Get the most out of your gap year

Now facing an unplanned gap year, many would-be students are thinking how they can use the time to improve their chances of securing a university place next year. Here travel search site Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.net) presents some ways to get the most out of a gap year or career break by gaining work experience, life skills, language skills and maybe even some money in the bank.

• Medforce: medicine is one of the most competitive degree choices and spending a year getting relevant experience will do a great deal to improve the chances of getting a place. Medforce organises volunteer placements in medical centres and clinics around the world, including Ecuador, Cambodia, South Africa and India.
• TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language): simply by helping others learn the English language, you’ll be able to find employment in almost any non-English speaking country of the world, from Japan to Jordan, China to Chile. Great for valuable work experience and you can even learn a new language yourself.
• Work a Ski Season: there are many jobs available in ski resorts, most of which come with benefits such as cheap or free accommodation, discounted food and that all important season lift pass. Jobs can vary from ski instructors (which will require an instruction certificate), to dish washers (which will require endurance).
• Camp America: the USA has a strong culture of summer camps whereby kids spend anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months earning arts and crafts, developing sporting skills and taking part in new activities. Generally camps have an outdoor emphasis with campers living communally in cabins.
• VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas): this is an international development charity that recruits volunteers to work on projects in some of the poorest regions of the world. Volunteers come from a range of backgrounds; there are positions for young, unskilled people, as well as experienced professionals.
• WWOOFing: short for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, WWOOFers devote their time to working on organic farms, gardens or small holdings, in exchange for food and accommodation – no money changes hands.
• Yacht Crew: if you fancy yourself as a sailor of the seven seas then a job on a yacht is the gap year for you. Onboard you’ll learn the basics of how to sail, cook and keep everything ship shape. You’ll also have to get used to living in close, often cramped quarters. Work is normally divided into watches, so you’ll have to be fine with shift work.
• Work in a Kibbutz: you’ll need to be fit, in good health and willing to muck in. Roles vary from cooking and farming to teaching and tourism. Though you will be expected to work hard, there are also ample opportunities to explore the area and fraternise with other volunteers from around the world.

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