What did your teens do in the long summer between A levels and university? Help needed for a downcast teen!

[WhatDidIComeInThisRoomFor]

Longer post below but the jist is - what did your slightly lonely teenager do in their long holiday if it wasn’t full time work or a group / lads’ vacation?

I would like to help my DS form some sort of plan for his summer between A levels and uni. 3 whole months seems like a luxury and also a lot of time to fill. It goes without saying that he ideally needs to get a job (unhelpfully we will be relocating away from where we live in the summer but not sure of timing yet) but he is also looking for ideas for travel or volunteering or something else.

He has a nice male friend group but they are indecisive and won’t commit to any plans. He’s the only one without a gf and all his mates seem terrified to make a decision without checking in with their gfs. They also want to have holidays with their gfs (most of whom are in different friend groups) and understandably DS doesn’t want to be a gooseberry on a couples holiday.

He’s absolutely not interested in a lads beach, bars, clubbing type holiday. He’s friendly but introverted in that he needs space to himself to recharge in between socialising. He would like to interrail or explore. I’ve had a quick look for organised solo travel but they advertise as 18-35 and that seems like quite an age spread - aimed at young professionals or graduate
ages rather than school leavers really.

Any and all ideas / experiences gratefully received!

Two of my GSs did this and still do it at uni. I think it's a really positive e job as they have alot of responsibility but also do some fairly horrible cleaning jobs that I never thought they'd do, washing up was a big job at one time

Mine went away with his friends for a few days in the UK and also came on the family holiday with me and DH and his younger siblings.

He worked hard at two jobs (a supermarket and a pizza delivery place) and saved up lots of money for uni.

He played in a 6-a-side summer football league.

He had plans to go to the gym a lot and learn to cook but those went by the wayside a bit tbh!

DD did 6 weeks with Workaway in Spain (she did A level Spanish).
Lots of different options and countries on the website. It's basically bed and board and in return you work 5 (?6) hours a day.
Some placements had only 1 workaway placement, some had larger numbers.
Worth a look

My son will have a job in a burger place, same as the last two summers and will go a festival or two. He will be 18 and I feel zero need to micromanage his life beyond my expectations that he earns some money to support himself somewhat over summer and in college. If he wants to have 'life experiences' then he is surely the person to figure out what these might be - and how to pay for them.

I hope he has a fab summer. I don't really have any advice. Just wanted to say that as the mum of DS16 and DS18 "He has a nice male friend group but they are indecisive and won’t commit to any plans." that this is the story of my life 😂

Mine kept up with his supermarket job of 12 hours a week and did overtime when he could get it. Most weeks he ended up doing 25 hours. Voluntary job one morning a week, went by himself to visit grandparents in another city, met a couple of friends once a week for a 5k cycle, stop off at Greggs and back again. Went to the gym. We had two holidays of a week each, one with a group of friends, few days in Cornwall visiting friends. Church on Sunday, quiz night on Tuesday at the pub with mates
He just generally got out and about and wasn't sniffy about spending time with me.

@Baileypoot I don't know exactly. They sorted it themselves. It was in the North West originally but the ended up all over the UK. It was through one of the hospitality agencies.

Thank you again to everyone for your thoughts and ideas. Loads to pass on here and talk over with him. He’s up to his eyes in revision for tough subjects with top grades needed for uni but needs something to keep him going over summer in the absence of a friend group trip.

@WhatDidIComeInThisRoomFor

Have a look at the King's Trust (formerly prince's trust) they have things on personal development which might be of interest

My DD18 is on a gap year and did an Intrepid 18-35 trip alone in South America. She was the youngest as she expected, but she had a great time and made a very good friend who's a few years older. She enjoyed it so much she is now on a second Intrepid 18-35 trip in Morocco with a friend and this time half the group are under 20 and again she's loving it.

My eldest son spent a particularly hot summer frying chips in Burger King. The younger one did burgers in Macdonalds. Character building stuff, and they both used what they had earned to go interrailing.

Both my dc did their NPLQ, my dd used it for he camp america job(had to requalify in US)
Ds used his to work at Uni and when he left until he got his career job.
My dd also used to volunteer and then work weekends and holidays at an SEN playscheme

One of the most useful things my son did was to do an online course to learn Excel. It’s a skill all school leavers should have.

Mine worked in a pub as a kitchen porter and was senior officer in his air cadet group. Did a couple of weeks away. One at a huge camp, where he saved another cadets life and received a commendation and the other was running round mountains somewhere in the UK.

1 did a month long volunteering expedition in Africa, 1 got a job and basically worked full time to earn as much as possible but at weekends went to festivals / to see live bands

My DC worked and saved money for uni.

Mine worked - and it was 100% essential experience for getting jobs AFTER university. It meant they were able to answer interview questions with real job examples for a start. I think that getting every work experience he can get is, unfortunately, the best way of getting him into a graduate job.

My DD got a job at Sainsbury's and saved most of her money she earned for Uni. She was very lucky and they said they'd have her back over Easter, summer and Xmas breaks when home from Uni as it could cover staff holidays. She also chilled with her friends in the evenings before they all went away to different unis. We have a holiday home in France and offered her to use it with her friends once they had broken up from 6th form, but she said no she had to work to earn as much as she could before she went to uni.