Has anyone's DC ever done a gap year in a prep school?

[NormalForNuneaton]

I was wondering if this is something my DS might find useful but wanted to know a bit more about it.

I wondered what it entails, are they long days/weeks and what do they get paid if accommodation is included?

Finally are the gap year students usually from public schools themselves or are they a mixture?

I work at a Prep. We have some gappies for sport, others for general stuff. We always make sure they have a variety of jobs over the week and try to cater to their interests so they get something out of it too. I’d say we really look after them, it is lovely to see them blossom. So our arty gappie may have lots of photocopying to help us, then a couple of art lessons to help with for example.
Pay not great but hours not bad - but I think boarding would be different.

I work in a boarding Prep school. Gappers are employed to live in the boarding houses and help there, but they also help with sport and after school clubs. In the boarding houses they do domestic chores such as the kids laundry, supervise meal times, and supervise homework.
It's hard work and they are busy. They seem happy enough but might not feel able to say if they aren't!

Thank you @FoxandFeathers .

So I presume your prep school a non-boarding one where the gappies don't have accommodation provided?

What do schools look for in applicants? Do they look for ones that are already confident and experienced or do they look for ones that will develop and blossom?

In our school the gappers are usually former pupils.

@MissyB1 DS would love the sport side of things part of the role but I'm not quite so sure about the domestic chores!

Is that (the domestic chores) quite a common part of the role in most boarding prep schools do you know?

Our gappies are usually Australian or South African and do all sorts.

We employ the ones with potential, sometimes former pupils but mostly not!

I think it is normally part of their remit, as my niece did a gapper job at a girls boarding school and she did a lot of domestic chores.

My son's school employs gap year students, they are all alumni of the school. They really struggle in the summer term when most of them have gone!

I've heard of a variety of different "gappie" roles, so it definitely depends on the school. A school that is able to take on multiple gap students may be most likely to have flexibility to use them according to their interests as well as the school's needs, but to be honest you (or your "child") need to talk to possible schools about what they actually offer.

My daughter's overseas on a school-based gap year at the moment, the first terms were limited by covid restrictions but since February she's had a really constructive time. She applied early last year - note that was only successful as a "late" application because of covid.

I did this myself quite a few years ago and some younger members of the family have done it more recently. We came from outside the UK (NZ/Aus) so only applied to boarding preps, it might be quite a different set up at a day school.

Pay was very low. About 400 pounds a month. Some got better pay, up to about 650 pounds a month at different schools. This might have gone up more recently. Accomodation provided. Meals provided during term time. Did have to pay for hoodies with name embroidered on them.

When I did it we didn't do domestic chores as there was a day matron and a housekeeping team but this was an outlier, most boarding houses had gaps (or 'gappies') helping out with making beds, doing laundry etc. Although some very big schools had quite specialised roles such as gaps who just helped in the sports programmes.

You have to be willing to help out at any time if you're staying in boarding. Some people also had quite irritating things sprung on them - like a lifeguarding course at half-term!

Overall however it was a great experience. Obviously your DS has to be moderately sensible, and should be aware of following all safeguarding procedures and only letting loose while on holiday. I know of several people dismissed from gap year programmes (not for deliberately hurting children, but for just very stupid behaviour like coming home drunk on your night off... when your home is in a primary school boarding house...).

Also, are you looking for your DS to go to the UK from overseas, or to a UK school from the UK? If the latter, he might also consider a programme being a gap year helper in a school overseas - e.g. Australia. If you go through an agency you get an orientation with a group and meet a lot of people. However, you have to pay a placing fee to the agency.