fares,
in-country cost of living).
Extended career experience overseas: similar cost to volunteering overseas.
For travel after the project: a few hundred £s (accommodation and transport are cheap, unless
you go globe-trotting).
Children's camps abroad: registration and visa fees, air fare, local travel costs.
Ski, snowboard, watersports: can be expensive.
HOW COULD YOU RAISE THE MONEY?
This is an optional question.
Suppose you had to raise £3000 by December of your year out. How would you go about this?
HOW TO RAISE THE MONEY
Paid work for part of the year: most volunteers raise most of the money this way.
Work as you travel: look at BUNAC, Oyster Worldwide, Gap Year Canada,
Working Holidays in New Zealand, IST Plus.
Fundraising: sponsored events, supermarket bag packing, cake sales, etc.
Letters to businesses: try to offer something back for their support.
Rotary Clubs, Round Table, Lions may sponsor you for projects that they regard as
charitable.
Travel bursaries (does your school/college offer them?)
Look for organisations that offer help and advice on fundraising.
If you sign up with an organisation that is a registered charity, this may give you
access to grants from other charities.
Fundraising guide: this document is available in the zip file containing the
programme.
DON'T ASK YOUR PARENTS TO PAY!
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR GAP YEAR
ORGANISATION
There are excellent dedicated organisations, many of them charities that have existed for many
years.
There are other organisations and programmes that we do not support. This may be because we
regard them as too profit-motivated, or there may be safety issues, or they may be too new for us
to assess them.
We monitor the gap year market. Our database (available in the zip file containing
this programme) lists reputable organisations that we recommend, but we offer
no guarantees. You must do your own research.
Follow these steps:
(1) Decide what you want to do and look at several organisations that match your interests.
See our database of recommended organisations (in the zip file ).
(2) Get contact details of past participants.
(3) Talk to them and ask all the searching questions you can think of, such as:
- Was there a selection process?
- Did they receive training before they started?
- Were they given support with their fundraising?
- Were they met on arrival?
- Was there in-country support?
- What work did they do?
- What accommodation was provided?
- Did they feel safe?
- Was it value for money?
AN OPTIONAL EXERCISE:
If you are considering taking a year out, we suggest that you make a first attempt at allocating the
fifteen months (July to September in the following year) between various activities (holidays,
family commitments, travelling, fundraising, paid work, projects, other activities). It does not have
to follow the 3-part outline we suggested earlier (fundraising+project+travelling); you may want to
do things in a different order, and to fit in other things. It does not have to be planned month-bymonth, but it does need approximate timings.
We think you will find this a useful exercise, and we would be happy to comment on it.
Now please ask us how we may help.
EXAMPLES OF THE SORTS OF QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK:
I’m thinking about taking a gap year but I don’t know what I want to do. How do I start looking
into it?
I want to work with wildlife in Africa. Can you suggest good organisations?
I’m applying for medical school. Would a gap year help my application?
I have found this gap year organisation on the internet. What do you know about it?
I’ve decided I want to go with (name of an organisation) but it’s going to cost £…… Can you give
me some ideas on fundraising?
Visit our annual Gap Year Fairs where you will meet representatives of
the organisations that we recommend:
gapyearfairs.lockhart@virgin.net.