Gap year ideas/planning

username1198319

I've applied to uni to study economics with deferred entry (to take a gap year) and am now trying to plan what I will actually do. I have a list of ideas but I am realising they will be harder to plan and will look less good to future employers than I originally thought (I don't want to end up doing next to nothing in my gap year, as that would be super boring and look like I was just messing around). My list so far is this:
Bakery/cooking course like Cordon Bleu (cooking and baking is my hobby)
Work experience in a bakery/restaurant
Au-pair in France or Germany
Work experience in a business (I want to go into banking/consulting after uni)
Volunteering with a company like United world schools
Tefl
Live in Spain, do a part time job and do a language course
Does anyone have any ideas of things to do or companies? The more ideas the better! And any advice on my list - like what would be good and what would be impractical?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

neb789

Hmmm it seems like you're trying to fit a lot in to one year! are you sure there will be enough time?

Reply 2

nightnight333

I think you have the right approach trying to fit as much in as you can and also its great your thinking about what future employers will be looking for! Choosing what you want to do is the hard part and I think the best way of doing this is to do it in reverse. Decide what you really want to get out of your time and then figure out what you can do to match this. I think having a mix volunteering, courses, internship is also a good move. In terms of strategies I found it useful sitting down and planning out each month - Get a calendar block out which months you think you will be doing each company / activity / job / travelling etc. It will help you figure out how much time you have etc. Check out year out club on google - they have some good inspiration