To Gap or not to Gap? Ideas from BUNAC for students to make the most of the 2011 summer break

Dec. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- In the light of the new ruling on university tuition fees, many young people will be reconsidering whether they can afford to take a gap year before entering higher education. With fees set to rise sharply from autumn 2012, it seems reasonable to predict that many prospective students will be shelving their gap year plans, starting university in 2011 and taking advantage of the current fee level, fixed for one final year at £3,290 pa.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for students and the gap year industry. According to Callum Kennedy, Director of BUNAC, the long-established not-for-profit work and travel abroad organization, there are plenty of cost-effective opportunities to gain a very worthwhile gap experience during the long summer holidays. Good planning and preparation are essential and J¬anuary/February are ideal months to get underway.

Students need to weigh up their options carefully, insists Kennedy at BUNAC. “Taking a gap year is as beneficial as ever in terms of personal development and adding vital skills to your CV, especially in the current economic climate with around 70 graduate applicants chasing every job.”

Continues Kennedy: “Even if students can’t commit to a full gap year, there are excellent shorter term options to work and travel abroad that slot perfectly into the four-month summer holidays. Our Work America programme is available exclusively to those in full-time higher education, so it’s a ‘now or never’ opportunity to do an internship, seasonal summer job or career-related work and see the States. http://www.bunac.org/gap-year/

“Summer Camp USA is a chance to experience a great American tradition, earn a salary and travel round the US after camp.

“We also offer some excellent overseas Volunteer Abroad opportunities that fit perfectly into the university holiday period. All our volunteer projects are carefully selected to ensure that participants make a really positive contribution to the community.”

Here are BUNAC’s top suggestions for students in summer 2011. Candidates need to get their applications in as early as possible in the New Year, as each programme has different requirements and time-frames in terms of screening, interviews, job placements and visa applications – the programmes are much more than just a holiday!

•   Work America

The “now or never” programme, that allows students who are already at university to spend four months working and travelling anywhere in the USA between May and October. BUNAC helps applicants obtain their J-1 visa and supplies the indispensible Work America Job Directory with tips on CV writing and contacts for seasonal jobs and internships. Past participants have worked for major American organizations including MTV, Vogue, Cisco and many others. Group flights are optional. Registration cost: £320. www.bunac.org.uk/workamerica, tel 020 7251 3362

•   KAMP USA

Applicants are given a job on summer camp in the US or Canada from mid-June to mid-August, working in the kitchen, office or in general maintenance. In return, they get free flights, transfers to camp, accommodation in beautiful surroundings, food, access to camp facilities, plenty of camaraderie, CV-enhancing work experience and a salary of $1,350. BUNAC also helps participants secure the essential J-1 visa, which allows travel in the US, Canada and the Caribbean for up to 6 weeks after KAMP USA ends. Cost: £429.  tel. 020 7251 3448

•   Summer Camp USA

BUNAC’s flagship programme, Summer Camp USA has been running for 40 years. The great American tradition of spending two months working with children as a camp counsellor in beautiful natural surroundings is still going strong. There’s plenty of demand for enthusiastic individuals with recent experience of working with children; also for instructors in the core camp activities of horse riding, tennis, gymnastics, swimming and water sports. Summer Camp USA costs £429, including full support from BUNAC, insurance, placement service, flexible flights, SEVIS fee (US Immigration), J-1 visa support, competitive salary, food and accommodation during camp. After camp ends, participants can spend the rest of the summer travelling in the US, Canada and the Caribbean. http://www.bunac.org/uk/summercampusa/ tel. 020 7251 3448

•   BUNAC Volunteer: USA, Ghana, Wildlife Conservation South Africa and more…

BUNAC’s overseas volunteer projects make for unique and memorable gap experiences from around three weeks to four months. Many participants undertake their own fundraising efforts to help fund their trip, and take time out to travel after the volunteer experience ends. Most programmes include a comprehensive, one-on-one orientation interview, to ensure a placement that suits the individual participant’s skills and needs.

Wildlife Conservation South Africa, the latest addition to the portfolio, involves hands-on experience with cheetahs and lions or sable and antelope in wildlife reserves with research and re-introduction projects. The 18 and 32-day programmes cost from £995 including interview, placement, four-day arrival orientation in Johannesburg, accommodation and food. Group flights are optional.

Volunteer Ghana covers a variety of projects in rural areas, from teaching and working with children to HIV/AIDS awareness, care work and community development. Placements last two or three months and cost from £880 including interview, five-day arrival orientation in Accra, food and accommodation with a Ghanaian host family.

Volunteer USA is a physically challenging programme set in some of the USA’s most awe-inspiring natural areas, mainly Arizona, Utah and Nevada. The work involves trail maintenance, fencing and re-vegetation, and protecting local endangered species. Days are long – up to 10 hours – but the camaraderie and sense of achievement are second to none! For every four days’ work, volunteers get three days off; they also rotate between projects for a varied experience. Placements last eight, 10 or 12 weeks. Volunteer USA costs from £295 including airport transfer, orientation, accommodation (dorms during time off, individual tents while on project) and food on project.

http://www.bunac.org/volunteer tel. 020 7251 3386

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As the UK’s leading non-profit travel club, BUNAC offers great-value working holidays, summer camp and volunteer projects in some of the most exciting destinations on earth!