For Parents
Invest in your Child’s future
Supporting your child’s decision to take a gap year with us is one of the best investments you can make in their future.
A Gap Network gap year is a truly transformative experience that will:
- Allow your child to take a break from study, especially after the pressures of the final years of High School
- Give your child the opportunity to take some time out to consider their study and career goals, making them more engaged and with a stronger sense of direction once they return to study
- Equip your child with essential ‘life skills’ that will set them up for the rest of their lives
- Empower your child with the confidence to make mature and considered decisions on their own
- Test your child’s grit and self-reliance
- Make them stronger, more resilient and independent
The Gap Network will arrange for your child to be employed in a supportive environment. The school provides them with board, meals and a modest wage, in return for working in a variety of roles that will vary according to the school.
Your child will be mentored in a school environment, by experienced local staff.
University Course: A decision that is too important to be rushed
If you want an independent, well-adjusted child who will succeed at university and in the workforce, then encourage them to take a gap year. Several academic studies suggest that if your child takes a gap year they are actually less likely to drop out of tertiary study and mayalso do better at university.
A gap year experience will expose your child to the reality of paid work, which can encourage them to really appreciate their university years and take their tertiary education more seriously to ensure their career prospects.
Taking a gap year also gives your child time to figure out what they want to do, which can save costly changes when swapping from one university course to another.
Benefits of a structured Gap Year
When your child takes a gap year with The Gap Network it provides them with an opportunity to gain some independence, maturity and self-reliance, all within a school environment.
Our detailed interview and screening process means your child’s welfare and safety are of the utmost importance. Police checks are mandatory for all UK boarding school staff, as well as for all students offered a placement with The Gap Network’s program. Working With Children Checks must be completed by all ‘gappies’ prior to departure..
Our face-to-face interviews also allow us to match your child with the school that will best suit their interests and talents.
Once your child is selected for a gap year placement, there are several opportunities for them to meet and connect with fellow gap year students before they leave, including information sessions for families and first aid training courses for all participants.
Each UK boarding school has a staff member responsible for overseeing gap students employed at their school. They will support and guide your child during their gap year employment. This staff member is also a point of contact for you during the year.
You can also be assured that your child will:
- Be well fed. Boarding school food has come a long way and quality and nutritionally balanced meals are served.
- Not be alone. Your child will become part of a larger peer group, who make lasting connections, can travel together and support each other during their year overseas.
We strongly recommend you organise travel insurance when travelling in Europe or beyond. The UK National Health Service has a reciprocal health arrangement with Medicare for health care.Travel insurance can also cover their dental health up to a maximum amount, depending on your individual travel insurance policy.
If things go wrong
Occasionally things may go wrong, but rest assured your child will be in safe hands.
Boarding school staff are experienced in recognising and helping with homesickness and other issues that may arise during a gap year.
The Gap Network will provide you with feedback on your child’s progress during their gap year.
Need to know more? Feel free to contact us with any further questions.
