Horsemad, any chance of you getting him to work a ski season. They will be recruiting now for next season. Last year DD thankfully recognised that she was not ready to go to University and wanted a break from anything academic, and accepted my conditions that I wanted her to be doing something purposeful, and ideally away from home. My fear was that she might spend the year in bed.
Its been really tough, and we had at least a couple of calls with her saying she did not think she could do it any longer. These have stopped, and we barely hear from her. She now admits she is really enjoying herself, and will eventually feel very proud of having coped. Lots of Saisonnieres in a small safe French resort, good skiing and some very hard work. The boys in particularly seemed to struggle at the start, even basic things like making beds, but the ones who have lasted have picked up a good range of skills (domestic, employment, organisational and customer facing) which will stand them in good stead. The pay is truly awful, effectively pocket money, so you need to earn tips, and the management is strict (chalet inspections, room inspections, uniform inspections, post mortems over customer feedback) but unlike University you are not paying to work hard and play hard. She has grown up a lot, and is now looking forward to getting back to academic studies.
Her peers are really diverse: gap yearers and reapplicants, some NEETs, some who have finished University and don't know what to do next, some who want to switch career, as well some on work placements from hospitality and catering courses. All of them should gain from working in a team with kids from very different backgrounds, and supporting each other. I loved the way DD described one of her close friends, who will be starting an apprenticeship on his return, as very smart, just not "school clever." After all the emphasis on grades and academic achievement it is an important lesson to have learnt.