An option after 6th form or college is a ‘Gap’ year before university.
Some useful links and guides are here to help you investigate what a Gap year involves and how to organize it.
A worthwhile gap year will teach you to be self-reliant, to manage your money, enhance your team working skills and increase your maturity.
Good activities for your gap year
- Voluntary work at home or abroad
- Work experience or a temporary job
- Independent travel
- Learning a new skill e.g. a foreign language
Bad activities for your gap year
- Lying in bed all day because you have no reason to get up
- Spending all the money you earn
- Travelling the hippy trail for the whole year and then boring people with your stories when you come home
- Staying at home for the whole year and not stepping outside your comfort zone
Advantages of taking a gap year
- Developing ”soft” skills such as communication and a “can do” attitude
- Earning money to support yourself through university
- Being inspired by new experiences
- Fulfilling your potential and becoming a more rounded person
- Experience volunteering and active citizenship to build strong local communities here and abroad
Pitfalls of a gap year
- Financial strain if you don’t find paid work
- Losing the habit of studying
- Floating through the year not doing anything constructive with your time
- Finding yourself in an unsafe situation if you don’t plan your travel and volunteering carefully
What employers like about candidates who have taken a well planned gap year
- You will have a stronger CV
- You will show perseverance, commitment and dedication
- You will increase your transferable skills
- You will be better mentally prepared for the world of work
Click on the logo below to read an article in the Independent about why students who take a Gap Year often find their future career is improved:
Click on the Success at School logo below to read a range of very thought provoking and useful articles on taking a gap year:
Useful Gap Year Websites
Click on the logos below to go straight to some of the best gap year websites around!
A Year in Industry
Click on the link below to find out more about how you can access paid placements in science, engineering, technology and maths.
Guardian Article
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gap-year-travel
UCAS Guide