Seven Ways to Fund a Gap Year

Local associations, businesses, schools and charities such as the Rotary Club, Lions Clubs International, Round Table or the Peter Kirk Memorial in the UK, regularly award grants to students meeting specific criteria such as age, residence and project goals.

While clinical trials are regulated by an independent body, there is an obvious risk in volunteering your body for a medical trial. It’s important you read the small print and research the company willing to pay you, as well as any potential side effects of the drug. A two to four weeks trial will usually require you to stay at the testing center, where you will be given a bed and food. There are different requirements based on age, health history and your lifestyle choices. Depending on the length of the study and what’s involved, you could earn a few thousand pounds/dollars.

To work as a film extra, you will need to register with an extras casting agency by uploading your details, measurements and photo, sometimes paying a small fee, or attending a casting event. Your earnings will depend largely on the production. The basic rate for many large productions, such as with BBC, ITV or Warner Bros, is about £90 a day in the UK (~$130), and, since extras are often required to work on the same set anywhere between several days to several weeks, wages can stack up high. However, working hours can be long and the work may be physically demanding. You also need to be flexible enough to free up your schedule at a week’s notice as casting agencies tend to contact extras at the very last minute.

Once you’ve decided on a fundraising goal and taken active steps to raising the money, asking for help from your friends and relative could help you fill in the remainder. Don’t be shy, because you will certainly need all the help you can get! If they were planning to give you a gift for your birthday or another special occasion, ask them to donate to your gap year fund instead. Thanks to websites such as Flendr.com and GoGetFunding.com, crowdfunding and keeping track of donations shouldn’t be an issue.

Whether it’s your morning almond croissant, tobacco (which you should quit anyway) or your Netflix subscription, you should start cutting out expensive and/or unnecessary habits as soon as possible to save a maximum amount of money before and/or during your trip. While on the go, you will have other expenses and need to be very smart with your money to make it last. Learn to start budgeting now!

A version of this article was originally published on 22 July 2008. It was updated in April 2016.