Gap year travel: what to put in if you plan to take a year out
Posted on January 11th, 2012
Until now, most young people have regarded taking a gap year between school and higher education as a well-deserved period of rest and recreation after four years of exams.
But not any more: the near trebling of tuition fees by many colleges and universities from October 2012 – combined with escalating unemployment – means that many aspiring students can no longer take time out.
Because of the threat of higher fees, the number of people applying to defer a university place dropped from 16,000 in 2010 to 6,000 last year.
Among those who still aimed to take time out, American Express found that 43% planned to earn money and gain work experience, while less than one in five thought they could spend the time relaxing.
Research for gapyear.com found that 63% of HR professionals thought a year spent volunteering or gaining work experience overseas made a job application stand out, while 85% agreed relevant work experience was more valuable than the average non-vocational degree.
Tim Fenton, general manager of gapyear.com, says: “Interest in volunteering or working abroad is definitely on the rise, as are more challenging destinations like south-east Asia and South America.
“It is important when you sit down in front of a prospective employer to have a good story to tell and a well spent gap year is a great way to create that story.”
Students who have scrambled to get their university applications in to Ucas by the 15 January closing date face another, much bigger, task — to ensure they have enough money to see them through their chosen course.
From September 2012 the government will offer two types of loan.
New full-time students in England and Wales will be able to borrow up to £9,000 for tuition fees in the 2012/13 academic year. They c
Tags: Gap Year, Year
No Comments »