There is so much to see and explore in this world and so little time to travel once you are working full time. So why not go on a GAP year to travel around the world? Lost time, some might think but you can actually use your gap year to get that career boost, widen your horizon and create a unique advantage for getting future positions. There are some great opportunities to travel and also get work experience abroad at the same time.
After searching through the options, it appears that there are 3 really great contenders. Charity/Volunteer Work, Internships, & Foreign Language Courses.
Option 1: Volunteer Abroad
One option is to get involved in a charitable organization or volunteer work. This could be anything from helping to immunize children in Africa to performing scientific SCUBA diving in the Caribbean.
Almost all experiences are comparatively adventurous and frequently involve visiting off the beaten track places. The secret to successfully choose a program depends on the effort you're willing to take to locate the smaller organisations vs exactly how much you are prepared to pay.
The big companies like GVI have a lot of varied programs throughout the world but you will definitely pay for the ease of finding them! Often you can end up paying 5 star figures to live in a place with no running water or decent food.
Another solution is to try to do a search for small grassroots initiatives where the funds are used to support the project. The best way to do this is to go through educational institutions or online community websites and find out what projects are happening. You can also sign up for projects through small businesses such as www.openmindproject.com. These typically grow to be of excellent value and also support the project itself.
Watch out for great projects at a webpage called www.volunteermatch.org. This allows you to be matched (without any cost to you or the organization) to the right volunteer experience based on your skills and knowledge.
Option 2: Internships Abroad
The next choice is to do an internship in another country so you can mix a great vacation with work experience. This is a great way to boost your CV.
Foreign language requirements can sometimes restrict your selection of destination, so be aware of the local language. There are numerous placement services which will find internship programs suitable for you around the globe in just about anything you like. Often these agencies cost a fairly large placement fee nevertheless they will arrange housing as well as the placement if you can't be bothered to do it yourself.
Going direct to the company, while it may take a bit more time is often cheaper as you cut out the middleman. Often companies also appreciate this as it shows you have initiative.
Option 3: Learn a Foreign Language
The next opportunity, which is quite cost effective in many cases, is doing a language course abroad. It looks great on your CV if you're able to speak another language and when you pick a great school you will have a blast.
Make sure you are on the lookout for schools that have a good activities component too so you know the school has an emphasis on fun as well as education. After all it is a gap year!
A good starting point for your search is companies like www.traveledventures.com. They target language schools with excellent social and cultural activities programs and can arrange housing, language courses as well as help you out with problems you've got while you are away.
Actually the organization also run internships overseas with GAP year students by combining an internship with a language program. So it's a double winner for your CV! This is a wonderful way to be able to stay over the visa free period or get course credit if you need to.
A GAP year is a great time to explore the world, discover what you really want to do and gain experience in an area that you have passion for. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy what can end up being a trip of a lifetime.
After searching through the options, it appears that there are 3 really great contenders. Charity/Volunteer Work, Internships, & Foreign Language Courses.
Option 1: Volunteer Abroad
One option is to get involved in a charitable organization or volunteer work. This could be anything from helping to immunize children in Africa to performing scientific SCUBA diving in the Caribbean.
Almost all experiences are comparatively adventurous and frequently involve visiting off the beaten track places. The secret to successfully choose a program depends on the effort you're willing to take to locate the smaller organisations vs exactly how much you are prepared to pay.
The big companies like GVI have a lot of varied programs throughout the world but you will definitely pay for the ease of finding them! Often you can end up paying 5 star figures to live in a place with no running water or decent food.
Another solution is to try to do a search for small grassroots initiatives where the funds are used to support the project. The best way to do this is to go through educational institutions or online community websites and find out what projects are happening. You can also sign up for projects through small businesses such as www.openmindproject.com. These typically grow to be of excellent value and also support the project itself.
Watch out for great projects at a webpage called www.volunteermatch.org. This allows you to be matched (without any cost to you or the organization) to the right volunteer experience based on your skills and knowledge.
Option 2: Internships Abroad
The next choice is to do an internship in another country so you can mix a great vacation with work experience. This is a great way to boost your CV.
Foreign language requirements can sometimes restrict your selection of destination, so be aware of the local language. There are numerous placement services which will find internship programs suitable for you around the globe in just about anything you like. Often these agencies cost a fairly large placement fee nevertheless they will arrange housing as well as the placement if you can't be bothered to do it yourself.
Going direct to the company, while it may take a bit more time is often cheaper as you cut out the middleman. Often companies also appreciate this as it shows you have initiative.
Option 3: Learn a Foreign Language
The next opportunity, which is quite cost effective in many cases, is doing a language course abroad. It looks great on your CV if you're able to speak another language and when you pick a great school you will have a blast.
Make sure you are on the lookout for schools that have a good activities component too so you know the school has an emphasis on fun as well as education. After all it is a gap year!
A good starting point for your search is companies like www.traveledventures.com. They target language schools with excellent social and cultural activities programs and can arrange housing, language courses as well as help you out with problems you've got while you are away.
Actually the organization also run internships overseas with GAP year students by combining an internship with a language program. So it's a double winner for your CV! This is a wonderful way to be able to stay over the visa free period or get course credit if you need to.
A GAP year is a great time to explore the world, discover what you really want to do and gain experience in an area that you have passion for. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy what can end up being a trip of a lifetime.
About the Author:
If some of you want to learn more about internship possibilitiesor language travel programsconsider digging a little bit deeper at Traveledventures.com
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