As the academic year comes to a close for many students across the UK, it is clear to see our future plans come in all shapes and sizes. While some pupils are still working towards their degrees at university and others have secured a place at college for the first time, not everybody has a clear path into the next stages of life. There are a multitude of different options for those wrapping up their time in school such as internships, full-time work or further education; however, a choice that continues to rise in popularity is the exciting prospect of a gap year.
Gap years have existed for a long time— since around the 17th century, in fact (EF Gap Year, 2019)— but it was only in the 1960s that they began to really attract the attention of the general British public. Following ‘hippie trails’ (travelling to exotic destinations in order to ‘find’ oneself) became a well sought-after way of life, particularly with a revolution in the music industry and the political scene of many countries in the Western World. The 9 to 5 Capitalist work culture was already a tiring thought for school-age teens who had grown up at just the right time to miss the horrors of the Second World War; the world seemed like a more promising place full of choice and opportunities than it ever had before. Companies quickly caught on and started commercialising the concept of adventuring abroad, offering group tours and opportunities to gain qualifications and ‘make real differences’ in foreign countries. Those who embarked on gap years sixty years ago have arguably forged the stereotypes of the typical year off today; backpacking across Asia for six months, teaching English in rural schools abroad or volunteering at animal sanctuaries. High-schoolers with part-time jobs were suddenly working overtime to get a taste of their own globe-trotting adventures.
Unfortunately, this trend is likely what led to some of the negative views of gap years. Many parents still don’t understand what a year of travelling can do to benefit their kids’ careers, seeing the time off merely as a gap in their résumés. However, depending on what the individual seeks to do while travelling, these typical year abroad experiences can build lots of character and desirable skills. Some countries— most famously Australia and New Zealand— offer Working Holiday Visas which allow British citizens to reside and work in their chosen location for up to a year at a time. Australia has plenty of room for foreign workers particularly in their huge agricultural sector, where British backpackers ‘have typically made up about 25% of the horticultural workforce’ (May & Kelly, 2022). The country also has the highest minimum wage in the world at a decent $20.33 Australian dollars per hour as of 2022 (equivalent to £11.45 at the time of writing) (Andreas, 2022), meaning that no matter the type of work you land, your time on the clock will be well-paid.
Nonetheless, not all gap years will have packed itineraries of farming in the Australian heat or island-hopping the Philippines. It is important to note these types of holidays and excursions come at a high price that not everyone can afford, particularly straight after leaving school as a young adult who hasn’t had much time to work, or after university where it’s the norm to rack up an eye-watering level of student debt. Gap years can be equally well-spent at home, and taking a few months to volunteer or work gaining experience in your desired sector will hardly ever be a waste of time. And even for those who aren’t sure exactly where their career is headed, work opportunities that may appear ‘random’ at first can lead to unexpected revelations— whether your job takes you to an interesting new city or helps you realise the perks of remote working, or just prompts you to start in a direction you didn’t anticipate yourself going in, taking the time for some soul-searching and to figure these things out can help.
Gap years are not for everyone. Many students will still follow a typical path going from school through to obtaining a degree and then settling in to build a career. Some envision saving their money and time for buying their first home or starting a family; making these choices is a part of life, and each person will have their own priorities and perhaps even a solid plan to see them through. However, in the digital madness of the twenty-first century where every element of your life can be unfairly compared to another, it is important to note the value of taking time off— but, additionally, that said ‘time off’ is going to look different for everyone.
Figure 1: A woman facing a solo backpacking adventure, Complete University Guide.
References
Andreas (2022). ‘The Highest Minimum Wage in the World’, Mappr [online]. Available at: https://www.mappr.co/highest-minimum-wage-in-the-world/ (Accessed 25/04/22).
EF Gap Year (2019). ‘A brief history of the gap year’, EF Gap Year [online]. Available at: https://efgapyear.com/brief-history-gap-year/ (Accessed 25/04/22).
May, N. and Kelly, C. (2022). ‘Australian farm revolution: hopes and fears as a new workforce replaces backpackers’, The Guardian [online]. Available at: https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/24/australian-farm-revolution-hopes-and-fears-as-a-new-workforce-replaces-backpackers (Accessed 25/04/22).
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