Post-Uni Pause
Traditionally speaking the ‘gap year’ has been something that people have done before going to University. At the end of secondary education, after thirteen years of being in school or college, and with the prospect of at least three more on the horizon it is the perfect time to take a break.
In recent years, however, the trend has begun to swing to people taking gap years after University. The current generation of students is the largest ever, yet due to the state of the economy finding the kind of jobs that many graduates are looking for is practically impossible, so many are choosing to take a gap year after University.
Many students who do this feel that they get more from the experience due to a little more maturity, and many claim that they felt more capable and confident of planning what their going to do with their year. There is also the advantage that a lot of student housing contracts finish in June or July, meaning that there is often several hundred pounds left at the end of the student loan that can be spent on travelling.
One of the major reasons that people choose to take a gap year after University (as well as one before sometimes) is the opportunity to get some excellent work experience that just isn’t available in the UK. There are hundreds of gap year schemes out there that offer young adults the opportunity to travel to another country and do some volunteering work. The range of opportunities is really astonishing and they often don’t carry any language requirements. Particularly if you’re interested in a career in charitable or developmental work, a gap year placement can offer the kind of experience that is impossible to get anywhere else and it looks great on a CV, demonstrating beyond all doubt an interest and passion for that kind of work.
For many people a gap year is the best year of their lives, giving the opportunity to work, travel, meet new people and take a break from education. Unfortunately at the end of it all you still have to come home and go back to scanning the Job Centre and the Guardian jobs site but with the work and life experience that a gap year offers, you’ll be going into your future career refreshed and with some great material on your CV.