Taking time out
Taking time out can be a great way to gain experience before entering the employment market or undertaking further study but however attractive the prospect seems, it is worth considering the pros and cons before you decide.
What are the benefits of taking time out?
You could gain:
- Relevant work experience, develop new skills as well as increasing your knowledge
- More time or experiences to help clarify your career ideas
- Cultural awareness from travelling to different places
- Language skills
What are the possible disadvantages?
You could:
- Incur additional debt as travelling can be expensive
- Miss out on annual graduate recruitment schemes
- Have to work in a low paid, boring job for a long period of time
- Become frustrated or despondent due to delaying the start of your career
Taking time out – what are your options?
- Overseas travel
- Travel and work overseas
- Undertake voluntary work either in the UK or abroad
- Gain experience by taking a non-graduate job in the UK
The following is a video for gap year tips and ideas.
With thanks to CareerPlayer, Graduate Jobs and Career Advice on video.
Whatever you decide to do in your gap year, think about what you plan to do once it is over. Taking time out is now more common than ever and employers are unlikely to view a gap year negatively. However, it is down to you to highlight the benefits you have gained from your time out. Keeping a record of your experiences and the skills you develop during your gap year is a useful practise as you can draw on this when you start to send off applications.
For more information on planning a gap year visit the finding work outside the UK section. This section has plenty of links to vacancy sources, vacation schemes and companies that organise gap year opportunities.
