The pros and cons of taking a gap year

So, you’ve finished you’re A levels and you want to get out and see the world before you take the plunge into university.

While going on a gap year can be one of the most exhilarating experiences anybody can wish to have, there are a few things you need to consider before you make the life-changing decision.

Taking a gap year is exactly that: life-changing.

This, of course, makes it much more important that you make the right decisions and plan sufficiently for your trip.

Some ‘gappers’, for instance, don’t attach enough importance to worldwide travel insurance in the planning stages of their trips.

In fact, this is probably one of the simplest things about getting ready for your gap year. All you need to do is log on to the travel insurance comparison site Moneysupermarket.com, assess all the deals available to you and pick the best one. It’s as easy as that.

There are pros and cons to all aspects of a gap year and they are all dependent on your individual circumstance, so you will need to bear these in mind at every stage of planning.

You might need to save up for a few months before you jet off, which means that a gap year doesn’t necessarily have to be for a year.

It can be shorter; it can be much longer. It all depends on how much you can afford.

One advantage of a gap year is that you can fund your travels as you flit from country to country.

Bar work is probably the most common form of gap year employment, but some people might see this as a con because they would rather be out in the Australian outback than in an Australian city bar.

It’s important to think about your employment situation when you get home, too, because it is not easy to come by.

A pro of a gap year is that you will have more time to think about what you want to do for a career and, of course, at university if your career choice requires a degree.

A con of a gap year is that you might well end up without a job for an extended period of time when you get back, which will bring you crashing right back down to earth.

If you get offered a job before you plan to go, give it some serious consideration because you might not get another one when you want it.

Many employers recognise that taking a gap year shows ambition and open-mindedness, so it could look great on your CV when you get back.

They will ask you about your experiences, so make sure you have some stories to tell other than how drunk you got every night you were away!