Gap Year Volunteering

What are the benefits of gap year volunteering?

Gap year volunteering is the perfect way to explore the world while giving something back to the community.

It gives you a chance to gain independence, life experience and valuable skills that prospective employers will see as an added bonus.

Volunteering is also a fantastic opportunity to think about your future and what you're interested in pursuing. Use it to experience new things and see if it changes your mind about where you want to see yourself in a career.

Can I volunteer to help animals?

Yes, volunteering with animals has always been a popular option for gappers.

You can spend anywhere from two weeks to 3 months or more working on some amazing wildlife projects around the world, and learn more about animal welfare in a natural setting.

Some of the best animal volunteering programs are provided by:

• Gapyear
• Gap360
• Goabroad
• RealGap
• Oyster
• Frontier

Take a look at our animal programs guide for more information.

What else can I volunteer to do on my gap year?

If animals aren't your thing, there are many other options, including:

• conservation
• childcare
• community development
• teaching
• sports and
• medicine.

Think about your passions and read up on the various programs to see what might be best suited to your interests.

Remember to choose carefully, as you will be parting with a good chunk of money to go on one of these programs.

What are the best gap year volunteering programs?

For some of the best gap year volunteering programs, we recommend:

• International Volunteer HQ
• Frontier
• Gapforce
• RSVP Caribbean Volunteers
• TIVNU Building Justice
• Carpe Diem Education
• Pacific Discovery
• United Planet
• Impactrip
• Conservation Travel Africa
• Africa Impact