According to a survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (June 2007), 88% of recruiters think a well-structured gap year helps equip you with the soft skills you may not have acquired while studying. Vice chairman Terence Perrin says: "Overall, gap years are viewed very positively. Communication skills, leadership, organisation and motivation are all important. "One thing that impresses employers is that graduates come back more mature and with more insight into themselves and the world. I think recruiters recognise that after a year's travel there's a lot more to bring to the table. They have left the security of their home looking for a new challenge and for that you need independence, motivation and confidence."

Whether exploring the Amazon, attempting to scale Mount Everest or taking part in a gap year in Africa, a new British Standard has been launched today at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in response to increased calls to make overseas adventure activities safer. The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published BS 8848: A Specification for adventurous activities, expeditions, visits and fieldwork outside the UK. The new BSI standard has been developed for adventurous activities abroad with the aim of reducing the risk of injury or illness. It specifies requirements that have to be met by an organiser of adventurous trips conforming to good practice. It is aimed at expedition organisers, universities and other organisers of field trips, gap year travel companies and providers of adventurous holidays.
See http://www.bsi-global.com/en/About-BSI/News-Room/BSI-News-Content/General/News-Content/ for more details.  

'Workers ditch commuting for globetrotting', Direct Line research, Feb 2007.

School leavers should take seriously a new poll that shows that a university degree is no longer enough to get you the job you want. A gap year, however, may help. The YouGov poll, commissioned by volunteering organisation GVI, shows that though 58 per cent of managers agreed that "no degree adequately prepares a person for the world of work", 64 per cent said gap years would help prepare people to develop crucial work skills before they enter into their career.

Taking a gap year is a perennially popular option in this country, with an estimated 200,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25 taking time out to volunteer, travel or work each year - and getting involved in activities ranging from hiking Inca trails to volunteering in orphanages.
With a large number of our subscribers choosing to go on gap years, we decided to carry out a survey to ask them about their plans, and what they hoped to get out of it. We also surveyed candidates who had already been on gap years to ask them what the benefits had been for them; and asked candidates who were not going on a gap year, what the reason for their decision was.
As one would expect, we found enormous variety in terms of activities on gap years (although tending to fall into one of the categories of paid work, volunteering and travelling), and in terms of destinations (ranging from the UK to locations all over the world), and in the reasons why students and graduates chose to go on gap years, and the benefits which candidates felt they had gained from doing so.
Respondents were nearly unanimous however in citing their gap year as beneficial to their careers and to their personal development, and in hoping to gain professional and personal skills (or declaring that they had done, if they had been on a gap year in the past).
378 students and graduates answered the poll. In the first part of this report we cover the different activities and destinations of gappers; while in the second we look at the reasons for going and the benefits gained from gap year activities.
See http://www.milkround.com/s4/jobseekers/zones/gap%5Fyear/ for more details.

'Denture Venturers' and 'Career Gappers':
A new age for gap year travel
Latest research from MINTEL's Travel and Tourism Analyst shows that older 'Career Gappers' and 'Denture Venturers' are giving students a run for their money in the multi-billion pound global gap year market. Having only really taken off in the early 1990s, the global gap year market is now worth a substantial £5 billion, accounting for between 1 and 1.5 million trips a year. What is more, by 2010, an estimated 2 million gap year trips will be made by travellers from around the world, with total expenditure more than doubling to a staggering £11 billion. "The growing popularity of gap year travel is showing no signs of abating. But MINTEL believes that it will be the increasing number of older adults such as 'Career Gappers', taking a break from work or 'Denture Venturers' going on pre-retirement travels, who will in fact boost the market in the future," comments Jessica Rawlinson, Publishing Manager, International Travel and Tourism at MINTEL.
"Here at gapyear.com we have seen a similar shift in the age of gap year travellers. Changing work patterns, from life-long to more 'portfolio' careers, has enabled a wider number of people to take career breaks between jobs. Employers today are also undoubtedly becoming increasingly aware of the value of longer periods of international travel. As a result, many 25 - 35 year olds are temporarily opting out of working life before they settle into another job, buy a house or perhaps even start a family. In addition, rising numbers of older people in the population of developed countries, together with the increased health and wealth of this age group, has helped to spawn pre-retirement gap travellers. Indeed an ever increasing number of 50 - 55 year olds are 'ski-ing' - spending the kids inheritance - and becoming so-called 'Denture Venturers'," comments Tom Griffiths, founder of gapyear.com.
British gappers show the world the way:
Remarkably, UK gappers account for half of all expenditure within this booming sector. Today, the British gap year travel market comprises approximately 1% of all UK outbound trips and around 10% of outbound travel expenditure. In total, the UK market for 18-24-year-old travellers is estimated to be around 200,000. But this market is set to grow; with more young people being involved in tertiary education and increasing numbers of students each year opting to take a year out. Amazingly however, there are now almost as many British pre-retirement gappers as pre-university gappers.
Gap year travel: A £5000 spending spree:
Whilst gap travellers do not spend huge amounts on a day to day basis, the long duration of their trips means that total expenditure is usually well above the average for overseas travel. Today, the average gap year traveller spends around £4,800, but the most extravagant group is the 'Career Gappers', as they can shell out almost double this (£9,000) on their gap year. "As 'Career Gappers' have already spent several years working, they usually have greater disposable income to raise the funds for volunteering, courses or expeditions than pre-university gappers. What is more, as volunteers, they bring more experience than students who are travelling immediately after they leave school. And while they often do not yet have too many financial and personal responsibilities, they can afford to spend more than pre-retirement gappers," explains Jessica Rawlinson. On a positive note, the money spent on these travels is invaluable for local economies. Gap travellers tend to stay in locally-run accommodation and buy locally-produced goods and so a greater percentage of each pound, dollar, or whatever currency spent remains in the country visited.

Please note that all information contained in this website article is
owned exclusively by Mintel and governed by Mintel's terms and
conditions. Use of any information for any published or electronic
media, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the express written or
verbal permission of Mintel's PR team.
Should you have any questions regarding the uses of these materials or
related copyright issues, or you would like to purchase the whole
report, please contact the Emily Measor on 0207 606 6000. 

With sound recommendations on international volunteering in gap years, including:
    * The need to show a clear link to UK volunteering
    * The requirement to be responsive directly to real community needs
    * To be accessible to all

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RB555.pdf
Commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) on gap years, it was carried out by Dr Andrew Jones from Birkbeck College, University of London. The main issues addressed were:
    * defining what a gap year is
    * national levels of participation
    * the benefits and disadvantages of undertaking different kinds of activities on a gap year
    * a survey of the organisations that provide gap year opportunities
    * existing standards and approaches to quality assurance in gap year provision.

IDS HR Studies Update 776, June 2004.

http://www.incomesdata.co.uk/studies/careerbreaks.htm
Career breaks and sabbaticals - gap years.
'Looks at the growing demand from employees for career breaks.
Shows how employers consider these requests.
Discusses the impact on pensions and other employee benefits.
Looks at arrangements for staying in touch with employees on career breaks.
Describes the typical terms on which they eventually return to their job.
Includes details of sabbatical and career break schemes in 19 organisations.
Many employees now want the flexibility to take an extended period away from work to travel abroad, study, look after children or older relatives, or simply to recharge their batteries. Employers are increasingly accommodating such requests by offering career breaks or sabbaticals.
Career break schemes give employers the discretion to retain valued employees who want to take a significant amount of time, perhaps years, away from work to focus on these other aspects of their lives. Employees are not paid during this time, but have the right to return to work or at least to apply for re-engagement on favourable terms.
Sabbaticals are much rarer and are normally offered for shorter periods, typically up to three months, as a reward for continuous service with the employer. Employees can choose what to do with the time, and there tend to be very few restrictions. Individuals remain employed, sometimes on full pay, and return automatically to their job at the end of the sabbatical.
This in-depth article is the lead feature article in the June 2004 IDS HR Studies Update.'
IDS Customer Services on 020 7324 2599 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. can provide further information.