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Sixth Form Life

Should you go on a gap year before uni?

Thinking about taking time out before uni, but not sure if a gap year is for you?  Never fear, Whatuni is here to help you decide. 

Eleanor Foulds
by Eleanor Foulds
Last Updated:
01 Mar 2024

From how to spend your gap year to ways of funding a big trip abroad, we’ll explain your options and help you decide what’s best for you. So before you make up your mind, have a read of our guide to gap years…

What is a gap year?


Typically, a gap year refers to taking a year out of education between the end of your A-levels and the start of university. So, if you finished your A-levels in summer 2024 and decided to take a gap year, you wouldn’t start university until September 2025. It is also sometimes called ‘deferring’ a year.

How should I spend a gap year?


Many people have a fairly stereotypical view of gap years, but from travelling to working, or even volunteering, there are many different ways you can spend a year out:

Travelling


Still the most common reason for taking a year out, many students choose to spend a gap year travelling and exploring the world. The most popular gap year destinations are Thailand, Australia and the USA, but you have the freedom to go wherever your heart desires, whether that’s Scandinavia or Skegness; the world is your oyster.

Working


With university tuition fees and the cost of life in general getting more and more expensive all the time, taking a gap year to work and save money before uni is an increasingly popular option. 

You might choose to increase your hours at your part time job, or plunge head first into the world of work with a full time, 9-5 job. Since you’ll more than likely still be living at home you won’t have to worry about rent, meaning you can put a fair bit aside for when you’re a poor student, and still have a decent social life too. 

Working isn’t something you have to do in the UK though – you can combine working with travel and earn money for your studies abroad. 

Most gap year students who go to Australia, for example, apply for the 12 month working holiday visa, and work in bars, or as waiting staff or fruit pickers while they travel (although bear in mind that long haul flights are expensive, and bar work may only net you enough cash to fund your stay, rather than save up for when you get back). 

Alternatively, look at a working holiday closer to home (there are plenty of well paid opportunities in mainland Europe), or take a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. 

TEFL qualified teachers earn much more than those without any proper training, and lots of people use teaching English abroad as a way to see the world and make money at the same time.

Volunteering


Volunteering is a way to travel while also doing some good, and it looks great on your CV. 

There are countless volunteering projects all over the world that you can join, and you could do anything from building houses, to teaching children or even working with animals in a wildlife park or sanctuary. 

You won’t be paid for your efforts if you volunteer and it can be quite an expensive business – you'll be working for a charity, after all, so will usually have to cover your own flights and often your food and board as well. 

Depending on the project you join, it can also be quite exhausting physical work, but it will be worth it for the great experiences you’ll have and the sense of satisfaction to be had from doing something worthwhile, as well as being able to put something impressive on your CV. 

If you want to take some time out to volunteer before university, but you don’t want to go abroad, don’t forget there are plenty of charities in the UK that you could help out at too.

Volunteer opportunities might also be limited depending on where or what you want to do. It is worth checking individual organisations to see what their current operations are and whether there is an opportunity for you to still get involved. 

How do I finance a gap year?


Unless you’re planning on spending your year out working, a gap year can work out pretty expensive – in fact, the average cost of a gap year is a massive £3,000 - £4,000! 

Research has shown that only a tiny 10% of gap year students pay for their trip themselves, meaning a lot of people are relying on the bank of mum and dad, who are forking out £995 million a year funding their children’s adventures. 

But there are plenty of ways to pay for your gap year yourself.  It’s actually very common for gap year students to work for six months and then use their earnings to fund six months of travel, for example. 

You could apply for a temporary job abroad (there are lots of specialist job agencies who will help you with this) or you could work while you travel – lots of people make a living working in bars or cafes as they fund their stay abroad. 

Make sure you get the correct visa if you choose this option though, as working on a visa that doesn’t permit you to do so can land you in quite a lot of trouble, and potentially in prison.

What do universities think about gap years?


Thousands of students choose to defer every year, so your university should have no problem with you doing this, as long as you explain your reasons. 

Most institutions will be impressed if you tell them you are taking a year out to work and earn money, as it shows you have a strong work ethic and are determined to succeed, and volunteering will always be looked kindly upon, but there’s no reason why taking time out to travel should hold you back, as long as you demonstrate that your trip will be worthwhile. 

You can do this by signing up to take language classes while you are away, or visiting a country that has some connection to the subject you are going to study, for example. 

Bear in mind that if you are studying a language for your degree your university might require you to take language classes during your year out so you keep up your abilities; the same is often true if you intend to study a more intense course like mathematics as well. 

If you don’t want to accept a place and then defer, you can always leave applying to university until you’ve already taken your gap year, and can explain all the reasons it was worthwhile. If you’re stuck for ideas, it might help to know that apparently 6.5% of students who take a gap year are more likely to get a 2:1, and 88% think it will help them get a job.

Should I go on a gap year?


Yes, if you want to! Hopefully we’ve already demonstrated that a gap year can be a great experience, and can look good on your CV. 

Don’t feel pressured into taking a year out just because all your friends are doing it though; if you want to go straight to uni, go straight to uni, there’ll still be plenty of time for travel (and definitely for working) after your degree. 

You might find that at 18 you’re just not ready to set off on such a big adventure, and that’s fine; lots of people take time out after uni too. If you’re planning on working to save money for uni, think how long you need to work to give yourself a head start – you might find that the three months you have over the summer holidays is enough. 

Similarly, if you’re planning to travel or volunteer abroad, think how long you want to go for and how long you can realistically afford to be away. 

Most volunteering projects have a minimum participation time ranging from only a week or two to a month, and lots of gap year travel companies arrange tours lasting from a couple of weeks to a couple of months – so if you’re worried about deferring for any reason, you can see the world and still start university in September. 

Whatever decision you make, we know you’ll have lots of fun!


Want to know what a gap year is like? Check out Hannah's story.

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