Hessische Fremdsprachenmeisterschaften 2001, 
19 - 21. Oktober, Kelsterbach

English - Grundklasse

Taking a gap year

Have you thought about having a "year out" before starting /
higher education? Many people do and there are good reasons / 
for at least considering it. This article looks at /
the pros and cons of a year out and some suggested ways of /

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making a year out productive if you decide it is for you. Why / 
should you consider a year out? It may be your best opportunity / 
to do something you really want to do. After higher education /
you will have a student loan and career to consider. The year out /

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is likely to make you a more mature and independent person. This is / 
particularly true if you spend some of the year out away from home. That will /
almost certainly enable you to settle into college or university /
life more easily. You may decide to spend a year out earning as much money /

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as you can. That can reduce the financial pressures that you may feel as a student. It is / 
an opportunity to learn new skills. If you cannot word process, you may feel it /
worthwhile getting to grips with what is a valuable skill. Most year out activities will /
improve your social skills, thus making the higher education experience easier to /

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settle into and benefit from. There can be advantages in using the year out to gain useful / 
experience relating to your higher education course. What better preparation for a /
French degree could you have than spending a year in France? Why not consider a year out involving working /
with young people before starting a teacher-training course? Are there any reasons why not to have a /

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year out? It may be that you have been studying for some years and study is a central part of your life. If you /
jump off the academic conveyor belt for a year you may question why you want to get back on it again. /
A year out has led some people to be sidetracked from study and not go into higher education. /
You may find it difficult to settle back into study if you have a lengthy break from it. Be aware /

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that while many university and college departments support the idea
of a year out, some do not. In particular, /
with some subjects some departments consider it harmful to have a break from studying the subject. Examples /
are music, maths and science. There are no hard and fast rules here. If you are considering a year out be sure to contact / 
the departments of the colleges or universities that interest you and ask how they view a year out. There is a /

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risk that you may not find ways of spending the year out productively. It would be a waste of time if you spent the year sitting at /
home doing very little. Remember though that a year out need not be filled with one activity. You can try for a mixture /
of activities. What can you do during a year out? There are a number of options, both in the United Kingdom and abroad, /
some of which may relate to your chosen higher education course or may be with the aim of earning as much money as possible. /

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factory work 
domestic work, e.g. nanny 
Army Gap Year Commission 
building site work 
office temp 
assistant teacher or assistant matron in a prep school 
hospital work 
archaeological dig 
seasonal work in hotels, holiday centres, outdoor pursuits centres 
teaching English as a foreign language 
Under this heading also come some schemes in the engineering industry for
paid pre-university experience in an engineering firm.

Voluntary work in the UK. This may be in your locality through your local
volunteer services bureau or with a national organisation. CSV (Community
Service Volunteers) is an example of the latter. It accepts most people who
volunteer and opportunities include those to work with elderly people, people with
special needs, ethnic minority communities, inner city homeless people and
people with drug and alcohol problems. Cheshire Homes and Sue Ryder Foundation
are other examples. If you volunteer for work away from your home area you
are likely to get your board and lodging paid for. You might also get pocket
money and travel expenses.

Work camps and summer projects in the UK. There are opportunities for
short-term (typically one to four weeks) unskilled or semi-skilled work with
organisations such as The National Trust and British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers. Work can be such as decorating, building, setting up adventure
playgrounds, fruit picking, helping with holiday schemes for elderly or handicapped
people, tree planting, dry stone walling, fencing etc. Typically you would work
35 to 40 hours a week. You may receive free board and lodging or be required
to pay towards it. These projects rarely pay a wage.

Conservation projects and holidays in the UK. There are a number of schemes,
e.g. such as those run by the RSPB and The National Trust. Activities can
include footpath construction and repair, sand-dune stabilisation and work with
birds or animals. Most schemes do not pay a wage.

Adventure courses and holidays in the UK. An example is sail training
schooners. Expensive but worthwhile.

Secretarial and other courses in the UK. Obvious examples are secretarial,
computing, cookery and business studies. Courses are of varying length.

Paid work abroad. This is not always an easy option, partly because many
countries have an unemployment problem. Outside the EC there can also be
restrictions on foreign workers. There are, however, possibilities, including: 
hotel and catering work 
farm work and grape picking 
travel courier 
sports instruction and child supervision for holiday companies 
au pair 
archaeological digs 
There are a number of schemes that help young people to find work, e.g. Work
Canada, Work Australia, Language Assistant Scheme, Finnish Family Programme
and GAP (Group Activity Projects). GAP deals with many countries, including
Australia, Canada, Chile, the Falklands and Israel, with work such as farming,
office work, conservation, assisting in schools, English language teaching
and 
helping people with special needs.

Voluntary work abroad. The opportunity for long-term voluntary work abroad
can be limited, as qualified specialists are required for many openings. There
are, however, some openings. Examples include: 
conservation in Australia 
health care in Israel 
practical work in Africa and Asia 
work on a kibbutz in Israel 
social care in Central America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and
Australia. 
Workcamps, peacecamps and summer projects abroad. Openings are predominantly
short-term but are available in many countries. There are workcamps
involving such activity as tree felling, farm work, fencing and decorating community
buildings. There are conservation projects involved with such as clearing
rivers and restoring castles. Camp America is one of the best-known summer
opportunities. Students spend ten weeks at a summer camp in the USA. They are
given free return air flights, board and lodging and pocket money and have the
opportunity of up to six weeks&#8217; independent travel in the USA.

Study courses and scholarships abroad. There are courses in such as European
languages and art history. They can be expensive but worthwhile.

Last but not least, independent travel abroad. Work your way around Europe
or any part of the world that appeals to you. The possibilities are limitless.

How do I apply for deferred entry to higher education to allow a year out?

When you apply for higher education through UCAS, you can indicate on the
application that you are applying for deferred entry. If, for example, you are
completing your application in autumn 2000 you can indicate on the form that
you wish to defer entry until autumn 2002. If you then succeed in getting the
results you need in 2001 for your university or college, you are free to put
your year out plans into action between autumn 2001 and autumn 2002

Where can I find out more?

There are many books that are useful for researching a year out. The most
comprehensive has to be The Gap-Year Guidebook. Now in its ninth edition, the
book described as "invaluable" by the Guardian should be your first step. You
can find out more at the book's website, and at Amazon.co.uk. Other books to
check out include:

A Year Off..A Year On &#8211; Hobsons 
The Virgin Student Travellers&#8217; Handbook &#8211; Virgin Publishing 
A Year Between &#8211; The Central Bureau 
Working Holidays &#8211; The Central Bureau 
The Directory of Summer Jobs Abroad 2000 &#8211; Vacation Work 
The Directory of Summer Jobs in Britain &#8211; Vacation Work 
Work Your Way Around the World &#8211; Vacation Work 
Taking a Gap Year &#8211; Vacation Work 
In conclusion

These notes are necessarily brief. If you want to research the idea of a
year out then do consult the excellent books that deal with this topic. Do
remember to check with your intended university or college departments to get
their view before committing yourself.