Gap Year

What is a Gap Year?

A gap year provides a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel, gain qualifications, make like-minded friends and create unforgettable memories. A year of fantastic experiences will broaden your horizons while developing and challenging you personally. Between or after school/college and university is an ideal time to take a gap year. Having long been popular with UK students aged 18 to 22, gap years are now becoming increasingly important in the US, Australia and elsewhere.

A Gap Year With NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard

An instructor course with NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard is an ideal way to spend part of a gap year. Improve your riding, gain qualifications and make life-long friends, all in the breathtaking setting of the Canadian Rockies. For more info, check out their websites: skiers click here and snowboarders click here

Benefits of a Gap Year

Travelling to foreign countries, meeting interesting people, discovering new experiences; the benefits to a Gap Year are fairly self explanatory but here are a few more...

New Skills:

A gap year provides the perfect opportunity to develop a passion further or alternatively to submerge yourself into a new interest. Combined with travel and acquiring a new language and you’ll have a rewarding year.

Qualifications:

Although this may not be top of your list for your gap year experience if you can include a few along the way they will beef up your CV and you never know when they might come in handy.

Personal Development:

One of the biggest advantages of a gap year is how it changes you. Broadening your cultural and social horizons often provides a totally different outlook on life, increases your confidence and progresses your social skills.

Funding

Working & Saving:

As the wise man said, “nothing in life is free” so if you want a gap year the chances are you are going to have to work for it! Many 'gappers' use school or university holidays and part of their gap year to save like mad.

Career Development Loan:

A CDL can be used to fund any full-time or part-time vocational course and lasts no longer than 2 years. The first repayment is due only one month after the end of the course so you should consider borrowing money carefully. www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl

Useful Info

Year Out Group

A UK organisation representing approven and respected course providers; their website provides lots of useful Gap Year information and advice. www.yearoutgroup.org

ISCO

ISCO arrange gap year fairs in schools around the country, providing the opportunity to meet a number of gap year providers. www.isco.org.uk

BUNAC

BUNAC are the only source of working visa for Canada that allows you to work without a previous offer of employment. www.bunac.org

Gap Year Canada

Check out this site for gap years, ski jobs and seasonal accommodation in Banff www.gapyearcanada.com

FCO

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office offer essential travel advice and visa information www.fco.gov.uk/en

UCAS

UCAS processes all applications for full-time undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges; a full list of all degrees on offer can be found on their website. www.ucas.ac.uk

Duke of Edinburgh

Many gap year courses are ideal experiences for the 'residential section' of the D of E Gold Award. www.theaward.org