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Find a Gap and Get The Most
Out Of Your Gap Year
By Susan
Rushen
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| Andrew
Fidler was not quite ready to launch himself in to work when he graduated
as an Aerospace Engineer. He wanted to travel, see the world and
have some fun before the serious stuff started. Unsure exactly what
he wanted to do he sought guidance and information. He did what any 21
year old would do and logged on to the internet but was amazed to find
little in the way of objective information available and certainly nothing
he felt was relevant for people his age. |
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Most of the
sites were out of date, produced by large travel companies or people who
had done their “time out” a decade or so ago. Undeterred he packed
his rucksack and headed off for destinations in America and Asia. Although
the trip went well, it played on his mind that had more information been
available his travels would have been far more enjoyable and rewarding.
He could have
just written his niggles off and started looking for a job suited to his
degree. Instead he sat down in front of his PC and started designing web
pages and making phone calls. And so, in 2003 www.Findagap.com
was born. Young and fresh, for the young and fresh
who are looking for gap year guidance and ideas. Andrew’s mission
was to provide a comprehensive one-stop-shop for anyone looking for information
about gap year options. He wanted to create an impartial site containing
all the relevant information for anyone interested in taking a gap year.
Ceri- Jane
from findagap.com com told me “A gap year is traditionally taken between
school and university by students who want to see the world and broaden
their horizons before completing their education. Gap year activities can
be anything from conservation or teaching or even just traveling the world.
Although gap years were originally taken by students of 18 or 19, more
people are deciding to travel during or after university and there is a
new breed of ‘grown up gappers’ who decide to take time off from their
careers to go and travel the world”.
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Shark Diving in South Africa
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The term gap year suggests that
young people need to be away for a whole year but this is not the case.
There are shorter placement options available depending on how long the
student wanted to travel for, what sort of gap year they wanted to take
and what the budget is. Some of the placements last for three months, some
for six months or longer. Of course there is nothing to stop anyone
taking more than one placement to really broaden their experience.
Since I have not come across too
many 18 and 19 year olds with money to burn I asked Ceri-Jane if gap year
activities are expensive. “People with limited budgets have a wide range
of options” she said “Many people choose to travel and work their way around
the world, while some go abroad to get paid work experience in industries
they want to get involved with after graduation. The government are also
introducing an initiative where people can stay in the UK for their gap
year and help out on projects which will benefit the community. The best
thing to do is to research all the options thoroughly and see which appeals
most”.
Andrew has forgotten about getting
a job in Aerospace and devotes himself full time to developing the website
along with a partner and a technical support professional.
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| Findagap.com
is packed with ideas, information and services essential for the young
traveler and is the obvious place to go for help and to check out all the
options available. Their Gap-Phone is a helpline which will be available
until the 10th September 2005 for anyone looking for any further advice
on gap years – call +44 (0) 87 12 71 08 28. |
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| Links to related articles &
resources:
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