If you’ve missed out on University entry in 2011 DON’T DESPAIR! You now have the gift of a whole year free from education (gap year!) to rethink your future career plans, gain invaluable work experience and develop your soft skills to make you a better prospect for admissions tutors and employers alike. Spend the next 12 months right and you could end up with a better University place, an improved direction for yourself and some amazing experiences you’ll never forget. Missing your A-Level results doesn’t have to be a disaster!

Gap Year = A WINNING PERSONAL STATEMENT
A well planned, constructively used gap year will help to boost your UCAS application and make your personal statement shine. Organisation is the key, choose a reputable Gap Year company and get advice NOW about how to put your time to good use. Start researching now by visiting The Year Out Group and The Leap websites for inspiration. Come along to open days or pay a visit to The Big Gap Year Show in London this September. A good gap year company will give you practical fundraising advice putting you in touch with gap year job recruiters such as Wesser to help you save the money you need to travel.

Gap Year = BETTER EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS
Make your CV stand out from the crowd by being creative with your gap year and helping others along the way. Taking part in volunteer project work  looks fantastic on your CV and shows that you are a humanitarian with others’ interests at heart. Voluntary work and travel will also help you to develop and demonstrate the soft skills which employers look for. These include communication, team work, problem solving, ability to work towards a goal and self-motivation.

Not Going to University AT ALL?
In the face of huge tuition fees and rising graduate unemployment figures more and more young people are looking for an alternative to university to boost their job prospects and get on the career ladder earlier in life. The only way is up! If that’s how you feel, then taking time out to travel and volunteer overseas is a fantastic way to get your CV on track and give you some direction. Volunteering will give you practical work experience in a variety of different vocations- i.e. teaching, care work, construction, conservation, work within the charity and travel sectors…proving your passion to employers and helping to guide your future career choices.

Don’t believe the hype about gap year projects being full already…The Leap still have places left on team project departing in September, January, April and July. We also have completely flexible deposits. You only need to pay £100 to reserve your place on a project (compared to an average of £300 non refundable deposit other companies ask for!) and even that can then be switched to a later departure or alternative project if your plans change. Join a Leap team and change your life…taking a #gapyear could be the best thing you ever accidentally did!