Lattitude Blog

A breakdown of gap year statistics!

Since its birth forty years ago, the gap year has gone from a rare occurrence to an everyday choice. These days gap years are extremely common, with an average of 7% of UCAS applicants choosing to defer entry in order to take a year out, and this number is expected to grow with £9,000 tuition fees now in effect.

• There’s no fixed number for the amount of students taking a gap year as no one chooses to do the same activity, but in 2012, it was estimated that there would be 2.5 million young people in the UK planning a gap year

• 20% of parents decide to help fund their child’s gap year, with the rest usually fundraising in order to raise money. On average, a gap year will cost parents £763 per child, though this will obviously differ if you choose to go through an organisation or on a volunteering placement

• Only 10% of gap years are fully-funded by the individual

• 30% of gap year students choose to travel alone – the Foreign Office calls these travellers ‘Invincibles’.

• The average gap year will cost between £3,000-£4,000 - meaning that 22% of young people cannot afford to take a year off

• British parents spend as much as £995 million a year in helping to fund their children’s gap years!
• Australians lead the highest number of gap year students; in 1974, only 4% of students opted for a gap year whereas it’s now about 11%. The UK remains at a steady 7%.

• Although they’ve been around for ages in the UK, the USA are only catching on to gap years – but only 5% of universities and colleges have a deferral policy for prospective students

• A study by the University of Western Australia discovered gap year students scored better than those who went to university straight from school – an average of 2.3 per cent higher in their first year results

• 66% of gap year students said that they took their academic work more seriously after having a gap year experience

• 60% of those who took a gap year said that their year out helped them decide what subject to concentrate on at university, and possibly what they wanted to do as a career

• 88% of people thought that their gap years had added to their employability

• 40% of gap year students do not apply to university before embarking on their gap year

• 80% work in Britain at some point during their gap year

• Gap year students are more likely to graduate with a First or Upper Second class honours degree than those who go straight to university

It’s very clear that the UK is leading the way for gap year students – and with gap years becoming more popular than ever, it’s more than likely that these statistics will be more impressive during the next academic year.

Our friends at the Gap Year Travel Store have put together a quick guide to help you prepare for your travels!…

Ensure you leave for your volunteering experience equipped with everything you need to make your trip as stress free and simple as possible. Our handy top 10 of travel gear essentials gives you the low down on the kit you should not leave for your trip without!

1) Travel Backpack

You will most definitely need a decent backpack for your trip and this 60 litre travel backpack by Vango is a great choice. The backpack comes with a padded adjustable back system for optimum comfort and also features a detachable 20 litre daypack for shorter trips.

2) Sleeping Bag

Many volunteer projects are based in countries with warm, tropical climates, the Vango Planet 50 sleeping bag is perfect for these conditions and even comes with a built-in mosquito net in the hood. Suitable for use in temperatures ranging from 10°C to 25°C.

3) Travel Towel

Compact, lightweight and quick drying, a travel towel is a must have item for your trip! This Trespass towel comes with an anti-bacterial treatment which helps prevent odours and mould from developing, even in those hot and sticky climates. A fraction of the size of a normal towel, saving you masses of packing space in your backpack.

4) Insect Repellent

You will without a doubt come across mosquitoes, sandflies and other pesky biting insects during your trip, so a good quality insect repellent is paramount to avoiding painful and irritating bites. Mosquitoes can also transmit deadly diseases such as Malaria, so preventing mosquito bites is extremely important.

5) Sterile Needle Kit

When travelling to remote areas, you may find that the medical facilities are extremely basic and lacking in sterile equipment – this can become an issue should you require urgent medical attention. This sterile needle kit can be handed to a medical professional in an emergency and contains sterile needles and syringes, so you can ensure you don’t contract AIDS, Hepatitis B and other blood borne diseases.

6) Mosquito Net

Protect yourself from Mosquitoes and other insects during the night with an impregnated mosquito net. This Sea to Summit mosquito net comes with Permethin impregnation and is easy to hang. Travel mosquito nets are usually supplied in compact storage cases, so they won’t take up too much space in your backpack.

7) Water Treatment

This Care Plus chlorine based water treatment comes in liquid form and can be added to water in remote areas to ensure it is safe to drink. Drinking contaminated water can lead to stomach and intestinal upsets, something you can definitely do without during your trip!

8) Wash Bag

Keep all your favourite toiletries and wash gear in one safe and secure place! A wash bag is a must for travelling, the Alpha wash bag by Gelert is the perfect choice with several storage compartments and a handy hanging hook.

9) Waterless Shampoo

Keeping clean in remote areas can be a nightmare but this waterless shampoo can make life much easier! Simply apply it to your hair, massage it in and towel dry for fresh and clean feeling hair.

10) Shewee Extreme

If you’re struggling to find toilet facilities out in the wilderness, this portable urinal device by Shewee is a lifesaver. The Shewee Extreme allows you to urinate standing up with a handy extension tube and a sturdy plastic case for storage.

With recent news that 18 year old gap year student Sam Woodhead was recently found in Queensland after a three day search, it’s important to remember how to stay safe if you’re travelling around the world on your gap year.

1) Insurance

Wherever you choose to go, it’s absolutely compulsory that you get insurance for any mishaps along the way. Yes, it might seem expensive and you may well think it’s a waste of money if nothing happens to you. But if it does, then you will be very, very thankful you had insurance. To strip it down to its very basics, insurance means that wherever you are in the world and whatever goes wrong, you will always have financial security which can aid you in the complexities of being abroad. Insurance is expensive, yes, but student-oriented companies such as Endsleigh offer policies especially suited to their customers.

2) Keep in touch

Once you arrive at your destination, it’s probably a good idea to invest in a SIM card from that country as it will make calls vastly cheaper. It’ll also be incredibly useful if you’re in a tight spot and you need an emergency contact. Remember to check if your mobile phone has roaming services available before you leave the country, and if you’re going somewhere to let someone know.

3) Water

Sam’s mother claims that the reason he survived in the 40 degree Australian heat was through a small amount of fluid found in his case. “His father had packed boxes of contact lenses in his rucksack in an outside pocket and he’d forgotten to take them out. He lived on the fluid of the contact lenses,” she says. Admittedly it’s often difficult to find safe, purified water abroad so ensure that your first aid kit includes water purifying tablets – and if not, pack some.

4) A safe place for money and personal items

The vast majority of crime isn’t actually violent; it tends to be more pickpocketing and theft, so it’s essential that you prevent easy reach of your items. Putting them on easy display means an easy theft so lock them up – for this reason, it’s probably wise to invest in some sort of round-the-waist money holder. Your passport and money are worth a great deal more in some countries than an annual salary so it’s important to keep them in a place that only you can access.

5) A personal alarm

Regardless of what language you speak, a loud alarm signals danger and will get people’s attention. It must be emphasised that these aren’t just for women.

6) Other travellers

When you’re all alone in a new environment, you will immediately turn to something that’s familiar to home – in this case, it may well be a fellow English speaker. If you stick in groups then your security risks are reduced and you will be able to communicate easily, should any trouble occur.

It’s very rare for stories like Sam’s to occur and he has since admitted that “It was probably a couple of stupid things on my behalf.” But nevertheless just remembering a few simple survival strategies could very well save your life.

Feels bizarre that I’m already writing me 3rd week blog! The time here seems to be going too quick!! I guess as they say, time fly’s when you’re having fun and a good time and I can certainly say I’m enjoying every moment of being over here and especially my placement!

Thursday as usual was the start of this week, I was on day shift with Urte. As usual with the day shift we had to give the homework folders our for each lesson and collect them for the Boarding Students here, which is a pain, when you want to try and be on time for any lesson you’re planning on helping out with that day. During the folder work and after lunch, I spent my time in the Prep and Primary area, with the Prep and Year 1 students. Helping them out at the end of the day to take them to their buses is most probably the funniest but also quite stressful times of the day, when you’re trying to make sure they get the right bus and the walk to there making sure they all stay in line.

Friday I was on day shift again, however instead of spending it all in Primary, I spent the morning before lunch in middle school, as some of the classes in that area are constantly growing and some of the kids can put up quite challenging behavior when they want to. I spent the first couple of hours in Miss Mawire’s class, mainly focusing on helping out a specific student who wasn’t doing any work, until I sat down with him and then he started doing it, with some help and motivation. It’s great when you can get a student who doesn’t try in class, who you know is really a good student, to do their work, without any mistakes especially! Next me and Sarah-Louise went to a different class to help out with maths, its a big eye opener into how these children have lacked so much education, these are middle school children, pretty much Year 8ish ages who’re doing maths work similar to that I had done in my Primary school days. It’s such a shame that a lot of them don’t want to change this either, because they don’t have many role models to aspire to and look up to from their communities, as within these communities education isn’t something that is pushed forward and the importance of good education isn’t told to this kids during their growing up back at home.

Saturday started off quite late, with us all having a bit of a lie-in, before everyone chipping in and making an early afternoon ‘BRUNCH’! Which was actually pretty good and filling haha! We then went into Cairns later on in the day, for a couple of quite drinks, with the sea and sun in view, which was quite good to watch. The bonus was it was Happy Hour where we went and you could also get good quality pizzas for $5aud!!

Sunday was our usual pretty much lazy day, where we just use it to talk to people from home ect.

Monday, we ended up traveling up to our Wangetti Campus, which isn’t currently open as a school at the moment, to set the place up for a memorial that was taking place the day after. There’s some great sites to see along the way, especially when driving right by to the beach front for quite a while! They day was pretty intense, moving and arranging 200 chairs, so Morag (our mentor) decided that we were allowed a bit of time to chill afterwards and to go into the swimming pool, which was pretty nice, especially to cool down in the heat! The worst part of this day for me, was having to move 3 plants, with heavy pots from the bottom of the school site, up to where the memorial was taking place, mainly because the tires on this thing we were using to move them was flat and ripping, and it was all uphill, so I was relieved when I put the 3rd one down and was told to leave the rest for some other people to do later on in the day The day seemed to go pretty quick, but then again so are most of the days now

Tuesday, we were able to go to Wangetti again, but this was to help out with the memorial, making sure the guests were ushered to their seats, that there was a constant flow of cups of water coming out to all the guests before the memorial started and also part way through. The memorial was for Lewis Griffiths a pretty well known person here in Australia! He done a lot of work with the Aboriginal culture, helping get a lot of what they wanted across through the use of the media. It was great to be part of this day, because we got to hear bits and pieces of stories his friends and families told about him as a person and also the work he done. What was even more fascinating to see, was the white Australian culture and also the Aboriginal Australian cultures coming together to remember Lewis and the great work he done. A group of students and 5 other volunteers were serving the buffet food out to the guests, whilst I was left in charge of taking picture of the students as part of their Hospitality course, which was pretty good.

Wednesday, I was on boarding and Club & Culture. In club & Culture, I went to cooking again and helped students make stir fry and I’ve gotta say they done a pretty good job at it. Then boarding started, which was actually the best boarding shift I’ve had to date! It went pretty quick, as there was constantly things to be doing and it makes it better now as I’m starting to get to know more of the students here, which always makes things easier!

Today, I was on day shift again, which consisted of the folder work and then I went to Miss Mawire’s class for the first part of the morning. Then I spent the afternoon in the Prep and Primary area like most afternoons, when I’m on day shift. I first helped out in a class with a new teacher who was teaching her 2nd lesson here to this particular group. It was a hard lesson to get through with a student who didn’t want to participate in the lesson and spent it putting all the books of the shelves on the floor and then I ended up having to constantly take the student off the top of the shelf as they kept climbing on it and then off tables, which was really hard work! After lunch it was good to see the same student actually doing good work for part of it. Due to me helping out with this specific classes in Prep and Primary it’s meant the students have got to know me a bit, so they actually listen when I tell them to be quite and to sit properly (a big percentage of the time) and the teachers trust me with them. It’s great with this age range as you can be silly and have a laugh with them, whilst also being able to maintain a lot of their respect.

As I say every week, I really do enjoy my time here at Djarragun and already knowing I finish here in June doesn’t sound appealing at all! I’d actually love to work in a school with children like that here, because even though it’s challenging, the rewards you can get from the work, when someone does something right ect are priceless! I’d definitely recommend any person to look at doing some form of voluntary work during their life, especially young people who are finishing college, A-levels or University, you can learn a lot about yourself, but also the skills and everything you can learn from being at any placement and the memories you have are worth so much! Not only is the personal experience great, but it’s also great when you can write on University applications about your GAP Year, whether your yet to go on one before Uni, or on your CV when applying for jobs, especially with how competitive it is in many societies to get a job in today’s economic climates around the world, doing something like a GAP Year can make you stand out from everyone else who’s applying for that same job :) Anyway enough rambling on for this week, thanks for taking to time to read my blog/’s.

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Let’s face it, gap years have had a fair bit of bad press lately. Sadly, in a context of high youth unemployment and less than flattering online parodies, it is easy to see why many young people disregard the opportunity as a fun but extravagant waste of time. But they could not be more wrong. Gap years can be a turning point in your life. They can help you discover new interests and potential career paths. Here are just a few examples of the where your gap year could take you…

1. Teaching

The bread and butter of overseas volunteering, voluntary teaching abroad can open your mind to the profession and give you those valuable classroom hours that employers look for. It is also an ideal way to work while travelling after your placement.

2. Medicine

Anyone who has ever applied to do medicine will tell you that getting into a medical school is no easy feat. We have had volunteers who have not received any offers first time round, but who have had several after doing one of our medical placements.

3. Charities

Not only have our past volunteers gone on to work for the charity sector, but some have even felt inspired to start their own.

4. International development

Volunteering abroad is a great opportunity for you to gain great life skills while exploring a new culture. It is also a time when you can help enrich the lives of communities and cultures different to your own. Many people who currently work in international development to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of those in developing countries were past young volunteers themselves.

5. Social work

Spending your gap year volunteering in an orphanage or care home can open your eyes to the tough yet valuable duties of social workers. The experience will also prove your motivation and commitment to caring for vulnerable individuals when applying for university courses and jobs.

6. Languages

Ever fancied learning a new language? Picking up a new language in country is completely different to classroom-based teaching. Some of our past volunteers have gone on to use the language skills they learnt on their year abroad to work in linguistic-related fields such as translation and interpreting.

7. Conservation and Marine Biology

Ok, so swimming around in the North Sea may not be your cup of tea… but what if you could relocate to the Galapagos? Inspired by the stunning coasts and landscapes of the countries where they have done their placements, past volunteers have pursued careers in conservation and marine biology after their year out.

8. Travel journalism

Finding inspiration is easy when you are surrounded by new cultures and breathtaking scenery. Why not keep a travel blog while you are away? Who knows where it may lead…

So this week started on Thursday, with me working during ‘Club & Culture’ and also ‘Boarding’. Club and Culture consisted of me helping out with Cultural Identity, which is a great way to learn about the cultures many students come from here at the school. It was a productive session, with me working with 2 children who were happy with talking to me, telling me such things as; what food they eat within their community, telling me about a famous women who knits various things such as baskets, about their families and also what they enjoy doing within their communities. I’m trying to help out in this lesson whenever I’m put in on ‘Club & Culture’ because its a great way to understand the kids here, what they go through ect. After this I was put on Boarding, which consisted of going around the site and checking all the boys were accounted for and none had gone missing (luckily they were all there!). Later on in the evening a couple of the boarders decided they wanted to have a pillow fight with me and Soren, which lasted for about half an hour, due to their enegetic personalities not wanting to stop haha!

Friday came and meant the weekend was nearly here! I only had Club & Culture this day, which started off pretty eventful, but I can’t go into further detail for various reasons about this. However, this turned into quite a quiet session with most of us Volunteers helping out in the Library ‘Chillout session’, where the boarders were allowed to do anything they wanted. It went pretty quick and our weekend was soon to start! With Friday night being a bit of a chillout evening watching a couple of episodes of ‘Friends’! We kind of have an addiction to watching that here haha!

Saturday started pretty earlish with us catching the 11ish bus into Cairns central to watch one of the teachers here from Djarragun and his band/ group do a few songs down at the Lagoon, which was a good chilled out afternoon. A couple of volunteers went to the movies to watch ‘Les Miserables’, while some of stayed at the Lagoon before going into Cairns Central shopping centre for a bit of a wonder round, planning things were going to buy for my birthday in May haha! Was quite a funny afternoon! Then came food shopping time, with us going to one store and then getting a tiny way round before realising its closing, so we vacated and went to another one! We finally got home and Saturday night was my night to cook a meal for everyone (were all taking it in turns each Saturday cooking a meal for everyone!) I attempted my first curry, a Chicken Tikka Masala, which could of done with a bit more sauce, but I was pretty proud of it and for the fact no-one ended up with food poisoning, which is always a bonus!

Sunday came with a good chillout for the day! Giving us the chance to catch up with people from back home, via Facebook, Skype ect! Or to do whatever else we wanted

Monday was another day on Admin for me, which turned into a day of helping out for a quarter of the day in a Primary lesson, making a collage of the kids making Playdough and then the rest of my time in the Primary Library helping put books away and even learning to ‘cover’ books with this weird covering thing, which took ages and was frustrating to get used to initially haha! It was soon the end of the working day for me and meant I could go home and relax for the rest of the afternoon/ evening. My attempt at going to sleep early didn’t last long with me being woken up with 2 Volunteers screaming and my door opening being told theres something in the house! So i ended up jumping out of bed, thinking their was something big in the house and interesting, but instead their was a beetle attached to one of the volunteers clothes, so i grabbed the first towel I seen and wacked it off her, along with accidently catching her slightly with the towel (but don’t panic, she wasn’t harmed during this haha!). Next I came face-to-face with a frog in a bedroom in the house, so homing in on my intelligence and quick thinking, I grabbed a cup and placed it over the frog, slid some paper underneath and discarded of the pest out side (again don’t panic, no animals were hurt during this process).

Tuesday came with me being on ‘Club & Culture’ and also ‘Boarding’ again. In Club & Culture I helped out with the cooking class, helping them make chocolate cake, which the teacher was worried about as the whole class consisted of boys, but they finished early and behaved better than expected and they even shared some of their cake with the us volunteers who helped out! It was actually pretty good! Then came boarding, starting off helping a couple of the boarders out with their homework and then playing a bit of Table Tennis after. After work, a couple of us went for a session at the gym and on our way (which is about a 30 second walk) saw some wild Kangaroo’s - which was a first for me and Sarah!

Wednesday (today) I was on the morning/ day shift, starting off sorted homework folders out for the boarding students and delivering them to their lessons, before going to a Primary class, which ended up cutting pictures out of students and what they did during January and putting them onto a big piece of card! I also helped out in a Middle School lesson, assisting a student with their ‘writing’ test, helping explain what they had to do, which is different to exams I remember taking in the UK, where people weren’t allowed help like this during their tests, so initially I didn’t really know how much help I could give, until the teacher came over and explained. After lunch a couple of us Volunteers stayed with a Prep and Year 1 class, starting off in the Library, where I ended up reading a couple of books to a few of the students before taking them off to Music, helping the Prep year students learn the songs they have to sing, whilst having them climb all over you is pretty hard, but it’s a laugh as they always seem amazed about you being there!

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