There are many opportunities to extend your life experiences outside of education or work, including travelling or working abroad. These opportunities are perfect for young people to learn new skills, meet new people and gain once in a lifetime experiences, before having responsibilities and entering the workplace for the next 45 years. For people who leave school and are unsure about what they want to do next, these experiences can be useful to figure out what you are interested in and gain volunteer or work experience which is a wonderful asset to your CV.
Camp America allows you to spend 9-12 weeks during summer living and working at an American summer camp, hosting hundreds of children. You could be a general camp counsellor, supervising the campers and joining in with activities, or have a specific role leading sports or arts activities. They also recruit people to work as a special needs counsellor, looking after campers with a range of disabilities. You also get a 30-day visa to travel after camp around America with your new friends from camp. Whilst at camp you will meet people from all over the world, living and spending everyday with them, so you’ll be sure to make friends for life. Many people who do Camp America end up going every summer for multiple years whilst they’re at university or working, as it becomes a part of their lives.
PMGY offer a variety of volunteer projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, including childcare, English teaching, wildlife conservation, mental health, medical or in an elephant sanctuary. These are safe and structured programs for 1-40 weeks, perfect for people who want to volunteer abroad but don’t know where to start or who to go with. You will meet volunteers from around the world, all like-minded and working together to make a difference. Costs vary depending on location, project and duration, but tend to include your accommodation, airport pick up, in-country orientation, in-country support, a volunteer handbook and support and assistance. Sometimes, costs also include meals and transport to projects.
Travelteer offer similar programs to PMGY in destinations including Sri Lanka, Nepal and Morocco. They offer programmes in marine and wildlife conservation, English development, sports development, mental health, community development, medical elective and nursing. They also offer tours across the country in the week before beginning your volunteer placement, which you can add on to your trip. Whilst volunteering with Travelteer, your living costs are £32 per day, including accommodation, meals and transport between projects. Part of the costs include fundraising a minimum of £75 per week you will be volunteering, which goes directly to your programme. Any additional money fundraised, can be put towards the cost of your flights.
Another global opportunity for people who want more freedom to choose where they want to travel and don’t want to volunteer, is interrailing. Interrail offer a variety of global passes valid for a different amount of travel days and time scales, varying from £178 to £602. The pass is valid for travelling on trains, ferries and some public transport, to travel to over 30,000 destinations across 33 different countries in Europe. This is a budget-friendly way to travel Europe, and you will be guaranteed to meet fellow travellers on your way, doing similar routes.
Southeast Asia Travel
If you don’t want to travel with an organised group and just want to travel by yourself or with some friends, travelling around Southeast Asia may be perfect for you. Southeast Asia is a hub for backpackers, with many people travelling around Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore at all times of the year. This is such a popular route and staying in hostels is the perfect way to meet similar people. You have complete freedom to go and see whichever places are on your bucket list and can choose what activities you do whilst travelling. Many people choose to take a gap year before or after university to work and earn money for 6 months and then choose to travel for 3-4 months, and it can be a great experience whilst figuring out what career you would like.
World Travel
Similarly, many people choose to travel to places such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada or India alone or with friends. These are travelling hotspots, and you can choose to create your own route and itinerary or join an organised trip such as Gap 360, who help you to plan your perfect trip.
If you are looking for a way to earn money whilst living abroad, becoming a holiday or tour rep could be for you. You could work for travel companies such as Tui or Jet2, as a children’s holiday rep - working in kids clubs at family hotels, as an entertainer at hotels and resorts, or as a tour rep - picking people up from the airport, arranging excursions or trips, and helping with any questions or problems from the customers.
Another opportunity to work abroad is to work in bars in party resorts such as Ibiza or Malia in the summer, and work in bars back at home in the winter to earn money.
VIP ski offer chalet host jobs for people to work in chalets or hotels for a ski season. Hosts are responsible for serving guests and delivering excellent customer service to VIPs at all times, and jobs could include preparing meals, waitressing and cleaning. Once your morning breakfast service and prep jobs are done, you get to head out on the slopes and spend the afternoon skiing before the dinner service. You’ll then get to enjoy the après after work. This job is perfect for anyone who loves skiing and is looking to work abroad in the winter months.
Nannying abroad can be another fabulous way to earn money, see the world and gain experience of working with children. For many families, no qualifications are required for this, just excellent references and personal skills. Some of the most popular locations are Hong Kong, France, Italy or Germany.
These are fantastic opportunities to take advantage of when your young. Not only will you have a brilliant experience, see the world and make new friends, you will also develop key skills in communication, confidence and adaptability which are paramount for a successful career.
Aspirations and Future Planning / December 1st, 2020
Future Planning
Future planning is essential. We always encourage young people to have a goal. Passing an exam is not enough. Why do they need the qualification? What are they going to do with it? If they do not do as well as expected, what is their plan?
Youth Social Action / January 30th, 2025
Aspirations and Future Planning / January 30th, 2025
Careers Event at North Durham Academy, Stanley.
On Thursday 23rd January 2025, we hosted a Careers Event at North Durham Academy, sponsored by Karbon Homes, which was a huge success! We had 30 visitors kindly give up their time to speak to the students about their careers, job roles, companies and their journeys to get to their current positions. The students then had the opportunity to ask questions to the visitors to find out more about their choices at 16, what qualifications are required for their job and any challenges or barriers they have faced in their career.
Youth Social Action / November 12th, 2021
Aspirations and Future Planning / November 12th, 2021
Benfieldside Community Garden / November 12th, 2021
Time to Break the Cycle? #COP26
It was a real privilege for me to be Chair of the Eco debate ‘Going in Circles’ organised by Engineering Today and After the Pandemic. Here is a brief overview of our discussion, as well as our suggestions about how we can move forward.