Gap Years? Anyone done them?

DreamOfNoReturn

DreamOfNoReturn

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Hi guys :D!

Basically I am in my last year at school, and I know I definitely want to work with animals in the future. The only problem is, I have no clue what I want to do and with what animals. I was asking my teacher about gap years the other day, and it's definitely a possibly for me.

I was thinking maybe apply for college this year, but defer it and possibly take a gap year out to work with animals doing different things to see what I would like to go into in the future?

Any help at this point in my life would be much appreciated :D!
 
yes I did it but between college and uni.

I couldn't decide whether to go to Equine college or university to study maths (very similar :D:D) so took a year out to decide. Eventually I decided to go to Uni because there wasn't enough money in the equine industries to be able to stay living in the South East so I did my degree and got an office job which pays for me to keep a horse :)

The answer as to what is right is different for everybody but what I would say is that most employers regardless of whether you are working in an office or a kennels will consider your qualifications and may well expect you to have A levels.

If you've got a few options you're considering why not look up some job adverts for them and see what sort of qualifications they are looking for and how much they pay? It may help you decide what you need to do next, remember that as you get older your pay will have to go towards paying rent and your living costs as well as looking after a horse if you want to keep one ;)
 
Anothrr thing to bare in mind is that education is only free up till the age of 19, so if your crafty you could do two years doing a vocational course then your a levels as well (as you only need to be under 19at the start of your first year). My advice would be to look through prospectuses and see what interests you, and remember there is always summer hols for doing work experience :)
 
*another lol also try and get work placements before you defer your college place as sitting on your tod while everyone else is enjoying their first year isnt fun (trust me this was me last year). Also I found talking to the schools career advisor really helpful, and make use of a connexions service if you have one near you.
 
I'm on my gap year now and loving it! I go to uni in September and after doing 3 years of a levels I felt I needed a break.

I would reccomend to wait until you're a bit older so you can fully experience it. For example I wouldn't be enjoying myself as much if I couldn't drive and making decent money so I can save fora once in a lifetime holiday. It's also more fun being allowed to drink :)
 
My daughter and her partner are on one now started last Saturday, they are doing the whole of south America in youth hostels, onto new York in march and then onto new Zealand till June to visit my other daughter who lives there. They both did there degrees got good jobs for two years and saved like nothing else, they have saved a lot of money so they really can enjoy themselves and left enough money behind for when they get back until they find jobs again. My daughter always wanted to travel and is glad she waited until she was a bit older, she is 24 in October, the money they saved could have been a deposit on a house but you do only live once, I am the worried one a mothers job, as some of the places they are going to are a little undesirable. Have fun whatever you decide as she loved uni life to.
 
How old are you. Around here we still have sixth forms in school, not colleges for Level 3 courses.

Like the others I wouldn't advise a gap year after GCSEs but could be a good idea before uni or FE college.
 
rockysmum said:
How old are you. Around here we still have sixth forms in school, not colleges for Level 3 courses.

Like the others I wouldn't advise a gap year after GCSEs but could be a good idea before uni or FE college.
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I'm in Scotland, so I don't do GCSE's. I do Highers :). At the minute I am 17, and I will be 18 next year in May :3.

In Scotland you do Standard Grades in 3rd and 4th year.
Int 1's and Int 2's and Highers and Advanced Highers in 5th and 6th year.
And then you leave to go on to university or college or you leave and get a job.
 
Polly Peewee said:
yes I did it but between college and uni.

The answer as to what is right is different for everybody but what I would say is that most employers regardless of whether you are working in an office or a kennels will consider your qualifications and may well expect you to have A levels.

If you've got a few options you're considering why not look up some job adverts for them and see what sort of qualifications they are looking for and how much they pay? It may help you decide what you need to do next, remember that as you get older your pay will have to go towards paying rent and your living costs as well as looking after a horse if you want to keep one ;)
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I don't really know what I want to do, but I wanted to apply for animal care and equine studies at college, and then I was thinking about taking a gap year and doing equine stuff for half a year and animal stuff for the other half and then I was kind of hoping that would help me to figure out what I wanted to do.

Thanks for the great idea though! I never considered that :P. I definitely want to keep a horse in the future ;). I've talked to my guidance teacher at school and he's been helping me a lot, and I have a careers appointment lined up with the careers advisor to discuss it, as well as LEAPS. So hopefully it all comes together!

Thanks :P.
 
StrawberryFields1 said:
Anothrr thing to bare in mind is that education is only free up till the age of 19, so if your crafty you could do two years doing a vocational course then your a levels as well (as you only need to be under 19at the start of your first year). My advice would be to look through prospectuses and see what interests you, and remember there is always summer hols for doing work experience :)
Click to expand...

Where about is this? Is this the whole of the UK? I've never heard of this before >.<. It's not so much the work experience, but I really honestly don't know what I want to do, apart from working with animals. At college I can either do animal care or equine studies, and my issue is I don't know if I want to work with animals generally or just horses. So that's why I was considering a gap year doing half animals, half horses, so then I could decide which I enjoy better, and it would give me time to look at wages and what would best benefit me.

Thanks though :).
 
5bs said:
My daughter and her partner are on one now started last Saturday, they are doing the whole of south America in youth hostels, onto new York in march and then onto new Zealand till June to visit my other daughter who lives there. They both did there degrees got good jobs for two years and saved like nothing else, they have saved a lot of money so they really can enjoy themselves and left enough money behind for when they get back until they find jobs again. My daughter always wanted to travel and is glad she waited until she was a bit older, she is 24 in October, the money they saved could have been a deposit on a house but you do only live once, I am the worried one a mothers job, as some of the places they are going to are a little undesirable. Have fun whatever you decide as she loved uni life to.
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This might also be an option :). I was really thinking about it because I don't know what course to do at college, and I don't want to go and say do a two year course and then go, that was a waste of time, and do another one after that. I feel it would be pointless and waste everyone's time.

It's certainly something I haven't considered yet though, so I'll have a wee look at it.

Cheers :3.
 
StrawberryFields1 said:
*another lol also try and get work placements before you defer your college place as sitting on your tod while everyone else is enjoying their first year isnt fun (trust me this was me last year). Also I found talking to the schools career advisor really helpful, and make use of a connexions service if you have one near you.
Click to expand...

Precisely! I honestly won't be taking a gap year if I have nothing lined up to do :). I'll only be doing it, if I can start to sort things out now for doing it :).

I've got a meeting with my career's advisor soon, and I'm going to mention it then :).

Thank you :P.
 
Kokopelli said:
I'm on my gap year now and loving it! I go to uni in September and after doing 3 years of a levels I felt I needed a break.

I would reccomend to wait until you're a bit older so you can fully experience it. For example I wouldn't be enjoying myself as much if I couldn't drive and making decent money so I can save fora once in a lifetime holiday. It's also more fun being allowed to drink :)
Click to expand...


I'm learning to drive now, and I should hopefully have passed my test by summer time ish next year :). Which is also when I finish my exams :3. I can legally drink next May too :P, although I'm not a big fan ;). Thank you though :3.
 
I'm on a 'gap year'.. But really I didn't get an interview at veterinary despite good grade predictions and work experience :( just as well because I didn't quite get my As! so I'm retaking this january to boost them up (hopefully)..

I intended to put my pony on loan and travel a bit after i'd bumped up my grades but ended up spending all of my money on another horse ! Am also learning to drive now too before I go to uni. Hopefully I can travel a bit in feb after my exams , while the weather is unpleasant to ride in.. So nothing very exciting like backpacking around the world for a year! :p
 
charleysummer said:
I'm on a 'gap year'.. But really I didn't get an interview at veterinary despite good grade predictions and work experience :( just as well because I didn't quite get my As! so I'm retaking this january to boost them up (hopefully)..

I intended to put my pony on loan and travel a bit after i'd bumped up my grades but ended up spending all of my money on another horse ! Am also learning to drive now too before I go to uni. Hopefully I can travel a bit in feb after my exams , while the weather is unpleasant to ride in.. So nothing very exciting like backpacking around the world for a year! :p
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Aw that's rubbish! I'm sure you'll manage to boost them :D!

Haahaa! Ah well you win some you lose some, a new pony doesn't sound too bad ;). Good luck with driving! Travelling will still be fun though! Even if it is just for a wee bit :3.

Good luck with your A's and your driving :P. You'll probably do fantastic! Just work your ass off ;).
 
DreamOfNoReturn said:
Aw that's rubbish! I'm sure you'll manage to boost them :D!

Haahaa! Ah well you win some you lose some, a new pony doesn't sound too bad ;). Good luck with driving! Travelling will still be fun though! Even if it is just for a wee bit :3.

Good luck with your A's and your driving :P. You'll probably do fantastic! Just work your ass off ;).
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Thanks :D :D could be worse :p at least studying means I don't have to go to work!

On the bright side. it keeps my brain ticking over, I feared it may die with over a year of no studying ;)
 
I was exactly the same as you!! Knew I wanted to work with animals but didn't know what animals/what sort of job.
After my GCSE's I went to college to study animal care but decided college wasn't for me so I left. That was last September so now its been a year, I volunteered with RDA, Wildlife Aid and a couple of dog rescue centers. Worked my arse off and didn't get paid a thing! it was tough as all my friends were at college but sooo much fun, loved it!

It has helped me decide what I would like to do as a job, but now im stuck with what to do. I dont want to go back to college so I have to wait for an apprentiship to come up in my area :)

It was worth it but you have to have a plan and make sure you have a way of getting back into education/training
Also you meet lots of different people and looks amazing on your CV!
 
DreamOfNoReturn said:
Where about is this? Is this the whole of the UK? I've never heard of this before >.<. It's not so much the work experience, but I really honestly don't know what I want to do, apart from working with animals. At college I can either do animal care or equine studies, and my issue is I don't know if I want to work with animals generally or just horses. So that's why I was considering a gap year doing half animals, half horses, so then I could decide which I enjoy better, and it would give me time to look at wages and what would best benefit me.

Thanks though :).
Click to expand...

I think it depends upon whether you want to do a degree after college or not. I say this because if you want to work with horses (on a yard), employers don't care if you have qualifications in equine or not its whether you have practical experience, general common sense and good work ethic. So you could always do the animal welfare course, work on a yard say at the weekends to gain extra experience then you will have the best of both worlds, and make your mind up after your course ends. If you do want to do a degree after college, you could always do the animal course and then do an equine degree or vice versa, its not the course you do, its the ucas points that matter. Good luck.
 
hollieeb said:
I was exactly the same as you!! Knew I wanted to work with animals but didn't know what animals/what sort of job.
After my GCSE's I went to college to study animal care but decided college wasn't for me so I left. That was last September so now its been a year, I volunteered with RDA, Wildlife Aid and a couple of dog rescue centers. Worked my arse off and didn't get paid a thing! it was tough as all my friends were at college but sooo much fun, loved it!

It has helped me decide what I would like to do as a job, but now im stuck with what to do. I dont want to go back to college so I have to wait for an apprentiship to come up in my area :)

It was worth it but you have to have a plan and make sure you have a way of getting back into education/training
Also you meet lots of different people and looks amazing on your CV!
Click to expand...


This has helped so much! I talked to a woman from the RSPCA and she told me that qualifications aren't really the focus, and experience is way more important. This is also why I'm considering a gap year :). I don't have a lot of experience, and if I take a gap year then I can get loads and maybe go to college if I want to :). I definitely am not taking a gap year if I have nothing planned to do because it will be a wasted year of nothing. My parents don't seem too keen on a gap year, but they don't work with animals and never wanted to, and their jobs were based on qualifications rather than experience. I keep trying to remind them of that and also the fact that it's my life, but what can you do!

Thanks so much! :)
 
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lou.nicholls said:
I think it depends upon whether you want to do a degree after college or not. I say this because if you want to work with horses (on a yard), employers don't care if you have qualifications in equine or not its whether you have practical experience, general common sense and good work ethic. So you could always do the animal welfare course, work on a yard say at the weekends to gain extra experience then you will have the best of both worlds, and make your mind up after your course ends. If you do want to do a degree after college, you could always do the animal course and then do an equine degree or vice versa, its not the course you do, its the ucas points that matter. Good luck.
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I'm thinking probably just go to college and get a HND if I go into furthur education :). Problem with that is horses may not be the route I want to go down. I was talking to my teacher and UCAS is nothing to do with the college I want to go to according to him, and I don't think a degree is for me really :). There's nothing I want to do a degree in anyway! It's always a possibility in the future though! Minds can change :).

Thanks for the tip :3.
 
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