Gap Year Jobs
Paid Work Abroad

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Why take Paid Work Abroad during your Gap Year?

If money is in short supply, you may have no option but to earn your keep, but in another country.

Pros:
- you'll have a ready-made social circle to introduce you to life in that area.
- you may learn work or language skills that will help you later.
- it will inform you about the real world if you are a student and help you decide if a similar career path is for you.
- you will probably have a great, mind-broadening time.

Cons:
- they don't call it work for nothing, it's not exactly a holiday.
- wages for short-term employed foreigners are very low or exist only as 'pocket money' in addition to accommodation and food.

Some popular options:

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) aka TEFL/TESL

It is unlikely that you will get a well-paid job teaching English without experience, though if you're reasonably articulate any English-speaking traveller can find some kind of TEFL work.

Pros:
- the TESOL game is very interesting; boredom is not an option.
- it enables you to live in some very exotic places.
- it gives you a huge and immediate social circle, natives and foreigners.
- it is possible to teach with no qualifications but native English (often only voluntarily), though short courses ranging from a week to a month will enable better jobs, better money prospects and most importantly more fun in the classroom.
- a successful lesson will be immensely satisfying.
- pay can be very good in some parts of the world for the well qualified and/or experienced (around 18K pa +).

Cons:
- pay may also be pathetic, many third world countries requiring a more voluntary approach.
- standing up in front of 10- 50 strangers and 'entertaining' them for a couple of hours is not easy and will involve tears from time to time.
- lesson preparation time will take more time than lessons themselves in the early days.

TESOL/TEFL/TESL - more info

Au Pair (USA, France):
British nannies have long been highly regarded, though the Louise Woodward (USA) case a while back blighted attitudes somewhat, proving just what a big responsibility looking after someone else's children can be.

Pros:
- live in accommodation with food and pocket money, in what is likely to be at least middle class accommodation.
- use of a car in the USA.
- no qualifications required, though some experience would help.

Cons:
- long and unsociable hours may be required, especially where night waking babies are concerned.
- you may find yourself taking on a whole manner of chores around the house beyond just looking after the children.
- it's a big responsibility looking after people's young genetic assets and parents can be obsessive about child care, not to mention being overbearing demagogues!

Travel Company Assistant (especially Europe and North America):
Many travel companies operating throughout the world seek young people from the UK to work in their lower paid temporary jobs. Accommodation and food are typically provided along with spending money.

Pros:
- usually find yourself with other similarly aged individuals doing similar jobs.
- usually live in accommodation with food and pocket money, in what is likely to be at least a fun environment.
- 18-30 type holiday places are hard fought for as you essentially become the fun maker, and this can be a riot if you are into that type of thing.
- ski resorts are big on parties, and you can usually find time to ski also.

Cons:
- the responsibility of cleaning up after, shopping for, or cooking for people is a far cry from the holiday they are probably having.
- pay, other than for the top end holiday rep. type job, can be abysmal (though accommodation and food are usually thrown in, which is of high value if you consider what the tourists are paying!)

Outdoor Pursuits:
(especially Europe, Australia and North America).

There are a wide variety of options for activity orientated individuals - with qualifications where relevant.

Lifeguard

Surfers and other watersports enthusiasts with good swimming abilities and life guard certification can work as lifeguards on all kinds of beaches where many bathers are to be found, or even as pool supervisors.

Pros:
- the sun, the Baywatch image, large amounts of water nearby.

Cons:
- pathetic pay, boredom.

Skiing Instructor

On the piste skiers and boarders are usually well paid but 'experts' only are in demand, and competition is high.

Pros:
- ski or board for a living and get paid quite well for it while looking cool.

Cons:
- teaching little Jimmy not to break a leg may do your head in.

Crewing a Yacht

Even those with less experienced sea legs but who can cook may find crewing a possibility. Sometimes hanging out marinas in the Caribbean and asking around can be an entreé to this world.

Pros:
- get to exotic ports for free.
- get fit and a great tan.
- escape traffic, TV and modern society's trappings.

Cons:
- boats can be very claustrophobic after even a few hours, let alone weeks.
- a lot depends on your relationship with the other crew, which in a small space is extremely delicate..
- you can expect to get cold and wet regularly (even in the Caribbean!).
- probably no TV, serious sound system, films for...ever
- unless you are an experienced sea dog for which you may be paid modestly, you will most likely still have to pay for what you use (mainly food).

Summer Camps in the USA

19-35 year olds (not necessarily students), preferably with some experience of dealing with children and/or a sports qualification can work in USA June-August in kid's camps. Students can also work on the housekeeping/maintenance side if they have no qualifications.
Accommodation is provided, naturally, and the pay - after deducting the flight - is relatively generous, leaving you with a few hundred dollars at the end of the job.

Pros:
- a lively job with plenty on the social side.
- unusually good pay.
- study the north American beast in its natural habitat.

Cons:
- trapped in the woods for 2 months with deranged children? Hmm.
- it's not exactly exotic.

Farm Work

Picking the harvest off of a wide variety of plants (or just pulling them up) is a popular, though often demanding, way of seeing the world, particularly Europe and Australia/New Zealand.

Pros:
- out in the fresh air.
- usually get to see the real country.
- keeps you fit.
- hopefully some good wholesome food about.

Cons:
- European work is getting less easy to get due to competition with very eager migrant North Africans and Eastern Europeans for the jobs.
- females may find they need to arm wrestle or otherwise demonstrate suitable machismo to indicate their manual value!
- sun exposure can be a real problem, no getting away from it when it's shining.
- pay is at the very best, pretty low, and even this is rare.

Working Down Under

Both Australia and New Zealand permit young people to work in their countries and offer yearlong work visas. The main constraint is that you can work for one employer for no more than 3 months.

Check www.immigration.govt.nz for New Zealand visa application forms, and www.immi.gov.au for Australian Visa application.

Pros:
- wide variety of jobs, especially good for outdoor pursuits.
- usually a lot of the sunny stuff in Oz, less in NZ.

Cons:
- the three month rule will give you little time to settle (could equally be a good thing though).
- big long haul travel expenses to get you there and back.

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