Gap year before uni but with no clear plan ...

[BigSandyBalls2015]

..... will it just be a loafing about year?

Talks about working and travelling and part of me thinks it's a great idea as it's been a treadmill of education since about year 5, but I don't think I'll be happy if she ends up doing very little.

DH chilled about it says there's no other time in her life when she's likely to be able to do this.

Thoughts please.

Is DH planning on bank-rolling her during that time? She needs to get a job for some of the time so that she can afford to go travelling.

This was me 25 years ago. I can definitely say that despite having no plans and spending the year in a series of low level jobs it was incredibly helpful to my whole life really. I was very shy and young for my age, and being forced to find work, get on with a range of different ages and types of people in the workplace etc really helped me get a lot more out of university when I got there. I spent all the money I had earned that year on a month or so of travel and again that helped me develop my confidence, planning etc. I think without that year out I would have been too young and shy to make the most of university.

My son is currently having a gap year. He did have a plan for a ski season and I was dubious (he's not really cut out to be cordon bleu cooking for fussy customers!)

I have had to eat my words - he landed a full time bar/waiting job here back in August, secured the ski season job of his dreams a month or two back (bar job), leaving in a couple of weeks. He's also planning to do camp America after that. No doubt there will be tough moments along the way but it sounds fab and I'm quite envious.

On the other hand, a lot of people from his school seem to be on gap years with no actual plans or jobs and I'm glad he's not in that camp now that everything seems to be falling into place for him.

We're happy to fund some of it, she does have a part time job as well.

Bev - that sounds really positive and I think it would do DD good on that respect.

Frank, what an opportunity for your son, it's learning a lot of life skills as well, good luck to him.