Is 2017 your last chance for a gap year? Where to go, what to do, and how to boost your CV
It’s one of the most electrifying moments in a young person’s life: the day you collect your A-level results and the future suddenly becomes very real. For some, Thursday's envelope brings news of a guaranteed place at university. For others, it means navigating the stresses of the university clearing process. For others still, A-level results bring the prospect of a gap year adventure.
Tens of thousands of school and college leavers are expected to book a gap before starting courses in 2018. And while the idea of taking time out to travel has been popular for decades, some experts are suggesting that a gap year in 2017 could be the last chance to travel affordably for some time to come. The Brexit vote has weakened sterling and the value of our currency may fall yet further, providing students with a valid reason to go now.
“The pound is currently pretty low against most currencies,” says David Stitt, MD of Real Gap Experience. “But in 2019, especially if we have a hard Brexit, it could sink a lot further.”
Career-conscious students should also note that gap years have never been more beneficial. A survey of careers advisers and people who had had a working experience abroad organised through specialists Bunac revealed that 97 per cent of respondents felt that overseas work, intern and volunteer programmes helped them develop their careers.
Gappers should visit a location that challenges them – only four per cent of bosses reckon that a trip to Australia, a traditional gap-year hotspot, boosts career prospects
“In today’s competitive workplace, it’s no secret that soft skills and life experience are just as important as good grades when it comes to applying for jobs,” says Emma Beynon, marketing manager at Bunac. “In the past year we’ve seen increasing numbers of young people wanting to undertake career-related professional internships.”
The top skills acquired during an overseas gap year in Bunac’s survey were thought to be stronger communication, independence and cultural sensitivity. In terms of personal benefits, 91 per cent of students highlighted the new friends they had made around the world, while 88 per cent recognised the value of gaining a new perspective of culture and countries. Other bonus points included improved confidence and a sense of global citizenship.
Employers agree. Andrew Austin, the partner responsible for graduate recruitment at international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, says: “Travel can help improve foreign language skills and increase knowledge and understanding of other cultures and societies. We work for clients all around the world, so these are valuable skills.”
“All school leavers and graduates have limited job skills,” explained Milly Whitehead, of The Leap, “so potential employers want to know if they have the right character to fit their job profile. Loading their CV with a single-handed trek across Mongolia grabs attention.”
Taking a gap year is also now not so much of a commitment.
“The strong trend is for people to take several smaller trips,” said Mr Stitt. “A typical Real Gap Experience traveller goes to Asia for three or four weeks one year, then Africa for another three to four weeks the next year, then Australia in year three.”
The trend towards taking shorter, more career-oriented trips is relatively new. Most gappers I met on the backpacking trail in the 2000s had few travelling goals. Extending trips was common, because there was no rush to go back.
Today’s young adults take a more level-headed approach, picking from a range of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that grows every year.
From veterinary care in Samoa, to environmental journalism in the Amazon, it is easy to escape the well-trodden plod from south-east Asia to Australasia and on to North or South America.
“Gap years need to be creative, purposeful and exciting,” said Ms Whitehead, “hence Madagascar and Namibia are our current bestsellers.”
So students receiving their A-level results really shouldn’t feel guilty about obsessively growing their online photo collection of must-see destinations.
With proper planning, time out can give you a leg up into a career and plant the seeds for a life well travelled. As one former gapper said: “It’s not what you do out there, it’s what you learn about yourself while doing it.”
