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In the UK, Hearing of a friend going off around the world to volunteer after school isn’t uncommon. But what about in other countries?

In Australia and the USA taking a year out is a relatively new concept, and students are only just beginning to warm to it. ­American universities in particular have only recently introduced deferment policies, allowing students to take time out to learn more about themselves and gain new skills before they start college, with some even offering to fund it.

China is also warming to the idea of taking time off after school or university. Thanks to the publication of “The Delayed Gap Year” by Sun Dongchun in 2009, the Chinese have been introduced to this exciting foreign concept of travelling foreign lands in search of self-fulfilment. Since then, many freshly-graduated students have travelled and volunteered abroad instead of immediately going into work or education.

Similarly the concept of taking time out to volunteer has hit India, although they prefer to call it a ‘drop year’. Unlike the newly-graduated Chinese travellers, 18 year old Indian students often prefer to focus on their studies before travelling. Many Indian students then opt to travel abroad immediately after university, often coming to the UK. “Most of my friends did the usual Brighton-Stonehenge-East London-Manchester trail,” says Kamal Singh, one such traveller.

In some countries, such as Greece, Sweden and – up until 2011 – Germany, taking a year out was mandatory in the form of military service (for men). Although you don’t have to take it at 18 and can opt to do your duty later in life, many choose to get it over with before they enrol in higher education. The same goes for Russia – and the reason why taking time out to volunteer is pretty much non-existent over there is because university is a handy way of getting out of military service. Money is also a large factor and as university can potentially cost thousands, parents seem more enthusiastic for their children to spend money on a much-coveted diploma.

Similarly, Danish students tend to go straight to university. Denmark’s internationally renowned education system means that their students stay in education for longer – it’s ranked first in the world for a reason! The Danish government generously supports each student financially when they’re studying and has even been known to penalise students who break from tradition and take time out before further study. Because of the growing worldwide popularity of volunteering abroad, the Danish government has begun to reward students who opt to go straight to university, by allowing them to study free of charge.

By extreme contrast, Yemen is the only country that actively encourages – and imposes – mandatory time out in between school and higher education. There’s only one exception: if you go to a private university then you are permitted to attend it immediately after completing secondary school.

It has never been easier to travel abroad, so it’s inevitable that the concept of taking time out to volunteer abroad is only going to get more popular. Time will only tell if everyone follows Yemen’s example…