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Turning an ‘enforced gap year’ into a positive volunteering experiencePaul Rompani, CEO of educational development charity, Lattitude Global Volunteering, explains why not getting into university might not be such a bad thing after all, and how it can be transformed into a CV-enhancing opportunity It seems that getting into university is becoming more difficult for young people each year. Not only has there been a decrease in the number of places available, which has resulted in a higher grade requirement, but now tuition fees are set to be raised to as much as £9,000 per year. For many young people, and often for their parents as well, not getting into university first time round can seem like a disaster. Whether it is because exams didn’t go as well as expected, or simply because, as is becoming the case more frequently, there have not been enough spaces available, failing to gain a place at university can often seem like the end of the world. But, in many cases, not getting into university can be the best thing that could have happened. Whether a gap year from academia is optional or ‘enforced’, many young people discover that it is prudent to undertake a productive gap year activity, such as volunteering. Overseas volunteering offers numerous rewards to the volunteer, many of which are of huge benefit when applying to university or for a job. Many of the skills and experiences that will be gained during a volunteering gap year can be used to augment a CV. By volunteering for an extended period of time, the young person has the opportunity to develop leadership skills, the ability to work independently and as part of a team, the ability to work flexibly and using their own initiative, and a willingness to expand their horizons, embrace new cultural experiences and develop new skills such as proficiency in another language or public speaking. Other qualities that are often enhanced during a gap year spent volunteering overseas include independence, maturity and responsibility. Many Lattitude Global Volunteering placements also provide the opportunity to learn practical, vocational skills that can provide a foundation for a career such as medicine, environmental sciences, teaching and community care, international development, as well as many other careers that involve working with children and adults. Spending part of a gap year overseas, experiencing another culture, making a positive difference to people, while living and working as an integral part of a community, is often a life-changing, and life-shaping, experience. Many people seek to take gap years to ‘find themselves’, and while that may sound a bit ‘new age’ or superficial, it is overwhelmingly true. A large number of Lattitude Global Volunteers take up a gap year volunteering placement (perhaps because they have not gained a place at the university of their choice or are undecided about what they would like to study) and discover a passion for a career or a country they would never have considered before their placement, which then informs the direction they take on returning home. In fact, we are regularly contacted by our Lattitude Global Volunteering alumni, who say that they would not be in the career they are now (or even, in some cases, the country they are in now) without the Lattitude Global Volunteering experience that helped them decide what they wanted to do, and gave them the confidence to do it. Huw Beynon volunteered for 12 months in New Zealand with Lattitude Global Volunteering: ‘I worked in Palmerston North Boys High School and had the time of my life,’ he explains. ‘I travelled around the whole of the country, as well as Australia and Samoa. I made friends for life, and enjoyed New Zealand so much that when I finished university in the UK I moved back there! I now work as a sports reporter for TV3 in Auckland, which I believe was made possible by my Lattitude Global Volunteering placement.’ Tom Reardon, from Hertfordshire, taught at a school in Deyang, Sichuan Province of Central China: ‘I had planned my Lattitude Global Volunteering placement since I was 16 but I never imagined how much it would change my life,’ says Tom. ‘I am now planning on getting a job in China after my degree, and I am also hoping to study abroad in Chengdu for a year to help me learn the language. I have made some lifelong friends and enjoyed the most incredible experiences.’ Laura Mitchelson volunteered in China with Lattitude Global Volunteering in 1994 and her placement had such a positive impact on her life that she emigrated to China as soon as she graduated, and is now living and working in Shanghai. ‘I got a lot out of my Lattitude Global Volunteering placement,’ she explains, ‘and when I returned to the UK, I decided to study politics at university as I could incorporate a two-year Chinese-language course with it. I had never thought about China before I did my Lattitude gap year placement, but I read on the China page of the charity’s brochure at the time “For the right person, this will be the opportunity of a lifetime”, and that was what did it! I applied, got a place and loved both China and the people I met there.’ While the experience of volunteering overseas does offer multiple benefits to the volunteer, it is important to note that the community they work within also benefits greatly from the experience, which is the core purpose of the placements. To mark his retirement, the outgoing Lattitude Global Volunteering Programme Manager for Vietnam was recently honoured with an Award for Services to Education in Vietnam by the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam. During nine years of service with Lattitude Global Volunteering, John Bristol placed over 500 volunteers in English teaching placements in schools and universities throughout Vietnam. In many of the countries where Lattitude Global Volunteers are placed, such as Vietnam, Malawi and Ecuador, the authorities recognise the importance of students learning English, and with volunteering placements in 21 countries worldwide, Lattitude Global Volunteering works with various organisations around the world, such as the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam, to ensure that our volunteers can bring real benefit to the communities. As an educational development charity, Lattitude Global Volunteering believes that everybody should be given the opportunity to volunteer overseas, and offers bursaries and funding to those who may struggle to afford the experience. For anybody taking a gap year, whether to allow them time to decide what to do next, or because they have not got into their university of choice, the experience of volunteering overseas can help them to make decisions about their future and can be a powerful addition to a CV. The volunteer and the community he or she works within benefit greatly from the experience, and taking a gap year before reapplying to university or following a different career path could become the best thing that ever happened, for the young person and their parents. For information about Lattitude Global Volunteering placements and the work of the volunteers, visit www.lattitude.org.uk or call 0118 959 4914.
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Paul Rompani is the Chief Executive of international youth development charity Lattitude Global Volunteering. The charity has paid and volunteer staff in 20 countries who arrange overseas volunteering opportunities for young people in charities internationally and in the UK. After graduating, Paul took a gap year during which he travelled and volunteered in Nepal. He therefore has a first-hand understanding of the international volunteering experience, and recognises the benefits it can bring to young people and to the communities they work within.