Gap Year: Advantages/Disadvantages

Advantages:
- You show initiative and desire;
- Travel widdens your horizons;
- Travel gives you experience of different cultures - useful if you are planning to have an international career;
-Travel shows self-sufficiency and initiative;
- Work experience is always a good thing and work experience abroad can be invaluable if you want to start your career overseas;
-You can build up a wide variety of new skills and contacts;
- You can help people living in poverty;
- You can help the environment;
- It is a good way to give something back to society;
- You can make a differentce in the world;
- You get a chance to know the world outside school and to seek out adventure;
- You gain maturity, self-confidence and self-esteem;
- You explore personal interests.

Disadvantages:
- You may forget what you have learnt at school;
- You may never return to school;
- It may look like you are not focused on your career;
- It may be expensive unless you are paid for your work;
- You may have to leave your family and friends.

Oral Evaluation

Oral Evaluation

Gap Year:

- Go to this site: www.gapwork.com

- Choose one destination

- Choose a job, an activity

- Give some reasons

(you can bring some pictures)

- Answer the question: Would you take a year off? Why? Why not?

Homework: Write a letter applying for the job you have chosen. Follow the model you have on page 162

Gap Year: opportunities

Gap Year: Many school-leavers in the United Kingdom decide to take some time off, usually a year, before entering university.

Gap year, working holiday abroad, or temporary and voluntary work.


Jobs:Find your perfect gap year job - holiday jobs; TEFL; work placements; voluntary jobs.

Destinations:Gap year destination guide: travel and work in Australia, the USA, Europe and more.

Adventure:Gap year expeditions, treks, tours, adventure holidays and extreme sports.

Community Development:Volunteer work placements for your gap year in Africa, Asia and around the world.

Conservation:Conservation volunteering and volunteer placements to save the world on your year out.

Study or Study Abroad:Gain qualifications, work experience and new skills on your gap year.

Volunteering:Use your gap year to volunteer with placements in Australia, Africa, South America and more.

Winter Sports:Skiing, snowboarding and other great winter sports on your gap year.

Source: http://www.gapwork.com/index.shtml

Gap Year

What is a Gap Year?

A Gap Year is known also as a “year off”, “year out”, “deffered year”, “bridging year”, “time off”, “time out” or “overseas experience”. A Gap Year doesn't takes always a whole year. Usually young people takes a time off (some weeks, months up to a year) before going to the university and take the opportunity to make a Gap Year travel.

During a Gap Year young people can travel to another country and experience diverse activities: like volunteering, teaching or just traveling. The most popular Gap year activity for “gappers” is international volunteering.

Many students take the advantage to study during their Gap year and they enroll in a language course abroad or earn money by working in diverse areas, as the hospitality industry.

Some gappers also enroll themselves in global education programs that combine a language study, cultural immersion, community services, home stays and independent study.

Why should you go?

A Gap Year travel is an exciting once in a lifetime experience that can be suitable for anyone! Why should you go to a Gap Year Travel?

- Get in touch with foreign communities.
A Gap year travel is not the typical short-therm holiday where you hang out with family or friends and only get to know the typical attractions for tourists. In a Gap year program you will have the opportunity to truly interact with the local people, learn about the reality of the community, enjoy the traditions and open your eyes to an extraordinary array of new things through multiple experiences.

- Social understanding and awareness.
Some of the Gap Year programs give you the opportunity to not only enjoy the new environment you will be in but also to support a good cause with volunteer work by teaching, helping to protect the nature, building new houses or schools... don't lose the opportunity to not only travel and enjoy but also to help and make a difference in the world.

- Learn new languages, develop new skills:
As you will be living abroad for some weeks or even months you will have the opportunity to learn or improve your local language knowledge. There are also Gap programs that give you the opportunity to learn a new language through specific courses ideal for people that is looking to learn while enjoying a fantastic travel experience.

- Earn money while:
There are many paid work Gap programs where you make money to pay your expenses while teaching or working in the hospitality industry for example, having fun, interacting with other young people, living new experiences without a real cost for you!

- Get to know yourself:
During a Gap year travel you will have time to enjoy your independency, gain experience and get to know your strengths and weaknesses as a person! A Gap year is a definitely enriching experience that will make you grow as a person and become a more mature person.

- Interact and develop friendship with other people that share your vision and passions:
You will have the opportunity to travel with other people like you, that have chosen the same program and will propably share your same vision and objectives, plus they will share their previous experiences and you will have the opportunity to make new friends from all over the world!

- Have the best fun of your life:
A Gap travel is an extraordinary opportunity that will give you a lot of satisfaction through new and diverse experiences and will surely become a milestone in your life.

Meet the Parents: An awkward situation

In the film Meet the Parents, the character Pam Banks is spending the weekend at her parents' and has brought her boyfriend, Greg, with her. Watch the excerpt and notice the way people react to Greg's profession:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmhGzTEGa70&feature=related

Technology

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BN-XQk6yIk

Living without money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djzitB1xyoc&feature=player_embedded

Earth Hour: 26th March

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxjbip6y04