Gap Year and Volunteering

A gap year means taking time out of formal education or employment to do something that will add to your skills and experience.  The best gap years do not necessarily involve extensive foreign travel but are ones that are carefully planned to broaden your experience within the context of your career, so it is important to think about what you are aiming to do when you return.  If you are planning a gap year before going to university you should check with admissions tutors that entry can be deferred.  Alternatively you can apply for university during your gap year but you must ensure that you obtain references, meet the application deadlines and are available for interview if required.  If you want to go straight into employment when you return you may need to keep a check on vacancies and application days whilst you are away.

There is a large number of websites giving details of opportunities for gap years and volunteering both in the UK and abroad. You will need to think carefully about the location, duration and type of activity that interests you and then consider factors such as cost, the levels of support you can expect to receive from the organisers and the sustainability of projects. Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) urges students to be cautious about gap-year aid projects and have drawn up a code of practice to help gap year students to find genuine voluntary work abroad. The Year Out Group represents 36 gap year providers who all sign up to the YOG code of practice. They recommend asking to be put in touch with a previous 'gapper' who has recently returned from the same placement with the same company.

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