GAP YEAR - Working in Australia

Advantages: You get to work in and see another country
Disadvantages: It can be stressful

...GAP YEAR Temping Work - In Australia Working abroad is definitely a challenge, well to me it has been. I decided to take a gap year and come over here to work for a year. I had just entered a new country, got an apartment so the next obvious step was to look for work. I went to recruitment agencies (see review for more detail) to help me find work in such a big city. First place I arrived was Sydney the most popular and well known city in Australia. I had already applied for a working holiday visa at home which meant I was entitled to work in the country legally. You need to have a visa which entitles you to work. Next step was to get a tax file number, without this you will not be given a job as you need it for tax purposes. This can be done online. Now all the paperwork has been done you I needed to open a bank...

DeniseKelly40 11.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Australia

Gap-tastic

Advantages: Lots of information on everything you need to know
Disadvantages: So much info, having time to read it all

...I am currently planning a round the world trip for the end of this year and one website has been invaluable in helping me plan the trip. The website in question is gapyear.com. Aimed not only at those planning gap years for before or after university but also career gappers and anyone who is considering going backpacking. Established in 1998 by two backpackers the site has grown to include tens of thousands of members from all over the world and last year was used by over 600,000 people. As you load the home page at www.gapyear.com you are greeted with quite a busy page with lots of information on it set against a blue and white background. From here you can access through links practically every area of the site. Set across the top are 9 tabs, one for each area of the site: ~New This Week~ As you might of guessed on this page...

bingbong 04.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of GapYear. Com

Planning a gap year?

Advantages: great for planning a gap year
Disadvantages: none

...I have been planning my gap year and have found a brilliant site. www.gapyear.com. it is great, firstly they are giving away a free gap year to australia and throwing in your own backpack, sleeping bag and loads of goodies. there is a wonderfull message board where you can ask any questions and get the answers back from fellow traverlers. good information on visas,how to get them and how long for. information on how to save and how to look after you money. also a chat line and loads of other great stuff you can even subscribe to the gap year magazine!!! They are currently trying to organise a dessert island aventure. click on to www.gapyear.com to find out more...

kt 16.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of GapYear. Com

Should you take a gap year

Advantages: Gain experience, earn money and relax from studies.
Disadvantages: Wasting time doing nothing.

...Hi. This is my first ever opinion that I have written on here and, as you can guess from the title, I have decided to write it on Gap Years. I'm 18 years old and I have just completed my A levels in comprehensive school and I have now decided to take a year out from education. I had to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and for me the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. Like me, these are the things you have to ask yourself. Why ? I took a year out because I felt towards the end of my A levels that things were getting on top of me. If you feel like this then I strongly recommend you take a year out. The way I looked at it was, if I went straight on to the university then I would probably crack under the pressure and it's much better to take a year out than show the University or College that you can...

Philip83 01.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of GapYear. Com

Gap years: the pros and cons

Advantages: Can be a great experience. Unis and employers will see you in a better light
Disadvantages: Will you just waste a year? And will it be too hard to go to uni?

...Gap Years are becoming the choice of an increasing minority of students, giving them experience of the 'real world' before embarking on their years at university. What are the pros and cons of this option? The benefit most often publicised by the various organisations specialising in gap years is a long term one: employers do seem to genuinely value those candidates who have taken this option. They see it as showing an interest in the non-academic side of life and a sign of initiative; however that assumes that you spend the time doing something 'useful' such as voluntary work, a year's commission in the army, or something other than lounging around the house. Bear in mind this though: if you *didn't* take a gap year before university you would have a whole extra year afterwards to FIND that job, during which time you could travel...

rwsweet 06.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of Gap years: the pros and cons

Dont do the Typical Thing in your Gap Year

Advantages: good
Disadvantages: none

...You don’t have to go far to have a good gap year I didn’t, I stayed exactly where I was. I took a year out before university to raise valuable funds for my studying, as well as get some valuable work place experience. It all paid of for me! For the first 3 months of my gap year I worked part time in a local bar in which I learnt lots of social skills and customer service as well as working on a voluntary basis in my local hospital. I helped in the elderly care centre and helped to entertain the old folks. This was teaching me lots of life skills and person skills and believe I come out of my first 3 months a better more understanding person. Just after Christmas I landed a job with Barclays bank as a financial services office, which involved purchase and security of stock market commodities that our customers...

richardjmeek 23.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Spanish Gap Year Experience

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Just before I set off for University at Brighton to study for a Business Degree, a mad voice inside of me told me to go to Spain for a year. I spoke to the University and they thought it was an excellent idea, mainly because it's considered to be "character building" and I secrectly belive that they were over subscribed! I packed a ruck sack and headed for the Costa Del Sol. I met up with some family over there which did make the whole experience a lot less scary. I spent the first week looking for a job and on the Friday landed a job as a bar maid in Gibraltar. This is a fantastic place, for the cowardly amongst you, Gib is a soft option. Why? 1) It's a British colony therefore - easy language, customs etc, no culture shock. 2) It's the British currency - therefore no huge losses on currency conversion 3) There are a great variety...

tilsters 26.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Spain

G-A-P And Their Great Hits

Advantages: Lots of killer tracks
Disadvantages: Slower tracks hold it back

...The Act The Oklahoma-based Funk, Soul and R&B group The Gap Band (originally going by The Greenwood, Archer & Pinewood Street Band) formed back in the late sixties as brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson got down with their freaky dance tracks and ballads from then until the late eighties (although the seventies and eighties were when their peak came. There most well-known track was known as ?Oops Upside Your Head? and since then Charlie Wilson has been known for his solo career as well as features with big names in the Hip Hop world. The Album ?Gold: The Gap Band? is a 2006 release and features all their biggest hits through the years, including the biggest singles from when they started releasing singles (in 1979) through to as far as 1990, with bangers through it to come up with a massive, two-disc collection...

XICripZ 16.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Gold - The Gap Band

A year in................Germany!

Advantages: Fantastic fun, great opportunity to broaden your horizons.
Disadvantages: Takes a while to adapt to a new country.

...I studied German at Manchester University for four years between 2000 and 2004. An essential part of this course was to spend a year in a German speaking country. This gap year took place in my third year and when I first started it seemed like a long time in the future. My first two years of studying were spent much like every other student, having fun and doing the minimum amount of work required to successfully pass the year. At one point towards the end of second year we were all called to a meeting entitled 'Year Abroad'. Suddenly the ominous moment was upon us and we had to face the reality of preparing for a year away from the comfortable, fun surroundings that we had come to know during the past two years! Reactions to this news were mixed amongst my group of friends. With some believing that they could spend a year in...

mr_christa 15.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Germany

A year in Japan

Advantages: A great way to experience a different culture, the best way to learn Japanese
Disadvantages: Can be quite isolating if you go on your own, Japan is expensive

...I spent my GAP year teaching English in a High School in Japan (4 years ago now, how did that happen?!). At least that was the idea. Being straight out of High School myself I had more of a role as a language assistant in other teachers' classes, joined the school swimming club and went to some ordinary classes as well (to improve my Japanese and get to know other students too) and didn't do much teaching on my own (I probably could have if I'd wanted to, but one thing I quickly discovered was that I had no idea how to teach a class of 40 students English). This quite a long opinion, so you might want to skip to the summary at the end :-) Starting at the beginning of my stay: I arranged this through my school in England, which had an exchange program with a school in Japan (Makuhari High School in Chiba-ken, near Tokyo). So that...

outonalimb 25.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Gap Year in Japan