2. About us
Why take a gap year
What can you do on a gap year
Our top tips
Contents
3. About Start Me Up
We’re changing the way people work, learn and
travel.
4. Case Studies - Camille
“I’d come to the end of my school career. All of my
friends had decided what they were going to study and I
had no idea.
I came across Start Me Up and I fell in love with the idea
of traveling and getting some more insight into the
startup world.
After the program I had a much clearer idea of what I
wanted to study. It’s given me a much clearer sense of
direction.”
5. Case Studies - Jess
“I wanted to use my gap year time not just to travel but
to learn skills as well and learn things that you wouldn’t
necessarily pursue at university.
With Start Me Up there are all these workshops that you
can attend which allow you to pursue other interests.”
7. Why do people take a gap year?
Gain work experience Develop transferable
skills
Learn something new
8. What skills will you learn that will help
you at university?
People skills Independence Confidence
9. Did you know?
Males who take gap
years outperform non-
gap year females
Gap year-takers
performed higher in
their first year of
university
Anxiety and depression
was lower post
(compared to pre) gap
year
Gap year-takers were
more likely to be
‘leaders on campus’
Employers tend to
employ job seekers
who took a gap year
(Guomei & Wei, 2017)
Gap years reduce the
likelihood of being fired
from employment or
education (Jones,
2004)
Source: University of Colorado
We’ve run innovative entrepreneurship programs in Bali so you can accelerate your career while you travel.
Our programs promote key in-demand future skills, as identified by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
These include: creativity, analytical skills, interdisciplinary skills, digital skills and civic and cultural awareness.
Traditionally – a year long-break between school and university
But now people take gap years post university and during their career for varying amounts of time
They can involve traveling, conservation work, summer schools, internships or paid work.
Gain work experience – build up your CV and set yourself ahead of your peers
Develop transferable skills – from independence to budgeting to interacting with others, these skills will set you up to make you incredibly employable
Learn something new – be it a language or cookery, now’s the time to get involved in something different
People skills – taking a gap year allows you to interact with a variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures, setting you up perfectly for meeting people at university
Independence – being able to manage your own time effectively and deal with problems by yourself is vital at university, skills that you can gain from taking a gap year
Confidence – taking a year out will probably be the first time you’ve gone out of your comfort zone since changing/starting school, using a gap year to push yourself will make starting university a breeze
See Guomei and Wri (2017)
Employers tend to employ job seekers who took a gap year (Guomei & Wei, 2017)
Gap years are of ‘great importance’ to increase employability (Guomei & Wei, 2017)
“Gap years practice is a way to learn and help young people grow and mature, focusing on developing valuable personal qualities during this transition period” (Guomei & Wei, 2017)
It can also help participants acquire soft skills and cultural capital which is needed in the modern work world (Coetzee, 2010)
Gap years can help make students adapt better to the working world (King, 2011)
Gap years can help realize they want and find the occupation which fits their interest (Cremin, 2012)
Gap years reduce the likelihood of being fired from employment or education (Jones, 2004)
With voluntourism and orphanages phasing out, volunteer programs are becoming more ethical on the whole, however, it’s always worth being savvy and checking…
Go straight to the organisation – if you book directly with the volunteer organisation on the ground you know your money is going straight to the company rather than marketing or administration expenses of the gap year company
Do your research into the volunteering company – research before you just book on to their trip, read reviews and speak to people who have done it
Culture check – have a quick read of the main cultures and customs of any country before arriving to make sure you don’t offend anyone
Did you know? Australia have officially recognised orphanage tourism as modern slavery – so things are changing!
Traditionally – a year long-break between school and university
But now people take gap years post university and during their career for varying amounts of time
They can involve traveling, conservation work, summer schools, internships or paid work.
DO budget – work out how much money you have to spend in each place, each week, and make sure you save enough so not to miss out on those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Nothing worse than running out of money.
DO research – get as much advice as you can on where to go and what to do, that way you can make sure you’re making the most of your year
DO make contacts – use the time to meet as many people as you can and develop your network. You never know when they could come in handy!
DON’T waste your year – you need to be able to account for your time. If you sit at home all day and have nothing to account for it, employers may look down on this (instead of boosting your CV as intended)
Splitwise – useful if travelling with a friend/friends – upload all your split costs in multiple currencies and just pay the remainder you owe at the end – pretty much all evens out
Revolut – or alike. These cards not only give you a certain amount of money free cash at the cash points, but also categorise all your spending
Duoling – for translation
British red cross first aid app
Go overseas
Check out Start Me Up’s gap year program…
Work through a series of expert-led startup-related workshops
Gain future-proof skills – from the basics of coding to design thinking
Develop and launch your own business idea
ALL whilst being in beautiful Bali
Work out of one of the best co-working spaces in the world
Meet new people and build your network