Career Pathways After School: Take a Gap Year

A gap year is the year between finishing school and either starting further education and training or finding work. It’s also known as ‘Year 13’ or taking a ‘Big Year Off’. For young people who are not sure what to do at the end of Year 12 they might consider taking a gap year.

There are plenty of things young people can do during a gap year. They might want to improve their job prospects, or get some experience that's relevant to their future studies, or travel or just have a break.

Doing community work or travelling can give young people a broad range of experiences and help them to discover what their strengths are and what they may want to do in their career.

Volunteer work is an excellent way to make a contribution to the community, experience new challenges and find out about the world of work. Information about volunteer experiences can be included on resumes and may help in finding paid employment.

More information

For more information, see: Youth Central's Taking a Gap Year