Chloe volunteered in Malawi
By Nela Statečná
By the end of January 2012, the UK’s National Student Newspaper, the Student Times, released the results of a research, which estimate that 2.5 million young people living in the UK are planning their gap year in 2012. Nonetheless, STA Travel assumes that the number of the gap year students may eventually increase to three million.
As the original article explains, there are many reasons behind the 20% increase in the number of gap year students this year. The difficulty to find a job in the UK or simply their hindered university plans represent only a fraction of the reasons, why many young students consider the option to improve their CV with a gap year experience.
STA Travel shared the information that the average age of their customer last year was 23. They predict, however, that the age border will drop this year mainly because many students head off right after their A-levels. This could be attributed primarily to the introduction of the university fees as well as to the complicated situation on the UK job market.
The new trend of “snap gaps”, which are usually mini gap trips, is also arising these days. According to John Constable, who is the managing director of the STA Travel group, during the last year the average trip length was 54 days. This fact clearly indicates that instead of spending the traditional 12 months, the students are aiming for shorter trips during which they can take part in some volunteer project or take some language or other skill course abroad. Skills gained during these snap gaps can still significantly help the students to bolster their CV.
The volunteering overseas, as a way how to spend one’s gap year represents for many students a chance to receive a relevant work experience and an opportunity to travel at the same time. During this time, the young people might get involved in different projects, which may help them to improve their skills and, therefore, increase their prospect of better employment in the future. As a bonus, they will be able to travel and to experience a life in another country.
According to Marcus Watts, the managing director at Greenforce, the young people should pick a gap year that “will help their career rather than a gap year that will help their suntan.” He believes that students should focus more on learning new leadership and management skills while they are spending their time abroad. All these young people should, therefore, bear in their minds that a gap year with some career development benefits will be, in the long run, their opportunity to get better paid jobs in the future.
Tags: gap year figures, student times
