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.
Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / January 8th, 2025
Aspirations and Future Planning / January 8th, 2025
The Teenage Girls Mental Wellbeing and Aspirations Programme with Wellfield School
Recently, we completed this programme with a group of year 9 girls from Wellfield School. Some topics that we covered across the sessions included unhelpful thinking, friendships, self-esteem and body image. To culminate the end of the programme, we took the students on a trip to visit Newcastle University, an escape room and a restaurant.
Know Your Neighbourhood Project / February 3rd, 2025
Benfieldside Community Garden / February 3rd, 2025
Benfieldside Community Garden - January 2025 Update
Here's a short update of where we are up to with out plans for Benfieldside Community Garden. We are working through the winter, to get as much as we can in place so the community can enjoy the space over the summer months. A massive thank you to our volunteers, we couldn't do it without you!
Consett Heritage Project / November 17th, 2023
Edwin Oxley - Consett Heritage Podcast
Edwin started as an apprentice at the Consett Steelworks in 1961, as a 15-year-old. Over time he developed a whole host of skills and describes the excellent training he received both at technical college in Consett and Gateshead, and on the jobs in the boiler shop, foundry, blast furnace, plate mills - amongst others. He worked in every department! Take a listen to his podcast which gives a fascinating insight into the opportunities made available to him and how this gave him a solid foundation for the rest of his working life. He also gives our young people some great advice!