As A-level results are set to come out, employers and Matt Lacey, of Gap Yah comedy fame, outline why time spent abroad is no bad thing, and how a Gap Year experience can develop qualities required in the work place
Over the past 12 months ‘experts’ have claimed that the ‘the Gap Year is dead’. Whilst it cannot be denied that the face of the Gap Year is changing, from the length of time spent away (the newly named Gap Stint) to the destinations most visited, it does not mean that this period of travel is a dying breed. A-level students, and even their future employers recognise the cultural and experiential benefits of stepping out from an all too familiar comfort zone and heading off on an adventure that will test necessary skill sets needed in adult life.

In a recent nationwide survey of over 500 UK businesses conducted by Real Gap Experience, nearly 1 in 2 employers of young graduates agreed that travel can demonstrate a candidate’s ability to act independently (61%), put themselves in different environments (53%) and feel comfortable meeting and engaging with new people (46%). These same employers listed independence, initiative and teamwork as the top qualities that they look for in the work place, clearly coinciding with those skills believed to be gained through experiential travel.

The research also demonstrated the need for a well-planned and structured year out. Employers will not be impressed if a Gap Year has been spent in a non-stop haze of hangovers. Instead, recruiters want their perspective employees to show their worth and use their time away in a constructive manner. 42% of UK business’ now believe that non-academic experience is more valuable than 10 years ago, with 1 in 2 Employers conceding that voluntary work experience abroad has a positive impact on their decision to interview a candidate. The first thing that recruiters now look for on a CV is no longer academic qualifications but work experience instead, with 45% of employers looking at this first over 21% who look at academic qualifications.

Matt commented “Orlando and his ‘Gap Yah’ are a parody of the individuals that jet off on a year abroad and see the world through beer goggles, but this doesn’t mean that all gappers are treating their time away like a scene out of the Hangover 2. The period between burning your books after A levels and opening a new chapter either at University or in the working world, could be a life enhancing opportunity to get under the skin of different countries and discover more about yourself and about the world than you will have done in PSHE or Geography.”

Matt continues, “Very few people get another chance in life to take this sort of time out, so my advice is GO!! Learn from Orlando by doing the complete opposite of what he did. If...