In the rat race of today, people take career breaks for time out and achieving something truly worthwhile.
As pace of life increases and spare time becomes even more precious, a well planned career break can restore some sanity and physical wellbeing and be the opportunity to explore the world without the commitments of later life.
With cheaper travel and greater accessibility, now is the time to take a career break and visit that one place you have always wanted to, while contributing to a better world.
What Will You Get From A Career Break?
Very little compares to the feeling of visiting a project to pass on your knowledge and experience to children in poor communities around the world, and as habitat and biodiversity loss become an everyday reality, a career break on a wildlife project or time out on a conservation project could see you blown away by the world’s natural beauty before it is lost forever.
Exploring foreign countries and their cultures could be just the thing you are after, rekindling your enthusiasm and rejuvenating your spirit for life, or the all important first step towards a career change and a more fulfilling way of life in the current climate of economic downturn and high unemployment.
Where Can You Go On A Career Break?
With cheap flights, cheap accommodation, and carbon offsetting, it is becoming more and more possible to explore the world, and with you could escape to exotic destinations such as Fiji, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Madagascar and Tanzania.
Probe lost communities still living traditional lifestyles in the dense steamy South American rainforests and discover rare and endangered wildlife, or step off the beaten track and visit the tribal lands of Africa, home to magnificent wildlife, deeply rooted customs, sparkling lakes and ear to ear smiles.
The ancient civilisations of Asia could be the perfect destination for your career break, steeped in mystery and a history almost as bloody as it is colourful we guarantee a journey of mystery and intrigue. Who can say no to exploring the most beautiful islands in Thailand!
Think outside the Caribbean box and use your career break to explore far flung, seldom visited beaches and coral reefs on a marine conservation project.
How to Arrange a Career Break
Some companies offers the perfect opportunity to explore all corners of the globe, recharging your batteries and pursuing personal interests away from work. Some of the best companies offering gap year trips and career breaks include:
• Gap Year
• Seasonal Jobs
• One World 365
• Go Find Programs
• Inspire Your Trip
What Can You Do On A Career Break?
With hundreds of trips and projects available, you have a wide choice of destination and activities.
There are lots of gap year ideas and options for your career break are almost unlimited, from teaching in Peru and trekking in Nepal, to scuba diving on the coral reefs of Fiji, Madagascar or Tanzania.
You could bring love and attention into the lives of the eternally optimistic children of Africa; choose from an orphanage in Mombasa or a rural school outside Accra or an island school in Tanzania. Using your knowledge and experience you will provide essential care giving, development and education.
An increasingly popular hobby for outdoor enthusiasts is scuba diving. Why not step back, embrace life on a tropical beach, and open up a whole new world to yourself through getting scuba qualified and working on a marine conservation and diving project in Cambodia, Tanzania, Madagascar or Fiji?
If languages are your passion then look no further than cultural immersion on a language course, an interesting and challenging way of spending your career break, making friends and trading stories with your neighbours. You could study Mandarin in Beijing or Spanish in Costa Rica, or complete language exchanges in Honduras and Argentina.
If you like the idea of teaching English abroad you could take a TEFL course and get a worldwide recognised qualification.
For a change in career direction, a internship abroad in journalism or medicine is a great way to take your first steps towards that dream job. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of an Indian newspaper office or a remote journalism posting in Fiji, a placement in Beijing or a medical internship in Kenya.
If you seek adventure, try a adventure tour, trekking, zip-lining, haggling and making your way through the most influential and recognisable destinations across South and Central America and South East Asia.
To find out more about career breaks, get in touch. We’ll help you choose an activity and location that you’ll love and answer any other questions that you may have. Or, if you’re ready to start planning, apply online now.
Be sure to check out the latest gap year news or follow our gap year blog. You can also find us on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with our latest information.
Take a look at our career break programmes and see where they could take you: