take a break
Ready for something different?
After 12 years at school, it’s no surprise some students are fed up with study.
If you’re not sure what you want to do once school’s over, or if you’re just ready for a break then a Gap Year could be the answer.
A Gap Year is the name we give a long break taken between high school (or university) and what comes next. It’s a great time to take time away from formal study or work because you’re generally not burdened with debt or family that will make taking time out difficult later in life.
Upcoming Gap Year Events
the world is your oyster
you could travel, work, experience, or learn on a gap year
If you’d like to travel, you can. Explore the world and visit 30 countries in 12 months. Immerse yourself in one culture and spend a year learning new languages and skills. Or anything in between.
Some countries allow you to work while you travel, but there are usually limitations on what jobs you can do and the length of time you can do it for. If that’s what you’d like to do then do your research and find out what visa and other legal requirements there are.
If you’d like to experience something out of the ordinary then volunteering is a great way to go. You’ll have the opportunity to travel, explore, learn and gain valuable life experience all in one handy package.
- Backpack around Australia
- Volunteer in a remote community
- Learn a trade
- Work and save money
- Go on an artist residency
- Study languages
- Do an internship
- Play sport
timing
do I have to take my gap year between high school and uni?
No – you can take it after Year 12, part way through uni, or at the end of uni.
Alternatively, you could choose to work for a period and then take a Gap Year later in your career – if you’ve worked for the same company for over 10 years you can access 2 months of Long Service Leave, and many employers will allow you to take this at half-pay which you could choose to turn into a ‘Gap Year’ of sorts.
considerations
how long will you take off?
Once again, it’s completely up to you.
You can travel for an entire year, you could go for 8 weeks.
You can travel solo and make it last as long as your money does. Or sign up with a program that does all the admin and organisation for you complete with a planned itinerary and set departure and return dates.
A Gap Year is a bit misleading in this day and age, as you can go for shorter or longer periods than a year, whatever suits you.
Remember uni doesn’t start until March, so after Year 12 you’ll have around 3 or 4 months even if you take no other formal Gap period.
success
what are the benefits?
Studies have shown that taking a Gap Year can actually make you more likely to succeed at uni.
Most students (one study showed around 90%) return to study after their year away, and those who’ve taken a gap year:
- Are more likely to finish their degree
- Have higher grades on average
- Tend to stick to their major (most students change)
- Are more employable
- Are more likely to be satisfied with their career
Why is this? Because a Gap Year gives you time to discover more about yourself, which puts you in a much stronger position to know what you want to do with your life. You’ll face unfamiliar situations, strange environments, need to adapt to new jobs, people, places and cultures, and you’ll learn more about what you do and don’t like.
Which means that when you go to uni you already know what you want to do and how you’re going to achieve it.
Taking a Gap Year isn’t selfish, nor is it a waste of time.
Gap Year Quiz
