• to promote the concepts and benefits of a well-structured year out;
• to provide accurate and impartial information about structured year out opportunities;
• to commit themselves to the establishment of a quality framework;
• to provide a collective voice for member organisations.
  

It currently has nearly 30 members and its website www.yearoutgroup.org contains all the information you need about who it is and what it does and does not do. It is not equipped to give individual advice or opinions on gap year organisations, but it has direct web links to its members. It does not claim that only member organisations are of any good. What it does provide on its website is a set of absolutely invaluable guidelines on the questions to ask when assessing gap year providers and their schemes.

The main points to consider are:

1. Who can take part and how are they selected?
2. Who benefits from the programme?
3. What exactly will you be doing?
4. What’s the cost?
5. The organisation
6. Before you go
7. During your placement
8. After you return
   

What makes an ideal ‘gap’ year?

This will depend on what the individual wants from it. Try to do at least two different things – paid work plus volunteering for example. Spending the whole year working at a burger restaurant or supermarket may do wonders for your bank balance, but won’t necessarily look impressive on your CV, unless you are made the manager, of course!

It can be difficult for gap students to find paid work directly related to future courses or careers – there is too much competition from already qualified graduates, often marking time while they look for a permanent position. So, if you are unlucky and cannot find a paid placement, consider unpaid work in the field of your choice, even if only for a few weeks. This could make a difference to your long-term prospects as employers of graduates place great store by work experience. Whatever you do, be clear about what you are hoping to achieve and be equally clear about what you have gained from it by the end. Make a list of all the good and bad points, any difficulties you had to overcome (from fundraising to arachnophobia), methods you found of coping and what you would or wouldn’t do if you had the time over again. Why should you do this?

It can help in the longer term. When you approach your final year (or, if you are on a sandwich course, your placement year) you will find that employers are gong to be interested in how you spent your gap year. It can tell them quite a lot about you as a person, separate from your academic achievements. What are commonly called ‘personal transferable skills’ or ‘key skills’, such as problem solving, teamworking, effective communication and self-reliance, are in great demand by employers of graduates. It is never too early to start acquiring or polishing these skills. A well-spent gap year can help you do just that.

(Taken from Opportunities in the Gap Year, Fifteenth edition, published by Careerscope, April 2003, and reproduced by kind permission of the ISCO Editor, Philip Gray.)

If you do want a GAP year and are uneasy about deferred entry, the alternative is to apply post-A level. You need to be around in September/October to complete a UCAS form, but it will still give you space to get away (though it is vital to check with institutions about interview). Post-A level Oxbridge candidates have to be around between September and December.
(Taken from Radley College’s Higher Education Guide)