Gap year
Why take a gap year?
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A gap year involves taking time out either before going to university, during your course or afterwards. You can travel, work or volunteer (or a combination of these) in another country or in the UK. In the current economic climate it is important to make productive use of your time out, with a focus on developing your skills and gaining valuable experience to further your career.
Taking a gap year can help you to:
Develop your skills
- gain relevant work experience, either by paid work or volunteering;
- improve your employability by developing skills such as organisation, communication, teamwork and using initiative. See Real Gap Experience
for a list of transferable skills that can be gained from gap year experiences;
- improve existing skills, e.g. foreign languages or IT;
- learn new skills, such as teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), scuba diving, skiing or snowboarding;
- stretch yourself by trying a new challenge or experience, such as trekking or volunteering in a developing country.
Shape your career path
A gap year can inform your decisions about your future career by helping you to:
- develop maturity and independence;
- gain new insights about yourself;
- take time to decide what to do in the future.
If you are taking time out before or during your course, use the break to help you to return refreshed and ready to study again. Universities usually welcome this as it can broaden your horizons and help you to develop a more mature attitude to independent study.
Impress employers
It is important to plan a constructive gap year with your future career goals in mind. Activities and experiences from structured and planned time out can be used to:
- boost key skills on your CV to increase your chances of getting a job or course interview;
- help you to consider and research your career options, showing potential employers your commitment to a specific career area;
- step out of your comfort zone, showing initiative and determination by working or travelling abroad;
- appreciate global issues;
- gain a working knowledge of a language.
Be aware of the risks
Although time out can provide many benefits, it is important to be aware of the risks and challenges of taking a gap year. These include:
- the costs involved and the likelihood of increasing your debts, especially if you participate in an organised gap year programme straight after graduation;
- the increasing numbers of gap year organisations to choose from. You will need to assess which operate ethically and weigh up the benefits of what you will get for your money;
- focusing too much on fun and relaxation, which may not add any value to your CV from an employer’s perspective.
Top tips
- Do your research - speak to people who have been on a gap year and join online forums.
- Take time to plan and prepare - it can take 9-12 months to plan and raise the funds.
- Don’t think of your gap year as a break from your career. Keep in mind how you will capitalise on the skills and experiences gained to boost your CV.
- Use the time to make contacts and develop networks that could help you in your future career.
- Think about your existing skills and how you could use them, e.g. mentoring, sport, first aid certificate, language skills, childcare skills.
Gap year abroad
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A gap year abroad can range from volunteering in a developing country or travelling around the world, to an internship or paid work, or a period of study. Some gap year organisations offer packages to combine gaining valuable experience and skills through working or volunteering with fun or travel.
Where to go
- If you are an EU national, you will be able to travel to and work in other EU countries without a visa or work permit.
- Anywork Anywhere
has a chart showing countries worldwide which have working holiday agreements or temporary work visas available to people aged between 18 and 30.
- Match the destination to your goals. Do you want to be challanged, experience a totally different culture, make a difference in a developing country or visit specific sights?
- Consider countries where you can use or develop your language skills.
Visit country profiles to find out about working and studying in over 50 countries across the world.
When to go
You will need to take into account:
- seasonal work opportunities, e.g. ski instructing or agricultural work - see Season Workers
for more information;
- seasonal variations in climate in the countries of interest;
- festivals and religious observances, as these can affect the availability of accommodation and services.
Working abroad
Paid work
According to the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE), there is a growing need for graduates to demonstrate competencies which equip them to work in a global environment, such as working in different countries, in multicultural teams and using language skills. Identify vacancies abroad at the Jobs Abroad Bulletin
, Go Abroad
and Anywork Anywhere
. The ‘Work Abroad’ section on GapYear.com
is also useful.
Working and travelling
You may wish to work your way around the world or work to finance a period of travel. Working in a country can give you a deeper insight into the culture than just travelling through. Many organisations such as Gapwork
and BUNAC
sell starter packages to settle you into new country. This can include organising a bank account, medical insurance and accommodation on arrival, and helping you to find a job when you arrive.
Internships
Although internships do not usually pay a salary beyond immediate expenses, they provide more specialised training and experience than general voluntary work. Check Intern Abroad
, Global Vision International (GVI)
, Europlacement
and StandOut
for ideas.
See types of work abroad for further information.
Volunteering abroad
There are opportunities for voluntary work across a range of career areas. Projects Abroad
is a good starting point for ideas.
Should I use a gap year provider?
- Gap year companies can provide expertise in organising quality experiences that may be difficult or time-consuming to arrange on your own, including checking out safety issues, applying for visas, providing support with culture shock and settling in, and offering 24-hour emergency backup during a project.
- Check what you get for your money and compare between companies. For example, insurance, flights and medical expenses are not usually included.
- Talk to companies and seek feedback from people who have used them to assess the company’s suitability and reliability.
- Research the ethical stance of organisations that interest you. For example, how beneficial is the project to the local area? Where does your money go to? See Ethical Volunteering
for advice.
Lists of gap year providers can be found on Gapadvice
and GapYear.com
and some organisations are listed in gap year opportunities.
See volunteering for further information.
Travelling
Issues to consider include:
- Alone or in a group? - GapYear.com
acts as a social networking site, with message boards on which you can find a travel mate or share gap year ideas. For a small fee you can find suitable travel companions from Companions 2 Travel
. Travelling Alone
offers advice for lone travellers.
- Accommodation - use the Gap-year.com
guide to hostels in different countries, Hostelbookers
or hostelz.com
to find suitable budget accommodation.
- Booking tickets - discounted student travel tickets, including round-the-world flight tickets, are available from a range of providers. For specialist student travel advice, visit STA Travel
.
Studying abroad
This can vary from a year away to study before, during or after your degree, to a short-term summer programme. For general guidance, including information about sources of funding, go to Studying at an Overseas University
or UKCISA: UK Council for International Student Affairs
.
For both undergraduate and postgraduate students, the Erasmus
exchange programme provides study opportunities in partnership with European universities as part of your degree or postgraduate study.
For further information, see guide to studying abroad.
Gap year in the UK
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Working, volunteering or travelling in the UK can have the same benefits as going abroad and will probably cost less. With the current competition for graduate jobs, work experience which is relevant to a chosen career can be a very productive way to spend your gap year and boost your CV. Bear in mind that time out needs to be planned, otherwise you may spend all year in an unchallenging job and not gain any new skills.
Working
Paid work
For some or all of your gap year, you may wish to take a paid job in order to gain skills and experience to enhance your CV, fund time for travelling or volunteering, or help pay off student debt.
The kinds of work you could try include:
- teaching or supervising at an outdoor activity centre. The Field Studies Council (FSC)
recruits education assistants and grounds maintenance staff. PGL
regularly needs activity instructors, field studies instructors, catering staff and housekeepers;
- administration and office work;
- catering and hospitality;
- retail;
- product promotions and market research.
Temping
You could sign on with employment or recruitment agencies for temporary work. The advantages are:
- you have the chance to experience working in various types of jobs and organisations;
- temping may lead to permanent job offers;
- doing a variety of jobs can help you build up a network of contacts for future job-hunting.
If you are interested in office work you may wish to do a fast-track or flexible course to gain certification for office or IT skills before approaching recruitment agencies. Further education colleges and business skills training centres offer suitable courses for gap year students.
A directory of recruitment agencies in specific employment sectors and regions of the UK is available from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)
.
Work placements
Those on sandwich courses at university will have a placement organised by their university but it is also possible to organise your own placement - see The Year in Industry
. Step
offers ‘Step into Industry’, 6 to 12-month placements for undergraduates.
Internships
Internships offer work experience in a specific role and can lead to permanent work. They are largely unpaid, although minimal travel and other expenses may be covered, so you must consider how you will support yourself financially. Step
offers ‘Graduate Step’, two to three-month internships for recent graduates across a variety of areas.
For further details on internships and other ideas for work experience in the UK, see types of work experience.
Volunteering
As with volunteering abroad, voluntary work at home has numerous benefits. For example, it may:
- increase your sense of community;
- help you forge links that may be valuable for your future career;
- lead to the offer of a permanent job.
You can find your own voluntary work with charities or not-for-profit organisations, or use gap year organisations to help you find opportunities.
Make sure the charities you are interested in are formally registered by checking with The Charity Commission for England and Wales
.
Gap year websites often have the option to search for ways to spend part of a gap year in the UK, including jobs, work placements and short courses. See Gap Year Directory
, for example.
University volunteer schemes are a good source of unpaid work experience opportunities and some offer bursaries in return for feedback of your experiences.
See volunteering for further information.
Travelling
Although the idea of a gap year may conjure up images of far-flung destinations and exotic beaches, spending some time travelling within the UK is a good alternative for graduates looking to take some time out. Travelling close to home has some distinct advantages, such as:
- you can combine it with periods of temporary work to raise funds and, without the expense of international flights to consider, your costs are likely to be more manageable;
- with a ready-made network of friends and family to call on, you may find that accommodation along the way is easier to find;
- if geographical mobility is likely to be helpful in your future career, gap year travelling can introduce you to parts of the country where you may apply for work in the future.
For ideas and information on travelling in the UK, including budget hostels and university campus accommodation, go to VisitBritain
. See Backpackers UK
for backpacker hostels and Youth Hostel Association (England & Wales)
and Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA)
for youth hostels.
Plan your gap year
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A gap year can be a very productive way of spending your time if it is well thought out and adds valuable skills and achievements to your CV. Planning beforehand and making clear to employers what it is you have gained as a result, are equally important to maximise the benefits of a gap year.
Before
- Goals - set yourself specific things to achieve or skills to gain.
- Time frame - how long can you be away? When can you leave? Do you need to be available on any specific dates in the future, particularly if taking a gap year before you go to university? If you are in the middle of your studies, make necessary arrangements with your institution and check when you need to be back.
- Decisions - UK or abroad? Are you going to travel, work or volunteer or a combination of these? Are you going to organise it yourself or use a gap year provider? Will you travel alone or with others?
- Fundraising - how much can you afford and/or how long do you need to raise more money?
- Research - what visas, vaccinations, etc do you need for the countries you plan to visit? See country profiles for more details and check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
website.
- Language skills - do you need to learn or develop a language before travelling to your chosen country?
- Think about your return - prepare in advance for any relevant opportunities, e.g. graduate training schemes.
During
- Evaluate whether you are meeting your goals.
- Record your experiences - think about the skills you are developing, lessons you have learned and any challenges you have overcome. This can provide great evidence of what you have gained from a gap year for prospective employers.
- If unexpected opportunities come up - look ahead and revise your plans.
- Keep an eye on your finances - make sure you are not going to run out of money while travelling.
After
Employers value time out but only if it has been well thought through and structured so that you can sell it in a relevant way. They look for candidates who can demonstrate they have set goals, achieved them, learned from mistakes and gained experience relevant to their career plans. You need to be able to articulate what you have gained from a gap year and how this might have benefits in the workplace.
Relevant attributes you may gain from your gap year include:
- confidence, maturity, determination - many ‘returners’ speak of being stretched beyond their expectations and finding they could rise to a situation or challenge;
- adaptability, self-reliance, independence - you may have travelled independently or had to change your travel plans to avoid a conflict zone or you may have applied your skills in a variety of ways through volunteering at home or abroad;
- organisational skills - are vital for all aspects of taking time out, from making applications and raising money, through to ensuring you have adequate accommodation along the way;
- communication skills - may have been developed, depending on your gap activities, such as communicating with people off the tourist trail or in remote communities;
- problem-solving - making decisions, often under pressure, can become a reality when you face situations such as accommodation not being available, your passport being lost or stolen, or projects that do not work out as you planned. Record examples of how you overcame setbacks to provide evidence of your initiative and resilience;
- teamwork skills - gained from working with other people to achieve a bigger goal;
- global business skills - international contacts or an understanding of different business models in other countries will be attractive to employers.
There is a useful checklist of skills at Real Gap Experience
. Some gap year companies may offer to write a reference for you. See also GapYear.com - Guide to Getting a Job after Travelling
.
Consider writing up your experiences. Gap-year.com
has a section on travel writing and they are interested in stories of gap year experiences and photographs, which may be a good opportunity for budding journalists to get their work published.
Travel advice
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Before you travel you will need an up-to-date passport, any necessary visas or work permits and health and travel insurance. This section gives advice on obtaining all the necessary documents for your trip, what else to take and how to stay safe and healthy whilst travelling.
Passports/visas/permits
- Check your passport expiry date against what you need for your proposed journey. Some countries require that your passport is valid for six months from the date of your arrival. Find out the requirements of your chosen country from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
or the country’s embassy or consulate.
- If you need to renew your passport, make sure you allow enough time to do so. See Directgov - Passports
for details.
- Check visa requirements with your travel agent or contact the country’s consulate or embassy. A list of foreign embassies in the UK is available from the FCO.
- If you intend to work outside the EU, obtain a valid work permit before you go. Go to country profiles for details of what you need, or visit the website of the country’s embassy or consulate. Some organisations will arrange this for you, e.g. Camp America
.
Travel and medical insurance
- Some insurance companies arrange special gap year travel cover. Research what various policies cover for the destinations to which you are travelling, the activities you are planning and your length of stay. Be careful, as many general travel policies are only valid for one month and do not cover adventure travel.
- Make sure you have comprehensive cover for medical and repatriation costs as well as any dangerous sports or activities.
- Take the necessary insurance documents with you, including emergency phone numbers.
Health
- The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
enables access to state-provided healthcare in all EEA countries and Switzerland. Read the advice for travellers from the Department of Health (DH)
.
- For countries outside the EEA, check that your travel insurance includes health cover.
- See your doctor at least six weeks before you travel and get any necessary vaccinations or anti-malarial tablets.
- If you are on medication, check that it is legal to take your medication into your destination country and get a covering doctor’s letter if necessary.
- See your dentist for a check-up.
See GapYear.com
for useful travel health articles.
Safety
- Check the travel guidelines available from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
for the countries you are visiting.
- Make a note of the contact details of the British Embassy in the countries you are visiting. The embassy will be able to help you if you get into difficulties abroad. Contact details for UK embassies worldwide are available from the FCO website.
- The Know Before You Go Campaign (KBYG)
is an ongoing campaign with around 300 travel industry partners to help people stay safe and healthy abroad. Check the website for details.
- See GapYear.com
for travel safety advice for women.
Driving
Keeping in touch
- Internet - you can record your experiences, update friends and family or keep a travel blog on websites such as Get Jealous
. Social networking sites can be useful to let people know what you are doing. For details of internet cafés around the world, go to CyberCafes
.
- Mobile phone - most networks allow you to make and receive calls internationally, although this can be expensive. The cheapest way is to buy a local SIM card if you are staying in one country for a long period. It is also possible to buy international pre-paid calling cards.
What to take
- Generally speaking, the advice is not to take too much as you will have to carry everything you pack.
- Useful gap year checklists can be found on Gapadvice
and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
.
- Consider getting student ID and discount cards, e.g. a Youth Hostel Association (YHA) card or an International Student Identity Card (ISIC). More details are available at GapYear.com
.
- To guard against the possibility of theft or loss, make copies of your tickets, passport, insurance policy, emergency phone numbers and next of kin contact details, as well as a written list of phone numbers in case you lose your mobile phone.
Costs and fundraising
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It is important to budget for your gap year well ahead of time. This might include working for a period of time, fundraising, identifying possible sources of grants or organising a loan.
How much will a gap year cost?
Expenses may include:
- costs of using gap year providers - research which organisations provide the best value for money. Some may provide accommodation, food and drink or internal travel;
- travel costs - research whether flights are cheaper on certain days or at certain times of the year and ensure that you have a return ticket or enough funds to buy one;
- living expenses and spending money - check the cost of living in different countries by using Numbeo
;
- passport renewal - make sure your passport is valid for the period required by the country you are visiting (check with the country’s embassy or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
). For more information about renewing your passport, including fees, go to Directgov - Passports
;
- visas - make sure you have the correct visa and that it is granted before you leave;
- insurance - make sure you have adequate cover for the full length of your trip and, if you intend to do any sports or extreme activities, make sure your policy covers you for this;
- equipment;
- extra money - to allow for any opportunities that may arise.
There is a useful list of what you need to budget for at Real Gap Experience
.
How can I raise money?
Set a target and plan well ahead. Having a clear idea of what you are working towards will keep you motivated. As well as working, use your initiative and creativity to think up original ideas for fundraising.
Fundraising ideas:
- Start with family and friends - for example, consider babysitting, dog walking or car washing. These activities could be expanded to a mini-business by advertising locally.
- Sell belongings you no longer need online.
- Organise a raffle, cake sale or a sponsored event.
- Contact local companies or those with related products to request sponsorship in exchange for promotion of their company. Offer them incentives such as printing their logo on your travel t-shirt.
- Contact local newspapers to get some media coverage to create more awareness of your event.
See Real Gap Experience
for a useful list of ideas and GapYear.com
for an A to Z of fundraising ideas. See theleap
for a downloadable fundraising leaflet with sponsorship ideas and projections of how you could raise the money.
Can I get a travel grant?
- Use the Directory of Grant Making Trusts (available in university and public libraries) to search for grants from funding bodies, charities and grant making trusts.
- For more options, try the Directory of Social Change Grants for Individuals
. There is a charge for membership to use the service.
- Be aware of deadlines when applying for grants.
- Use Charities Direct
to search for charities to approach.
Should I get a bank loan?
As with all loans, whether from financial institutions or from your family, you will need to consider the following:
- make sure you understand exactly when you will have to pay back the money;
- think about when you will be in a position to make repayments and how much you will realistically be able to afford;
- if you are taking time out during your degree course and will be returning to study rather than to work, think particularly hard about taking on financial commitments, especially if you already have student debts to repay.
Types of loan
- Training loans - also known as Career Development Loans (CDLs), are available for learning that enhances your job skills or career prospects. For more information call Next Step on 0800 100 900 or go to Professional and Career Development Loans
.
- Bank loans - concentrate on loans aimed at students, which have lower interest rates and longer term repayment plans.
- Loans from family or friends - be very clear about whether or not interest will be charged, the deadline for repayment, and any conditions on how the money must be spent.
AGCAS
Written by Wendy Reed, AGCAS
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