Moving On magazine Careers and Qualifications for School Leavers
Taking a “year out” makes great sense but it’s imperative you don’t waste the time – what you do could make a big difference to your career path.
By SOPHIE MORBEY
Demonstrating life skills and an aptitude for learning can be just as important as good grades when it comes to securing a place at your desired college or university.
A great way to gather the experience that many Higher Education establishments look for is to take a ‘gap’ year.
There are many ways in which to spend the time, including industry- based placements, but volunteering is one of the most rewarding and proves to anyone considering your application that you are serious about learning, hard working and enthusiastic.
Someone who knows all about the value of volunteering is Dylan Parmar, an 18-year-old British-born student who moved with his family to Perth, Australia in 2010.Whether volunteering on a local or international level – such as taking part in the successful Camp America exchange programme or working for Project Abroad – your decision to get involved pays dividends for you as well as enhancing your CV. It can be very tiring but volunteering can be enormous fun, helps you gain invaluable experience and can create memories that will last a lifetime.
Having left school, Dylan decided not to go straight into further education before moving and opted to use his remaining months in the UK to gain wider experiences in preparation for his future abroad.
“I didn’t see the point in studying a subject I wouldn’t be able to carry on with once I moved and I knew that having relevant volunteering and work experience would look better on any applications than half a qualification,” said Dylan.
After his GCSEs, Dylan secured a part-time job at John Lewis, where he had previously had a voluntary placement. Alongside this, he also used his weekends to volunteer for his local Oxfam charity shop.
“Arranging a voluntary placement with Oxfam was quite simple. I knew I had time to spare and I knew it’d make me feel great helping out others, soI just rang them up and arranged an interview. Pretty much as soon as I came over to Australia I was able to start applying for part-time jobs and show potential employers I had the required experience,” explained Dylan.
It paid off too, Dylan soon found a part-time job with a leading department store in Australia. Showing he was keen to work enabled him to continue his studies too, Dylan is now studying Criminology and Psychology at the equivalent to degree level in Perth.
“I think it’s vital to show that you’re not just about ‘good grades’ as most employers are looking at you as a person,” added Dylan.
“It’s easy to make yourself stand out as there’s almost always a local charity shop asking for help and even if you just give a couple of hours, it still shows willing.
“I don’t really think anyone can get by with just qualifications and certificates nowadays; people want to see you have experience of working in the real world.”
