Project Trust Vs. University

Project Trust visited my sixth form last week and it really got me thinking. I did already have plans to go to uni and study English Lit and Creative Writing. But now, they have persuaded me to actually think about taking an 8 month gap year after my A2s to East Asia.

Some of the things I don't really want to do is to raise £5,600 for 8 months. How on earth will you be able to do this for just about 9 months? Can I just not ask my parents for the money instead?

I'm torn between travelling and going to uni.

Any help?

Reply 1

nonswimmer

You need to ask yourself what you will get out of this. If you want a) experience and b) to see the world then why don't you spend most of a gap year working in the UK, then spend the money you earn on a nice holiday (possibly with components of volunteering, going off the beaten track etc).

Gap yearing is an industry now, loads of people do it... really, who's winning if you pay someone else £5,600 to go an work abroad for them.

Reply 2

The Empire Odyssey

Original post by nonswimmer

Well, I definitely want to try out travel writing, and I think that would help with my creative writing portfolio when I apply to uni, if I take the gap year. Also, I will be teaching English as a foreign language which is great too because I want to be an English teacher, so that would help also.

And that last comment was an insightful one to be honest... I don't know.. I can take my experience with me and apply it to my future? Isn't that worth more? Or am I being naive?

Reply 3

nonswimmer

On your first points, yes those are both good ways of getting experience. But you can get experience of travel writing much more cheaply (spend a weekend in Scunthorpe and write about that) and as for teaching experience, spending an academic year as a TA would be just as good if not better.

Not trying to completely dissuade you from this idea, it just sounds like a really really expensive way to do it.

Reply 4

bryony.pt

Hi,

I've been abroad with Project Trust but I completely understand where you're coming from.
I'll go through a couple of issues firstly:

"Some of the things I don't really want to do is to raise £5,600 for 8 months."
It's £5,600 for 12 months, you would be raising £4,850 for the 8 month programme.

"How on earth will you be able to do this for just about 9 months? Can I just not ask my parents for the money instead?"
We advocate fundraising to put everyone on the same page and because fundraising is part of the experience of going overseas. It's easier than you think and Project Trust will help you and give you loads of support. My sister and I have both raised the money in the last few years. Also, when you have raised the money yourself, you are much more likely to enjoy and make the most of your time overseas - as well as staying out there! It's a great feeling when you get on the plane, knowing you've raised it all yourself.

"I'm torn between travelling and going to uni." - Do both! I've been away and am now at university :smile:

I don't know who spoke at your sixth form - could've been me so you might have already heard this. I know £5,600 or £4,850 seems like a lot of money - and it is - but comparative to your first year of university, which will cost you around £7000 in living costs alone, this is cheaper. You also have to think about what this covers - flights and insurance alone will rocket towards £5000 quicker than you think if you travel independently. You also get your accommodation, food and pocket money - so £5,600 for a year of your living costs, plus getting to be overseas at the same time? Seems like a winner to me.

@nonswimmer you're right that the gap year industry is massive at the minute but we are a charity - we are not ripping you off. As for working in the UK and then going on holiday, it's just not the same as experiencing another culture and community first hand. If you work volunteering into a holiday, short term placements can cost around £2000 - for a couple of weeks.

Any more questions, just fire them this way :smile:

Reply 5

nonswimmer

Original post by bryony.pt

I've been abroad with Project Trust [...] we are a charity - we are not ripping you off.

Do you work for Project Trust then? It's rather unclear here!

Reply 6

bryony.pt

I'm doing some school talks for them during the summer between uni :smile:

Reply 7

dragonkeeper999

Talk to your university to ask if you can defer entry for a year, then try to get a job to raise some of the money. Also, your university/ sixth form may actually offer 'gap year funding' and could contribute towards some of the costs (I'm not sure if many universities/ sixth forms do this but both of mine do...). Alternatively, talk to your sixth form to see if you could organise something like a fun sports day/ non-uniform day/ cake sale/ fashion show/ whatever to try and raise some more money - if you go to a large school you could actually raise a large proportion of the money this way!
Also, perhaps consider different projects to work with - although most places require you to pay to volunteer abroad some may be a bit cheaper or offer you a greater range of experiences etc. Shop around! Some places offer shorter placements - perhaps you could do 1/2 of these instead which might be more affordable as well as allowing you to experience more cultures etc.

Reply 8

Camgirl17

No need to be rude. And instead if asking so many questions how about you do your own research? They have a website! And you keep talking about what you could get out of it! To do something like this you have to be the sort of person who wants to help others! If not then you probably wouldn't get selected by project trust anyway.

Reply 9

cdude

Original post by bryony.pt

Hi,

You also have to think about what this covers - flights and insurance alone will rocket towards £5000 quicker than you think if you travel independently. You also get your accommodation, food and pocket money - so £5,600 for a year of your living costs, plus getting to be overseas at the same time? Seems like a winner to me.

£5,000 in flights and insurance? :giggle:

Is this for the private 5* jet with jacuzzi? And a personal doctor following you around everywhere?

Reply 10

nonswimmer

Original post by Camgirl17

Zombie thread!

Reply 11

m.mackenzie

Original post by bryony.pt

How did you fundraise the money ?? I have a really small family and they don't have much to help me with, all my friends are uni students and can't rlly help either. I don't want to constantly annoying the same people asking for sponsors and stuff as well ! I went on a volunteering trip last year that cost me 600 pnds n this took me 6 months to get up, I found it really hard - I dont go to church or anything and my town is quite small. Money ruins everythinggggg