So, you want to travel the world and see some places, and meet new faces whilst earning enough to either fund your travels or keep you fed and clothed? Maybe you’ve found you’re spoilt for choice working abroad? Yes, there may be many job options available when you’re looking to travel, but what are the benefits of each? Take a look at these gap year jobs abroad and make your own decision about which will be the best for you!
Sticky bar work
You could go and work behind the bar of a tacky tourist establishment and serve overpriced drinks to drunken crazies. The heat would probably get to you before the exhaustion, long hours and drunken tourists do. The low pay, bad attitudes and poor working conditions may be alleviated if you happen to work with some cool people. That aside, if you’re at some of the really tacky resorts (Magaluf I’m looking at you), customers might want you to serve shots to them whilst they get naked.
Fruit picking
Pick as you go! The more you pick, the more you earn. Fancy back-breaking physical labour in a remote field with bugs crawling all over you? Do you want aching muscles and cracked skin on your hands? The flip side to fruit picking is the toning effect it will have on your body, the team building aspects and the tan you’ll get from being out in the sun all day… but do remember that tans fade and arthritis lasts.
Farm work
If you like animals, like getting up at crazy o’clock in the morning and helping out down on the farm, this one’s for you. Hard physical labour, plenty of strong animal smells to fill the nostrils and helping to milk, birth, clean and herd animals. You also might get a toe or two crushed by a cow or similar heavy animal in the process.
Diving instructor
If you happen to be a qualified scuba diver or a diving instructor and also have an urge to live and work abroad, then why not try your hand at being a scuba diving instructor? You could work in up-market resorts and teach rich people how to scuba – don’t forget, in order to apply you must be able to swim!
OR… you could be a TEFL teacher!
Complete a TEFL course and head out in to the big wide world. Become a TEFL teacher, help your students flourish and develop, get that warm fuzzy feeling, earn a decent wage, be part of a community (not just a tourist) and enjoy your spare time travelling around your new location. That way, you can afford to save some money to go diving, be that person in the bar getting naked (if you so desire), eat the fruit picked by others and go horse riding.
Now, we’re not saying that you should only use this avenue as a route to making a quick buck and see more of the world; but it’s worth pointing out that the wonderful world of TEFL is open to so many different people who are looking to try a new lifestyle, learn a new skill and see new places.
P.S. This article was written with a tongue firmly in cheek. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these choices; each to their very own we say.
