Please tell me about your YP’s gap before university 🙃

[Gapyearbeforeuni]

Was it

• useful
• did they volunteer? Working to save? Abroad? Here in the uk?
• a good idea
• a bad udea
• pros
• cons
• they loved it / hated it
• best bits / worst bits

Any notes / info / anything much appreciated! We’re just not sure if it is a good idea or not. Thank you 🙏

I always hate to see parents asking questions in this tone about gap years - the bottom line is that your YP is at least 18, a fully grown adult and therefore can take one whether you like/approve of it or not. The world doesn’t end if they don’t immediately go to uni post a levels.

DD took a gap year and it has honestly been the making of her. She is so much happier, more confident and independent.

In the past year she has..:

• Worked hard at a job that she loves. Long hours but many new transferable skills learnt and friendships made. She has grown a good savings pot for herself and now appreciates the real value of money + how to manage it
• Volunteered at a children’s hospital to support her university application
• Went solo travelling around Australia, experienced the most incredible sights and activities all whilst making friends for life. A group of them have just been to visit us in the UK - such a wonderful group of young people and so genuinely supportive of each other. It has been amazing to see DD properly smile again after an awful few years at sixth form.

Now off to uni in Sept to study physiotherapy!

Wow sounds like she’s had a fantastic year! Thank you for the info - I love to hear stories like that.

Ps. My post isn’t with any ‘tone’!? It’s totally up to my YP whether they do a gap year or not. We’re just interested in other people’s experiences.

(I took a gap year pre and post uni, but that was a long time ago, things are different these days)..

My dh had a gap year between uni and a masters he went to America working for a camp America type place , him and some others then travelled around the USA for 4 weeks after . He then got a job working for Lloyds bank the rest of the time .

DS worked in an office till April of his gap year and then travelled round the world with a friend. No idea how much the tickets cost or what they spent. DD worked and then went to America as au pair for 3 months to a relative. DD said you could really tell the difference between those who had taken a gap year and those who hadn’t, especially the boys.

Dd waitressed for a while and then went to Portugal to volunteer for Emmaus International, followed by travelling round the Med on her own.
She then applied to university in clearing and got a place at a uni where she has been very happy.
The extra time was very useful to work out what she wanted to do, it’s related to her volunteering experience and living and travelling abroad has given her confidence and more of a sense of who she is and what she wants from life. All very worthwhile.
She paid for it all herself.

Two of mine did gap years before Uni. Both of them worked in Help The Aged - we used to say it had become the family business. One kid has AUDHD and it was great for her, built up her confidence at dealing with people and working a till and she went on to Uni and a terrific job. The other was resitting an exam so did HTA in his spare time from revising and studying. He's now an accountant.

But no posh Gap Yahs here. Too poor.

Yes I found that too. All those years ago. I’m thinking it’s a good idea, I think my YP probably thinks do too.

Did anyone’s kid have a formal defer offer, or did they just apply in the year out?

My daughter applied at the usual time though specifically for the following year. i.e. She applied in Autumn 2022 for a start in Autumn 2024. She said in her application that she intended to take a gap year to earn money to help her through her university studies, learn to drive, to volunteer and to do a little traveling, She received 5 offers. She did all of those things on her gap year. The reason she wanted a gap year was because she is a late summer birthday and simply didn't feel that she was ready to go to University - and she definitely wasn't. The extra year though helped immensely, she matured and was ready to go last September.

I would say that they need to have a good idea of what they want to do. I'm not saying the whole year has to ne planned out in advance, but to have some ideas and some things pencilled in.

My son will probably take a gap year like his sister did. He saw what she did and he is quite keen. He though would be ready to go to university straight after Levels, she wasn't.

My DD1 is a late summer birthday but was mature and she wanted a 4 year course with 3 years training post graduation (if all went well). As a result she cracked on with it. Taking a year out could have helped with MFLs but in terms of her career, it would have been a huge waste of time. So I would evaluate what career she wants, how long it will take, and the best use of time to get it. DD learnt to drive in y13.

I find this quite sad to be honest - any of DD’s older friends who have taken this approach have regretted it. One is a lawyer and despite earning 6 figures at 25 she wishes she’d taken more time to travel and just enjoy life as her job is so intense. You’re only young and free once. Work however is for life!

But then they can only travel and enjoy life if their parents can afford to finance it, in most cases. Unless they've worked since 14 and saved up themselves. Many kids take a year out just to have a rest from education, not because they're going to see the world.

@Gapyearbeforeuni it is best to apply as usual in year 13 but for a deferred place as they will have school support for the application and won’t have to worry about the ucas admin in their year out. Universities may want to know why the candidate wants a year out and what their plan is (loosely) - some unis/courses are less happy with deferrals than others.

Big warning to anyone planning this - getting a gap year job is very hard! Most employers (understandably) don’t want to take on a new recruit and train them, just to see them leave after 6 months/a year.

My DS was lucky and got a job in a school - minimum wage but great experience and he saved money from it. Most of his friends who did gap years did zero hours events work, bar work, supermarket shelf stacking. All good for life skills and confidence but not the career building opportunities you might imagine.

Although as a recruiter of graduates, I do like to see the young person has a work ethic so these experiences can help in the future. And equally I am not interested in hearing about gap year jollies abroad, even for charity.

Well, finance it in the sense of not charging them a market rent during the months when they are working and saving up, yes, but parents actually paying for the travelling is only the norm among a certain level of income.

My DD took the view that career came first and now she earns the very decent income, she can travel and stay in lovely places! Didn’t do a gap year because career came first and a gap year experience added nothing to it.