Should I Take A Gap Year?
More and more students are choosing to take a gap year, either before or after starting their university education.
Whether you decide to get a job to pay for your degree, volunteer in an orphanage in Africa or travel round the world, a gap year has many advantages.
What is a gap year?
A gap year is a 12 month break from study taken by some students before they start their degree, to help them gain work experience and valuable life skills.
Some people choose to take their gap year before starting sixth form, before they start a postgraduate course or even after they have completed all formal education, before entering the worforce.
Whenever you decide to take your gap year, there are many different things you can choose to do: volunteer, get a paid job, learn new skills, or travel round the world.
There is something to suit every taste, so if a gap year sounds like an attractive option to you, read the rest of our Gap Year Guide to find out more!
What are the pros of taking a gap year?
There are many benefits of taking a gap year. Our top reasons for taking time out from studying include:
1. New challenges
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never feel you could actually do it? Want to climb a mountain but are afraid of heights?
Want to trek through a jungle but scared of being bitten by insects?
Everyone has their fears, but there are loads of people out there to help you face your challenges and reap the rewards. A gap year is a great time to think about things you would like to achieve and take steps toward doing so.
2. Gain independence
A gap year is the chance to be completely independent and gain a meaningful experience, an opportunity you may not have again later on in your life.
It will help improve your self-confidence, along with personal skills such as communication, leadership and organisation, which are all highly sought after by employers. This can greatly enhance your CV when you return home.
3. Discover exciting places
If you choose to go travelling, you will see and explore parts of the world you’ve always wanted to visit.
Learning and working alongside people will also allow you to discover a different culture.
By having the freedom to travel around and choose how long you spend in each place, you will have plenty of time to fit in everything you want to do.
Building friendships on your journey is a certainty, and you will have some fantastic stories to tell everyone when you get back home!
4. Learning
By the time you have completed your gap year, you will have gained new skills and experiences. These might include budgeting, organisation, time management and teamwork. This is especially true if you are heading abroad for work experience.
These will enhance a CV and a UCAS application, meaning you will be looked more favourably upon by potential employers and university admissions tutors, as you will stand out from other candidates by having done something interesting.
If English isn't widely spoken in the countries you are visiting, then you will easily improve your language skills by picking up new words and phrases every day. This will help you build relationships with the local people and maybe even improve your job prospects when you return.
5. Personal achievement
Undertaking a gap year volunteer project or going abroad to learn a language can give you a real sense of personal achievement.
Although you may find it challenging, it will also be very rewarding, as well as the chance to experience local life in another country first-hand and give something to their communities.
Take a look at our gap year agencies to find projects you might be interested in.
6. Money
Many students these days take a year out to do paid work to finance their higher education.
With university tuition fees in the UK now at a maximum of £9,000, students are opting to work in order to pay off some of the costs before they even start their degree.
If you plan to travel during your gap year, a paid job for some of those 12 months is likely to be essential.
There are hundreds of temporary jobs to apply for so you can raise the cash you need for your travels.
If you already have a particular career in mind, then getting a paid job in your field is a bonus. This will boost your CV and look good to employers when you’ve finished your degree, or start looking for jobs after your Gap year if you decided university isn’t right for you.
7. Time out to decide if university is right for you
You’ve been in school for most of your life, so it’s natural to feel you simply just want some time away from studying.
Taking a break will make you feel refreshed so you will be more focussed at university.
It also gives you time to reflect on what you plan to do next with your life. This includes whether applying to university was the right decision, or considering your career options if you’re going straight into employment.
Some students change their degree course and/or future profession as a result of their gap year, so the experiences from taking a year out can prove invaluable.
Although you may have decided a gap year appeals to you and you want to take one, cast an eye over the following factors that may be considered disadvantages, in case they cast any doubt on your decision.
- Friends will be a year ahead of you
- When you come back you might not want to go to university anymore having had such a long break from studying
- Your study skills may have diminished
- Risk of getting injured or sick
- Experience could turn out to be a disappointment
8. Meet different people
Whatever you decide to do during your gap year, you will always meet new people along the way, some of which may become lifelong friends! Even if you already have lots of great mates, a gap year is a fantastic way to meet different kinds of people you wouldn’t normally encounter.
As well as expanding your social circle, you can even use these new friends as networking contacts if they work in a field you want a job in or know someone who can get you a job.
Networking and finding useful career contacts is something schools and universities regularly encourage students to do, and you’ll be staying ahead of the game if you start doing this during your gap year.
9. Find new hobbies and interests
Whether it's surfing, rock climbing, farming or teaching, a gap year can help you discover hidden passions you never thought you would try (or even knew existed!).
Again, these are great to put on your CV and talk about in your job interviews later on.
10. Recharge your batteries
Taking a year out will help you forget about being in a classroom for a while, and get out into the real world.
Many students find this freedom liberating after spending so long studying in the routine of school life.
If you still feel a gap year is the right option for you, check out some of the best gap year escape plans over at our blog.
Cons of taking a gap year
1. Costs
With flights, accommodation and everyday expenses, the cost of taking a gap year can soon add up! This is why it's important to budget carefully for your gap year and stick to it. In order to afford your trip, it's likely you'll need to find a job temporarily and save the money you earn.
Work exchange programs might be a cheaper way of taking a gap year, so it's worth looking at opportunities such as teaching abroad or volunteering in some other way in exchange for accommodation, meals, etc.
2. Investing time in planning
There's a lot to think about before you jet off, including travel insurance, visas, vaccines, access to money, transportation, accommodation and much more. This might be daunting if you've never done something like this before (many gap year students haven't!) but try not to let the planning aspect put you off.
If you're worried about doing all of it on your own, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a gap year agency, although this might make your gap year trip a little more expensive than if you were arranging everything yourself, so be sure to check for any hidden fees etc. before booking a place with them.
3. Losing momentum and falling behind with your skills
A gap year might mean leaving your home behind for the first time, and will mean going to university a year later than your friends, so you may feel left behind by choosing to delay your studies or getting a job, while your peers move on with their lives.
However, remember that your true friends will keep in touch with you, and you will be armed with experience and skills you have gained during your gap year that your friends won't have.
Many students also feel better prepared for entering university or the workforce when they come back from their gap year, after having to spend some months fending for themselves and taking responsibility for their finances, itinerary, etc.
4. Being alone can be tough
The thought of spending so much time might make some people more anxious than others, especially if it's the first time you've gone on a trip on your own. Although you will meet new people along the way, you may want to consider travelling with a friend or small group so you have others to share experiences with, talk about your adventrures, and lean on when things get difficult (although hopefully not!).
Think carefully about whether you will be happy spending 2 or 3 months or more alone, or whether you would feel better travelling with at least one other companion. If you'd prefer the latter, hopefully you can find someone at your school or college to buddy up with, or even a family friend or relative outside of the classroom.
Will a gap year affect my chances of getting a job?
Employers will usually have to sift through many applications, so a gap year is a fantastic way to make yours stand out.
At the interview stage, you can talk about your experiences and relate lots of interesting examples of what you did during your time out.
By using a gap year as an opportunity to develop key skills, gain experience in a particular area, or try out different industries, you'll show that you're taking your career path seriously and everything you have learned will be viewed as a positive by employers.
However, if you don't really do anything during your gap year, it's much harder to justify your time out, and so could be seen as an unexpected gap on your CV. To make sure this doesn't happen, write down a plan detailing what you want to achieve by the end of the 12 months.
This way, you'll have plenty to share with potential new employers and they will see how valuable your year out has been in terms of your personal development.
When is the best time to take my gap year?
Many students opt to take their year out before they start university, but this isn't always the case. Some choose to wait until they have finished their degree and enjoy a break before entering the world of work.
This can give you time to reflect on what you've achieved and decide what step you would like to take next. It can also help build skills and experiences that will give your CV a boost.
Alternatively, starting a job straight away after university will mean a regular income that you can start using to pay off your student loan and put toward rent or a house deposit.
However, it is not a good idea to take a year out during your degree once you have started, since it will be hard to return to your studies and your peers will have already moved on. You may also find it difficult to explain your decision to your potential employers, as they could see the break as a lack of commitment.
You can still travel, volunteer and work during the long summer break instead, which will help you learn new skills and gain experience that you can put on your CV. This will demonstrate good planning skills on your part, without affecting your studies.
Some degree programmes offer a sandwich year, where you get to work for 12 months (often abroad), allowing you to get valuable work experience under your belt before you have even completed your degree.
If you are considering applying for a graduate employer scheme, you will need to think about when to send off your application, what's involved in the recruitment process and when you might have to start.
Remember, it's always best to have a plan of action for what you will do next when you come back from your gap year, otherwise you could end up feeling deflated after such a long time away from a routine.
Further information
For more tips and advice about gap years, please see: