Feeling the urge to explore new horizons before you settle down to study or work? Or do you want to shake up your routine with something different and exciting? Then you need a Gap Year!
Traditionally gap years were reserved for school leavers, as a year of travel or work (or a combination of both) between finishing school and starting university. Although this is a great time to take a gap year, you can now take one at any time of your life! As well as having the option to take a gap year before starting university, you could also take one from your job or in the middle of your university course (in between years).
So, why take a gap year? There are so many reasons, but we have listed the main ones below.
First of all, you can earn some money and gain valuable skills and experience that you can use in your future career. A gap year program looks great on your CV and could give you an edge over other applicants for the same job!
Secondly, you have the opportunity to travel to new places and experience amazing new cultures and landscapes!
So, what’s the best gap year program for you? There are lots out there to choose from but TEFL Internships are a perfect way to immerse yourself in the local culture and earn money at the same time. We have listed some of the best gap year programs for 2021/22 below to get you started!
Paid Thailand TEFL Internship
Best for:
-
- Taking a break after university (as you’ll need a degree for this one)
- Taking a break from your job
What’s included?
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- 120 Hour Online TEFL Course – an introduction to the essentials of TEFL to get you started
- Teaching in Thailand Course – to get you up to speed on what teaching in Thailand will be like
- Internship Preparation Course – info about classroom management & building your confidence
- 4–5-month teaching internship, with the opportunity to extend
- Monthly salary of up to 40,000 Thai Baht (approx. £860/17,500ZAR)
- In-country orientation week – an insight into life in Thailand!
- Ongoing in-country support
Why choose Thailand?
Where do we begin?! Well for starters, it’s called the ‘Land of Smiles’ for a reason! The people of Thailand are extremely welcoming, so you’ll never be far from a friendly face, especially at the schools as Thai teachers and children tend to be extremely enthusiastic. But you don’t have to take our word for it, the images from Ben’s internship photo diary speak for themselves!
It’s also no wonder everyone is so smiley with the beautiful weather you’ll encounter (especially if you’re used to British summers). Just make sure you stick to the North in monsoon season!
Another great reason is the incredible landscape; from the jungle-covered mountains in the North, where you can hike or visit an ethical elephant sanctuary, to the pristine beaches and islands of the South, where you can snorkel, dive, or sunbathe to your heart’s content. You’ll never be far from an amazing view or adventure!
There are also over 40,000 temples for you to visit and they are some of the most beautiful in the world. Travelling around within the country is very easy, with numerous buses and trains, and booking services are often available in English, so you don’t have to limit yourself to exploring just one area of Thailand.
Thailand is also an amazing place for foodies! Delicious street food is available throughout the country and it’s incredibly budget friendly, at around 30 – 60 Thai Baht for a full meal in Bangkok (approx. £0.70 – £1/13-26ZAR).
If you’re more of a night owl, there is a lively nightlife scene. This is especially true in the South, with numerous restaurants, night markets, clubs, bars, and even the famous full moon parties, to choose from!
Need more info? Get yourself one of our online Thailand Internship guides or, for some more weird and wonderful reasons to visit Thailand, you can read our 10 Crazy Facts About Thailand.
Ready to explore? Get yourself on the Paid Thailand TEFL Internship now!
Paid South Korea TEFL Internship
Best for:
-
- Taking a break after university (as you’ll need a degree for this one)
- Taking a break from your job
What’s included:
-
- 120 Hour Online TEFL Course – an introduction to the essentials of TEFL to get you started
- Teaching in South Korea Course – to get you up to speed on what teaching in South Korea will be like
- Internship Preparation Course – info about classroom management & building your confidence
- 12-month teaching internship
- Monthly salary of up to £1350/26,700ZAR, with a completion bonus at the end of the internship
- Accommodation
- One-way flight reimbursement
- Korean language lessons – so you can really immerse yourself in the culture!
Why choose South Korea?
It has flown under the radar in the past but South Korea is rapidly becoming a popular travel destination and it’s easy to see why, as there is something for everyone!
If history and culture is your passion, there is so much to explore. The relative geographical isolation of South Korea means it has managed to preserve a wealth of rich cultural traditions and heritage sites. This is great for you, as it means you get to experience amazing traditional Korean dancing, visit one of the incredible teahouses or explore a number of stunning royal palaces and temples.
We also can’t forget that it’s the home of K-Pop! If you’re a music lover and K-pop fan, you need to get yourself to Seoul where you can visit one of the many K-pop themed cafés, take a K-pop dance class or, for the real K-pop star experience, get a makeover complete with a photoshoot at the end! And if you want to practice your favourite songs, you can go to one of the many karaoke bars, as karaoke is a very popular pastime in South Korea!
If exploring nature is more your vibe, South Korea is home to 22 national parks, so it’s a nature-lover’s paradise! And South Korea has 4 amazing seasons, so you will be able to see nature in all its glory, from the beautiful cherry blossoms of spring to the snow-covered mountains in winter.
Need more info? Get yourself one of our online South Korea Internship guides or read our South Korea: An Epic TEFL destination for more reasons to visit this amazing country.
Ready to explore? Get yourself on the Paid South Korea TEFL Internship now!
Paid Vietnam TEFL Internship
Best for:
-
- Taking a break after university (as you’ll need a degree for this one)
- Taking a break from your job
What’s included:
-
- 120 Hour Online TEFL Course – an introduction to the essentials of TEFL to get you started
- Teaching in Vietnam Course – to get you up to speed on what teaching in Vietnam will be like
- Internship Preparation Course – info about classroom management & building your confidence
- 5-month teaching internship
- Monthly salary of approx. £570/11,400ZAR, with a completion bonus at the end of the internship
- Accommodation
- In-country orientation – all about life in Vietnam! Read our 10 Top Tips for your orientation week
Why choose Vietnam?
So many reasons! But a big one is the food. Vietnam is a haven for food-lovers, and you’ll find delicious dishes on every street corner. The food is also very cheap, around £1.50/20ZAR for a decent meal, so you’ll never need to cook for yourself!
Die-hard coffee fans will also be in heaven, as Vietnamese coffee is excellent quality (they are the second largest coffee exporter in the world) and readily available. It’s also experimental, with additions including everything from fruit to egg yolk! Some are difficult to get your head around, yoghurt topped with coffee being top of that list, but coffee with condensed milk and ice (known as ca phe nau in the North and ca phe sua in the South) is very dreamy and well worth a try.
The varied landscape is another massive attraction, from the bustling cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to the tropical islands of Halong Bay and the misty mountains of Sa Pa, there is something to suit everyone.
Need more reasons? Find some more great ones in our 7 Reasons to Visit Vietnam.
Need more info? Read our 5 Reasons to Take Part article or get yourself one of our online Vietnam Internship guides.
Ready to explore? Get yourself on the Paid Vietnam TEFL Internship now!
Volunteer Thailand TEFL Internship
Best for:
-
- Taking a break before university (no degree needed!)
- Getting some experience before applying for jobs
What’s included:
-
- 120 Hour Online TEFL Course – an introduction to the essentials of TEFL to get you started
- Teaching in Thailand Course – to get you up to speed on what teaching in Thailand will be like
- Internship Preparation Course – info about classroom management & building your confidence
- 7-week volunteer teaching internship
- Accommodation & some meals
- Orientation and full support throughout
Need more info? Get yourself one of our online Volunteering Thailand Internship Guides.
Ready to explore? Get yourself on the Volunteer Thailand TEFL Internship now!
Teaching English Online
Not sure if an internship is the right fit? If you are a more experienced traveller, who would prefer less support and more flexibility in your working hours, then the best gap year program for you could be Teaching English Online.
This is a great way to be your own boss, as you can decide what teaching hours you do and when, and a way to visit multiple destinations while you’re working, as all your teaching is done through your laptop. All you need to do is get TEFL qualified, if you aren’t already, make sure you have access to good Wi-Fi, and then sign up with one of the many online schools out there. You could be travelling and earning in as little as 6 weeks!
If you’re new to teaching online and don’t know where to start, don’t panic! We have lots of different ways to help get you started. The Online Teaching Practice session gives you a 2 hour zoom session with a TEFL expert, where you can practice the skills you’ve learnt from your TEFL course and ask any questions you might have before starting your online teaching adventure! There are also some amazing additional resource packs available, where we’ve done the hard work for you and created fun and engaging lesson plans as well as putting together all you need to know about freelancing. Basically, everything you need to hit the ground running and start travelling and earning as soon as possible!
Now you’ve seen all the amazing options on offer, which do you think is the best gap year program for you? If you’ve already decided, head to the internships page to make sure you get booked on in time! If you still need some help deciding, our team of TEFL experts are ready and waiting to assist. All you have to do is request a free call back.
