Exams are finally over and the gleaming prospect of studying for your chosen degree is a short distance away. If you’ve decided to join the many school leavers opting for a gap year, there is a way to ensure your time spent abroad is worthwhile. Tailor your gap year job to your degree, and your CV could be boosted by valuable work experience and transferrable skills in no time.
Gap year jobs for business students
Getting a graduate job can be difficult in any industry, especially when you have no relevant experience. If you’re studying for a business degree, taking a gap year in a developing country can be a great way to learn skills about communication, client relationships and what it’s like to work in a growing business. Improve your skills from the ground up with a placement in a small local business in Latin America, Cambodia or India and build a base of international contacts as you go – you’ll be one step ahead of your fellow students before you even start university.
Gap year jobs for sports students
A growing industry worth billions, the sports sector offers roles in coaching and analysis that give you the chance to put your knowledge and passion for sport into play. There are also volunteering opportunities all over the world for sports projects that allow you to give back to the community and hone your coaching skills. A gap year job like coaching internationally teaches valuable skills in communication and helps put you in a strong position when the time comes to apply for a graduate job after university. With fantastic opportunities on offer, including teaching soccer in Ghana, cricket in India and hockey in Argentina, it won’t be difficult to find something that suits you and your interests down to the ground.
Gap year jobs for language students
Teaching a language abroad not only provides you with some fantastic experiences, but also allows you to improve your own understanding of grammar, spelling and communicating with a range of people. If you have any spare time, contributing features and articles about your experience to local newspapers can be another sure-fire way to improve your CV. For Western students looking to explore the traditions and lifestyle of other cultures, Asian countries such as Vietnam, China and Japan offer fantastic opportunities to teach, that often come hand-in-hand with generous pay allowances.
Gap year jobs for history students
History buffs will love the opportunity to explore places they’ve only been able to read about in textbooks. Spend your gap year wandering around ancient ruins and marvel at the relics of ancient civilizations – you never know, they may inspire your future thesis. You can even enroll on a summer course to give you a much greater understanding of the events that took place in these areas. Popular destinations include Greece, Italy and South America, but there are also many lesser-known places to discover in Europe, including Malta and its remarkable megalithic temples, thought to be the oldest freestanding monuments in the world.
Gap year jobs for geography students
As one of the most diverse subjects, geography teaches us how we are affecting the world and, in turn, how it is affecting us. There aren’t many places around the globe that’ll enable you to experience all of the phenomena you’ve studied, but New Zealand is a strong contender. Lying between the Indo-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates, this diverse island is home to an incredible variety of landscapes, including active volcanoes, fertile farmland, bubbling hot springs and icy glaciers. The sheer variety of terrain makes this a wonderful place to visit for students of geography. Volunteer for a conservation project and learn first-hand about the effects of erosion, sustainability and the importance of protecting native flora and fauna.
From rural India to the volcanic plateau of New Zealand, there are endless opportunities to make your gap year experience not only life-changing, but relevant to the skills you will develop throughout your degree and in your first graduate job.
Chris is an avid writer based in South London with a true passion for travel. After gaining a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Kingston University, he travelled the world and started to blog. Now settled in England, Chris writes reviews for a nightlife company, travel features for lowcostholidays.com and for his personal blog, Make New Tracks.
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Gap Year Jobs to Match your Degree
By Guest Writer
Updated April 13, 2016 Updated April 13, 2016Guest post: Christopher Sharpe
Exams are finally over and the gleaming prospect of studying for your chosen degree is a short distance away. If you’ve decided to join the many school leavers opting for a gap year, there is a way to ensure your time spent abroad is worthwhile. Tailor your gap year job to your degree, and your CV could be boosted by valuable work experience and transferrable skills in no time.
Getting a graduate job can be difficult in any industry, especially when you have no relevant experience. If you’re studying for a business degree, taking a gap year in a developing country can be a great way to learn skills about communication, client relationships and what it’s like to work in a growing business. Improve your skills from the ground up with a placement in a small local business in Latin America, Cambodia or India and build a base of international contacts as you go – you’ll be one step ahead of your fellow students before you even start university.
A growing industry worth billions, the sports sector offers roles in coaching and analysis that give you the chance to put your knowledge and passion for sport into play. There are also volunteering opportunities all over the world for sports projects that allow you to give back to the community and hone your coaching skills. A gap year job like coaching internationally teaches valuable skills in communication and helps put you in a strong position when the time comes to apply for a graduate job after university. With fantastic opportunities on offer, including teaching soccer in Ghana, cricket in India and hockey in Argentina, it won’t be difficult to find something that suits you and your interests down to the ground.
Teaching a language abroad not only provides you with some fantastic experiences, but also allows you to improve your own understanding of grammar, spelling and communicating with a range of people. If you have any spare time, contributing features and articles about your experience to local newspapers can be another sure-fire way to improve your CV. For Western students looking to explore the traditions and lifestyle of other cultures, Asian countries such as Vietnam, China and Japan offer fantastic opportunities to teach, that often come hand-in-hand with generous pay allowances.
History buffs will love the opportunity to explore places they’ve only been able to read about in textbooks. Spend your gap year wandering around ancient ruins and marvel at the relics of ancient civilizations – you never know, they may inspire your future thesis. You can even enroll on a summer course to give you a much greater understanding of the events that took place in these areas. Popular destinations include Greece, Italy and South America, but there are also many lesser-known places to discover in Europe, including Malta and its remarkable megalithic temples, thought to be the oldest freestanding monuments in the world.
As one of the most diverse subjects, geography teaches us how we are affecting the world and, in turn, how it is affecting us. There aren’t many places around the globe that’ll enable you to experience all of the phenomena you’ve studied, but New Zealand is a strong contender. Lying between the Indo-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates, this diverse island is home to an incredible variety of landscapes, including active volcanoes, fertile farmland, bubbling hot springs and icy glaciers. The sheer variety of terrain makes this a wonderful place to visit for students of geography. Volunteer for a conservation project and learn first-hand about the effects of erosion, sustainability and the importance of protecting native flora and fauna.
From rural India to the volcanic plateau of New Zealand, there are endless opportunities to make your gap year experience not only life-changing, but relevant to the skills you will develop throughout your degree and in your first graduate job.
This article was originally published in August 2014 . It was last updated in April 2016
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