Types of gap year

You could go and work teaching or brushing up on a sport for your gap year. Organisation advertising right here on Season Workers allow you to do just that in sports such as football and boxing. Volunteers can experience the coaching opportunity of their lifetime, they will also be addressing the importance of sports development in developing countries.

Organisations conducting research in remote and exotic locations recruit people on a gap year or year out to help and contribute. You might choose from saving endangered wildlife, protecting threatened environments or aiding in the provision of vital ecological data. Many providers allow you to gain qualifications along the way (such as PADI diving tickets).

From hospitals to orphanages, during a caring or medical gap year you will usually be helping out with the extra things that full time staff do not have time to add, and that make a real difference to peoples lives. You may be working with people rehabilitating from drug addiction or helping out in homes for abused children so going into it with a mature and open mind is essential.

Many areas in the world have a serious need for volunteer and native speaking English teachers in their schools. There is lots of scope for voluntary teachers, though many schools have all the modern conveniences, often state schools receive very little funding and are short on materials and the teachers to use them – so volunteers are normally very welcome. There are also paid jobs available all over the world for English teachers.

Many training organisations provide watersports courses suitable for part of a GAP year whatever experience you might have. Recognised and accredited schools are able to offer a range of certified courses in Professional Crewing, Yacht and Skippering, Windsurfing, Dinghy Sailing, Diving, Kitesurfing etc... There are literally thousands of combinatiuons and places to train. Many people following this GAP year route have found a new career! Also available are multi discipline programmes which offer you the opportunity to try out and develop a number of watersports at the same time. You might try the outdoor section for a job that incorporates training programmes with your summer work. You should also make sure that your couyrse provider is properly registered with the relevant bodies. Details for this can be found in the outdoor and sports help section.