Should I take a Gap Year?
Talk with your family and friends and you will discover varying opinions on this topic. Some will say that you should 'strike while the iron is hot' and transition straight into your University or TAFE course from high school while you are still in good study habits from your year 12 studies. Others suggest that a year 'off' - taking a 'gap' - and undertaking constructive activities such as working, volunteering and/or travelling, can help you to mature and clarify your values and fine tune your career ambitions. We recommend that you research your Gap Year options carefully.
Click here to read an article from The Sydney Morning Herald titled "Don't mind the gap: deferring uni shown to give students academic edge." (September 2013)
There are many organisations around the world that you can volunteer through. We have listed a few organisations here that you may like to research further when considering a Gap Year volunteering program.
Lattitude Global Volunteering (formerly Gap Activity Projects) has been offering international volunteering and gap year projects for 17-25 year olds, for over 40 years. A diverse range of projects across 13 countries are on offer. Did you know you could?
· Become a friend and confidant to students in a boarding house in the UK?
· Support local communities and truly immerse in the local culture in Fiji or India?
· Have a European experience with a difference using your English skills in Poland?
· Provide essential support and help to orphans in Malawi?
· Lead exciting outdoor challenges surrounded by the most spectacular scenery in Canada?
· Teach English to enthusiastic students in Vietnam or Vanuatu?
Lattitude Volunteers are not tourists. They immerse themselves in the local culture and become members of that community. They learn about a country from within... they step outside their comfort zone and achieve something unique and they experience life, living and new horizons. Choosing a gap year is the best decision you could make. So if you're interested in volunteering, and would like to leave your mark on a community abroad, as well as have the opportunity for travel, then Lattitude could be for you! Visit http://www.lattitude.org.au to find out more!
Tutors Worldwide
There are many different ways in which a GAP Year can be organised. Tutors Worldwide offers students the opportunity to work in an overseas school environment at either prep or secondary (high) school. Currently Tutors Worldwide recruits for (both senior and junior) schools in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and from among students in the same countries, incorporating personal visits to all countries. For more information, visit http://www.tutorsworldwide.org/
World Education Program (WEP) Australia
World Education Program Australia is now offering a range of new GAP year international programs for people over the age of 18! Programs include volunteer and conservation projects, work & travel and internships, teaching English overseas, international language study and language & volunteer packages.
Our programs are perfect for school leavers looking for an adventure after a grueling Year 12 year, tertiary students who wish to defer university or take a short holiday exploring the world or anybody who needs a break from the daily grind!
If you have always wanted to give something back to the environment, provide aid to citizens in a third world country, work overseas or have the ability to express yourself in a second language, then our new 18+ programs may be perfect for you!
WEP’s GAP programs bring together volunteers from all over the world to help communities in need. GAP volunteers learn:
Find out more by visiting www.volunteerabroad.com.au or call 1300 884 733.
Antipodeans Abroad GapBreak
Projects Abroad – Overseas Volunteer and Internship Programs
Projects Abroad is a leading volunteer abroad organisation. Volunteering on one of the projects gives participants the opportunity to become more than a tourist; to become part of a community in one of 25 developing countries, to live and work beside local people, understand their world and make friends for life. The energy, compassion and skills a student brings to the project can make a real difference to the lives of the people students work with in projects based around care, teaching, conservation, sports, community programs, medicine and physiotherapy. To find out more about the various volunteer programs offered, visit http://www.projects-abroad.com.au/.
High School Overseas
You may also want to consider the option of enrolling in an overseas high school in your Gap Year. This would involve living with a family and participating in school life. It might be a fantastic way to learn a new language or to have a cultural experience in another country. (These experiences are not classed as 'volunteering'.) Here are two organisations that facilitate school-based overseas exchange opportunities.