What are the benefits of undertaking charity work in your gap year?

Gap years are becoming increasingly popular. According to the Year Out Group (an association of gap-year providers) up to 200,000 British teenagers take a gap year between higher education institutions. Traditionally, the gap year is time taken between the completion of ‘A’ levels and the beginning of university, though this standard is changing.

Gap years are the perfect opportunity to explore the world and take advantage of student prices for travel, such as cheap flights to the destination of your dreams. There are few chances in life to have time to ‘give something back’ after you start on the career ladder, so why not take advantage of this unique opportunity and get involved in charity work abroad?

Many employers look upon this type of self-development period as a more positive attribute than mere work experience - especially when the potential employee has invested time in charity work. With so many cheap air tickets and travel insurance available to students it is easy to see how beneficial it is to have a gap year.

There are many personal benefits to taking time out on a gap year, these include a new sense of confidence and independence. Trying new experiences for yourself without the security of family and teachers around can help to bolster your self-esteem and give you a broader world view.

From the time you book your flights to actually arriving at your chosen destination you will find out things about yourself you never knew and discover what you are capable of whilst working for a charity organisation.

Charity work often involves helping a small community to improve its living conditions e.g. building a well or school. It is hard but rewarding work that will help you to develop your sense of cultural awareness and understand your place in the world better than if you went straight onto university or into a career.

Charity work is an ethically sound way to spend your time and it will teach you new social and practical skills. These are the sorts of skills you will draw on and expand on through university and will need at the all important first interview: after working in a remote placement with no access to your usual comfort zone for a year, meeting your potential employer for the first time will be a breeze!

It is advisable to check the programme out on www.ethicalvolunteering.org before you sign up for any foreign charity work, this way you can make sure that the organisation you are going with are putting money into the local community and assess the long term sustainable effects of your project.

You should also check that any programme you sign up with involves a suitable amount of training and that there are English speaking organisers on hand if you need them.

Your gap year is the perfect opportunity to learn about yourself and explore your potential, but make sure you do the research beforehand so that you know what you’re getting yourself into.

If you’re seriously thinking about doing charity work in your gap year you’ll need to consider costs. Obviously if your gap year involves significant amounts of potentially expensive travel its worth looking into ways of funding it (the site has a helpful section on this) - it should be possible to raise funds through sponsorship or by getting a grant. Nonetheless, check flight comparison websites like Cheap flights or Skyscanner to make sure you minimize your costs.

Also, don’t forget travel insurance - make sure any unusual or particularly dangerous activities you might be involved in are covered by your policy. Many insurers will have good value backpacker policies for extended travel. Go Travel Insurance for instance offers a backpacker policy that includes cover for a wide range of activities.