Schools out Gap year planner
Time to get organised
With intense competition for jobs, gap years are now an integral part of a CV, Sara McDonnell suggests a plan
W 76 FirstEleven Summer 2011
ith increased tuition fees and intense competition for jobs, many school leavers will be questioning the value of taking
a gap year, and considering whether they can or should take one. Gap years are no longer a jaunt around the world, however, and if they are planned well can boost their job prospects as well as give them an experience to treasure. T e trick is to be organised and to strike the right balance between a teen’s desire to travel, have a break from studying, see a bit of the world and get a good job at the end. “We advise our pupils that they divide the gap year up, so they spend one third of it travelling, one third doing voluntary work and one third doing work experience,” says Oundle school’s head of careers, Carolyn Gent. “T e canny
ones combine these objectives, so they go abroad and get experience while there.” Liz Dillarstone’s son, Jake, a former pupil
at Oundle, managed to combine travel with both voluntary and paid work. “My son’s plans weren’t dictated by his university course,” she says. “T ey were dictated by opportunities and what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to travel and do voluntary work, so he did some research and came across T e Leap.” T e Leap, like many other gap year companies, arranges for students to combine voluntary work, travel and fun in far-fl ung places around the world. Jake spent 11 weeks in Tanzania digging trenches, assembling beds and working in a school. “He was occupied fi ve days a week,” says Dillarstone. “His free
www.fi rstelevenmagazine.co.uk
PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84