The popularity of Gap-year programs has been on a steady rise in South Africa, and it\u2019s not only popular with graduates any longer, but professionals are also leveraging the power of these \u2018sabbaticals\u2019 as well.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re planning on taking on an Au Pair job in the UK or a TEFL program in Asia, the opportunities for living and working abroad are virtually endless. In this post, we\u2019ll be taking a closer look at the benefits of taking a gap year, the disadvantages that may come from taking a year off, and finally, discuss what you should be focusing on during your gap year experience.<\/p>\n
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According to the American Gap Association<\/a>, taking a gap year can be beneficial to your career. When you take some time off to re-center yourself, you\u2019re better able to concentrate on your interests and hobbies, which also helps boost that inspirational mindset you\u2019ll need to develop your career in the long run. Because you\u2019re not just loafing around – but actually working – during your gap year, you\u2019ll get to add some valuable experience<\/a> to your CV, which might boost your chances of getting employed once you get back home.<\/p>\n According to US Gap\u2019s data and statistics, students that take a gap year before they enter the workforce gain a lot of valuable life experience, something which their non-gap counterparts might not have. Since they spend most of their time traveling during their gap year, students tend to mature much faster, find their independence, and learn responsibility much sooner in life when compared to students that enter the workforce straight after graduating.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re considering the idea of taking a gap year, you\u2019ll probably find that you\u2019ll be developing new skills at a fast-paced rate since you\u2019ll be challenged on a daily basis while working and living abroad. Not only does a gap year provide you with the opportunity to meet new friends, but it also helps connect you with others, boosting your networking skills.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Obviously one of the first and most noteworthy disadvantages of gap years is that they are often accompanied by homesickness. Missing your loved ones back home is one of the biggest drawbacks of the gap year experience, and for some, taking a full year off from their studies or their careers can seem like yet another massive risk. Gap years aren\u2019t exactly the best option for individuals that prefer more structured routines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of students (and professionals) that consider gap years aren\u2019t sure about where they need to start looking for gap year jobs. The good news is that there are plenty of great opportunities out there; you just need to find one that meets your personal needs and interests.<\/p>\n You could try teaching English in Asia, or perhaps the idea of becoming an Au Pair in Italy or America sounds more appealing to you. Maybe you\u2019re a world traveler who prefers the finer things in life, in which case a job onboard a luxury yacht might be your ideal fit. Australia is where you should be looking to find a job if you feel up for the challenge of an agricultural job, but if the Outback isn\u2019t your ideal scene; you might also want to consider the USA or New Zealand for farming jobs.<\/p>\n Considering the idea of going into the hospitality industry after your gap year? Why not take up a gap-year job in the USA or Mauritius, which are well-known for their impeccable offerings across their hospitality sectors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This post should have cleared up any fog that might have been clouding your mind as far as gap years go. Now that you know the basics of taking a gap year, all that\u2019s left for you to do is to find an opportunity that matches your preferences and then, it\u2019s time to embark on a working holiday you\u2019ll never forget!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The popularity of Gap-year programs has been on a steady rise in South Africa, and it\u2019s not only popular with graduates any longer, but professionals are also leveraging the power of these \u2018sabbaticals\u2019 as well. Whether you\u2019re planning on taking on an Au Pair job in the UK or a TEFL program in Asia, the Continued \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":1568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[184],"tags":[510,495,509],"class_list":["post-1567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate","tag-exerience","tag-featured-post","tag-gap-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What are the drawbacks of taking a gap year?<\/h2>\n
What to do with your gap year<\/h2>\n