Gap Year
From Career Resources @ Simmons
What is a Gap Year?
GapAdvice.org
This site defines “gap year” without mention of students already in colleges and universities or college grads, but it is a start (includes gap years from post-graduation jobs).
http://www.gapadvice.org/Young-People/What-is-a-gap-year/
GreatGapYears
This site has a broad definition which includes college grads and even advanced-degree holders. Includes suggestions for travel, paid work, and volunteering opportunities.
http://www.greatgapyears.co.uk/WhatAreGapYears.html
Gap Year Pros and Cons
Everything You Wanted to Know: Gap Year
A very comprehensive guide to making a gap-year as advantageous as possible with some cautionary information.
http://www.everythingyouwantedtoknow.com/index.php?sectid=22
Gap Years in General
Gives reviews and advantages/disadvantages expressed by former “gap year” students.
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/professions-occupations/gap-years-in-general/131001/
Transitions Abroad
Advantages of a Gap-Year (seems to focus primarily on high school grads but does have a good article by Susan Griffith entitled “The Gap Year”)
http://www.transitionsabroad.com
Important Information for Planning Your Gap-Year Abroad
U.S. Department of State-International Travel Information
Gives overviews of the stability and many other issues concerning countries around the world. Specific warnings regarding many countries deemed unsafe for American travelers are included. Also, the website provides a link to “Tips for Traveling Abroad” which addresses health and safety issues.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html
Gap-Years: Planning Your Escape
This website addresses several issues involved in selecting a gap-year destination including the following: deciding on what kind of experience you want (e.g. volunteering vs. working vs. working/studying.) The page also addresses preparing for destinations with different climates (e.g. considering how to dress) , and considering whether or not or how much you should learn of the native language of your destination.
http://doctorjob.com/gapyear/view.asp?ID=12961&intSubModuleID=97
Gap-Year.com: Planning the Route
This webpage describes itself as “all you need for planning your gap-year”. It addresses how to choose a destination and gives the most popular destinations for travel and work opportunities. However, there are many other destinations to consider beyond the “most popular” ones.
http://www.gap-year.com/browse.asp?catID=996&sNode=996&Exp=Y
Gapyear.com: Planning Your Gap-Year
Contains a “treasure-trove of ideas and advice for those planning a gap-year”. Addresses choosing a travel destination, finding placement for jobs or volunteer work, budgeting, accomodations, finding a travel companion online if desired, and airfare and other transportation information. While the ads on the site regarding airfares are in British pounds, the search box allows one to designate American departure cities and after searching many competitive ticketing services such as Orbitz.com, the lowest fares are listed in dollars.
http://www.gapyear.com/advice/planning_your_gap_year.html
Finding Bargain Airfares
Travelzoo.com
Searches many different travel sites to find the lowest airfare to international destinations.
http://supersearch.travelzoo.com/Flights.aspx?catid=1700&source=1700
STATravel.com
A travel-booking site which caters especially to students and locates bargain prices for airfare and accommodations as well as offering discount cards, rail passes, traveler’s insurance and more. A very comprehensive website.
http://www.statravel.com/
Gap Year Employment Opportunities/paid and unpaid internships
TransitionsAbroad.com
A very comprehensive portal to many electronic and print resources pertaining to paid and unpaid internships of all lengths (year-long,short-term,summer opportunities)in many fields within many different countries.
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/internships/index.shtml
UnitedPlanet.org
A source for international community service volunteer opportunities in select countries within Europe, South and Central America, Africa, and Asia. The program offers volunteers language instruction and cultural awareness programs.One may apply for a stint of as little as a week and as long as a year.
http://www.unitedplanet.org/ltquests.html
Volunteerinternational.org
Provides information for volunteer and unpaid internship opportunities in many fields in countries around the world.One may volunteer for as little as a week or up to two years or more. The organization stresses that the volunteer must pay for all of her/his travel and living expenses due to the extreme poverty of many of the destinations.
http://www.volunteerinternational.org/index.htm
Gap Year Adventure Travel/ Educational Opportunities
Adventuretravelabroad.com
This website offers many different opportunities for experiences of a lifetime. Whether you want to go on safari in Africa while learning about wildlife conservation or to Southeast Asia to learn about ecotourism, those opportunities are listed along with may others.
http://www.adventuretravelabroad.com/search.cfm
Great-adventures.com
This website displays links to volunteer and paid opportunities to work and play in some of the most exotic and interesting locations in the world. If you think you might like to work in the space technology industry in Antarctica (with pay) or volunteer to teach English in Nepal,these are two out of many possibilities that are listed.
http://www.great-adventures.com/know/plan/work.html
InternationalStudentVolunteers,Inc.
This organization's website offers the combination of "hands-on volunteer work and adventure travel programs" in the fields of conservation and community development. The basic program combines a two-week volunteer work stint with a two-week adventure travel tour. For longer stays, volunteers are allowed to add two-week increments of either work or travel in up to three different countries beyond the original destination.The destination foreign countries include Australia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,Ecuador,New Zealand,and Thailand.
http://www.isvonline.com/
SunTrek
An organizations that offers 4-6 month trips in the United States camping and traveling in a mini van, visiting Native American Villages, rock canyons, and national parks. To be a leader for this company you have to be 21 years old and have a clean driving record.
http://www.suntrek.com/
Au Pair opportunities
Au Pair
This site allows prospective au pairs to submit an online profile which can be read by families seeking such a person. An applicant is able to specify a particular destination country and to indicate the extent of services she is willing to provide.
http://www.aupair.com/
AuPair@Home
A very strongly-detailed site regarding what an au pair is and is not. The information provided serves as cautionary reading for those who might think that au pairing is an especially easy job and stresses the crucial needs of an au pair's precious charges.
http://aupair.netbasix.co.za/Aupairs.asp
Salary Survey Report for Job: Nanny or Aupair
People with the job title Nanny or Aupair typically fall into one of the following PayScale standard occupations. This website offers payscale statistics for aupairs in the U.S.
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nanny_or_Aupair/Salary
Gap Year Opportunities within the U.S.A.
Americorps.org
A nationwide service organization which accepts volunteers to work in many areas within non-profit organizations. Some of the work assignments may earn the participant some money toward college or graduate school.
http://www.americorps.org/
National Park Service.org
Offers volunteer opportunities within U.S national parks all over the country. Beyond seeking volunteers who directly address the subject of nature conservation,the National Park Service actively seeks volunteers with backgrounds in American history and culture to work in the many parks with a particular historical significance.
http://www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/volunteer/index.htm
Farmsanctuary.com
This organization, based primarily in New York and California, works to end cruelty to farm animals and offers internships from one to three months in length in the areas of animal rights activism or actual hands-on work with abused farm animals. The website also addresses opportunities for longer-term employment.
http://farmsanctuary.com/join/jobs.htm
Coolworks..com
Offers many summer internship opportunities in U.S. National Parks, camps, resorts,ranches and more. Job opportunites vary from wildlife preservation jobs,to working with animals, to jobs within the retail/hospitality industry.
http://www.coolworks.com/
JobMonkey.com
A very comprehensive website offering internships of varying lengths in many different fields,many within the U.S. Whether you seek a job in the hospitality industry, an internship in the film and music industry, or a chance to work on a fishing boat in Alaska, this website lists offering for all of these and many more. Also of note, this website provides great background information on each industry such as expectations and personal benefits.
http://jobmonkey.com/main/index.html
The New York City Urban Fellows Program
Offers internship opportunities within the city of New York in the areas of urban planning, public policy, and government operations in order to allow interns to explore careers in public service.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/employment/urbanfellows.shtml
The MacDowell Colony
The official website of the historic artists' colony which offers fellowships for creative artists to reside,create, and mingle with a community of selected architects,writers,composers,visual artists,playwrights,film and videomakers, and interdisciplinary artists.Included is a list of former fellows and the work which they accomplished during the course of their residency.
http://macdowellcolony.org/
