gap years: taking a break
by Kendra Inman
Increasing numbers of young people with ambitions to travel, earn money or work for a good cause are taking a year out between school and university.
© Getty
The break, known as a gap year, is growing in popularity, according to university admissions agency UCAS. In 2001, 15% more students chose to take a year out than during the previous year. A total of 25,500 decided to defer their entry to higher education until 2002.
space to grow
The attraction of a taking a much-needed holiday after slogging for A-level exams is obvious. But while some lucky students are fortunate enough to spend months holidaying and backpacking between exotic locations, others spend the time on more constructive pursuits such as volunteering, a course that educationalists and employers agree is more worthwhile.
French teacher, Candida Howarth, spent half of her gap year working and the other half holidaying and working voluntarily in France. She believes 18-year-olds benefit from having a break from the education environment. Gap years broaden your horizons and you get to mix with people you might otherwise not meet, such as those who have never even considered going to university. It makes you appreciate your opportunities, she says.
Chief executive of UCAS, Tony Higgins, said, 'Students who take a well-planned structured year out are more likely to be satisfied with and complete their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often mature, responsible and disciplined.'
filling the gap
giving back
Gap year volunteering is a popular option. There are many organisations offering a wide range of schemes in different parts of the world – see help and info. Students can arrange their placement through programmes such as Raleigh International where 40% of volunteers are taking a gap year. Raleigh runs three-month expeditions to tackle environmental and community projects around the world. These can range from building schools in Namibia to tracking endangered species in Chile.
Another organisation, Gap Activity Projects (GAP), is a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in voluntary placements for 17- to 20-year-olds who expect to take up a university or college place or employment. GAP arranges 1,500 placements annually for UK volunteers, in 34 countries.
For some students working far away from home brings homesickness and worry. The advantages of schemes such as Raleigh and GAP are that they try to match the volunteer to the placement and offer support while they're away.
The interview process is designed to identify whether applicants are cut out for the challenge. 'It can be a sink or swim situation but they almost always come out of it alright. They find out what they're good at,' says GAP spokesman Ivan Wise.
If things go awry, he says, the organisation offers three levels of help. There is a host at the placement, an agent in the country and a project manager in the UK. Check out safety first for more tips.
open access
Operation Raleigh and its ilk conjure up pictures of strident, muscular young men and women taking on arduous physical tasks.
But gap year placements are available for a range of skills – the most popular being teaching – and are open to everyone, including those with disabilities. Skill, the agency for students with disabilities, can provide more information (see help and info).
close to home
Volunteering charity Community Service Volunteers (CSV) interviewed higher education students and found that more than half said that if they were to take a gap year they would spend it traveling abroad. In the report Home and Away: Options for a constructive gap year, published in August 2001, another third said they would look for work abroad, while only 8% said they would consider volunteering in the UK or overseas as an option.
With this in mind, charities in the UK are trying to attract gap year students to volunteer on home ground.
Student debt and a competitive jobs and skills market are putting increasing pressure on the 30,000 young people who take a gap year each year to look at the potential personal and career benefits of a constructive gap year, says CSV. The Department for Education and Skills agrees. It says taking a year out between school and college or university can be a great way of saving for the year ahead.
Volunteering in the UK is the most accessible and affordable of gap year options and organisations at home are crying out for volunteers. 'Full time gap volunteering in the UK has received less attention because it is thought less glamorous than travelling abroad,' says the report.
Kathryn Brick, 19, from Sunderland, spent nine months as a volunteer with Oxford social services supporting physically disabled people in their own homes, and was one of the volunteers interviewed for the report. She says she learnt a lot about herself during her gap year.
'I think I am a more confident person now, and especially I understand a lot more about the problems disabled people face – something I'd never really thought about much before. I wouldn't have missed this opportunity for the world. Volunteering really has changed my life.'
safety first
It is a sobering fact that the equivalent of 60 full tour coaches of British nationals are currently imprisoned abroad and over a third of these are detained for drug offences, many of them young people. Attitudes to drugs vary hugely around the world and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes a document called Know Before You Go on the penalties abroad and how to avoid getting duped into carrying drugs.
But drugs aren't the only issue facing young travellers. The National Centre for Volunteering has this advice for anyone thinking of becoming a volunteer overseas:
check it out
- It is important to check out the organisation thoroughly before paying any money or leaving the country. Ask if you can be put in touch with people who have been involved in their projects before.
- Try to speak to someone who has volunteered with them in person rather than trusting testimonials.
- Look at the insurance carefully. Does it cover you for the kind of work you will be doing? It is essential to find out whether or not you are covered for repatriation if you need to be brought back to the UK.
- Is there a genuine need for volunteers in this area or is this an adventure holiday.
- Find out about the political situation in the country you're going to and make sure it is safe for foreigners.
- It is important to find out what the health risks are in your destination country and to ensure you have all the necessary vaccinations before you go.
See help and info.
cost
Check charges before committing yourself. Most organisations will ask you to pay an administration fee for arranging the trip for you. You may need to raise funds – an activity which many consider part of the gap experience.
It is also important to check whether the organisation provides for travel, accommodation, food and pocket money.
With GAP, the cost of travel to and from the project is not included but the organisation pays a percentage of the remaining costs. Costs vary according to the placement country but generally GAP pays around £200 and volunteers are expected to come up with £700. However, the organisation has bursary schemes for applicants who believe financial reasons would bar them from taking part.
Before securing a place on an expedition, Raleigh International applicants must raise a minimum of £3,300. Only then is the place formally allocated.
help and info
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organisations
MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad)
Moorfield Road
Yeadon
Leeds LS19 7BN
Tel: 0113 238 7575 (note: MASTA do not accept personal travel enquiries by phone)
Travellers' Health Line (for MASTA Health Brief): 0906 550 1402 (calls are charged at £1 per min, calls to mobiles may be higher)
E-mail: enquiries@masta.org
Website: www.masta.org
Aims to raise the awareness of health issues associated with travel. Services include up-to-date information about immunisations and anti-malarials, an online search facility to find your nearest MASTA associated travel clinic, a health library with travel advice, factsheets and news, and a chat room. Also produce a Health Brief, which gives personalised immunisation and anti-malaria advice for a specific journey. The website includes advice on staying well when you're away from home, including info on immunisation and antimalarials.
CSV (Community Service Volunteers)
237 Pentonville Road
London N1 9NJ
Tel: 020 7278 6601
Freephone: 0800 374 991 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm)
E-mail: information@csv.org.uk
Website: www.csv.org.uk
Dedicated to giving everyone the chance to play an active part in their community, through volunteering, training, education and the media. See the website for information about volunteering, including FAQs and volunteers stories, or contact the freephone number.
GAP Activity Projects (GAP)
44 Queen's Road
Reading RG1 4BB
Tel: 0118 959 4914 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
E-mail: volunteer@gap.org.uk
Website: www.gap.org.uk
A not-for-profit organisation specialising in teaching, conservation, caring, medical and outdoor voluntary work placements overseas for 17 to 20-year-olds, in a transition year before going on to further education, training or employment.
National Centre for Volunteering
Regents Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London N1 9RL
Tel: 0845 305 6979 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
E-mail: information@volunteeringengland.co.uk
Website: www.volunteering.org.uk
Offers a range of services designed to support volunteer managers and organisations that involve volunteers. Website has extensive information about volunteering, including information for young people.
Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
Chapter House
18-20 Crucifix Lane
London SE1 3JW
Telephone/Minicom: 020 7450 0620
Information Service Tel: 0800 328 5050(Tue 11.30am-1.30pm & Thur 1.30pm-3.30pm)
E-mail: skill@skill.org.uk
Website: www.skill.org.uk
Promotes opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of disability in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK. Provides individual support to disabled people, their families/enablers or people working with disabled people. Offers an information service by phone, minicom or letter. Publishes books, booklets and information leaflets.
Skill has a publication called Into Volunteering, which is a guide for disabled people considering volunteering. It contains information and advice on why you might want to volunteer and about how to volunteer. It also includes profiles of other disabled people describing their experiences as volunteers. The guide is available from Skill and costs £2.50 for disabled people and £6.50 for professionals or organisations.
websites
do-it
www.do-it.org.uk
Information, news and factsheets on volunteering, and an online database containing over 400,000 voluntary work vacancies in national and local organisations throughout the country and abroad.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
www.fco.gov.uk/travel
Provides the latest country-specific travel advice; information on what to do before you depart; country-specific factsheets and general tips; advice on what to do if something goes wrong; and answers to frequently asked questions. Features information about the Know Before You Go campaign, including details of penalties if you get caught with drugs abroad, and advice on how to avoid this.
gapadvice.org
www.gapadvice.org
Independent advice on gap years for people of all ages.
GapYear.com
www.gapyear.com
Informative online 'gapyear community' where people can meet up and develop their gap year plans. Discusses how to organise a gap year; information about where to go, what to do, organising a budget, and specific advice about taking a gap year in the UK.
Millennium Volunteers
www.mvonline.gov.uk
A Government-funded initiative for young people aged 16-24. Contains an online database of local MV projects.
Raleigh International
www.raleigh.org.uk
A youth development charity which inspires people from all backgrounds and nationalities to discover their full potential by working together on challenging environmental and community projects around the world.
Worldwide Volunteering
www.wwv.org.uk
An online database of volunteering opportunities in over 200 countries, including the UK. Searching the database costs £10 for three separate search sessions within a one-year period but you can use the database free at many locations throughout the UK.
UCAS
www.ucas.com
Operates as the only central applications service for full-time undergraduate courses in the UK.
Brilliant Careers
www.channel4.com/brilliantcareers/works/works_vol_fs.html
When the gap year's over – check out Channel 4's guide to finding your perfect career.
reading
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Before You Go: The ultimate guide to planning your gap year by Tom Griffiths (Bloomsbury, 2003) |
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Planning Your Gap Year by Mark Hempshell (How To Books, 1998) |
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Taking a Gap Year by Susan Griffith (Vacation Work Publications, 2001) |
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Taking a Year Off by Margaret Flyn (Trotman, 2002) |
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(April 2002, resources updated June 2005)
