Author(s): GRIFFITH Susan

Guides

The benefits of Gap Years for students have long been accepted, but increasing numbers of older people are now following their example by putting their normal lives on hold and going off to see something of the world. For these people this fully revised second edition of "Gap Years for Grown Ups" includes all the essential information on the enormous range of opportunities, including:
Specialist Gap Year schemes that accept older participants.Doing something worthwhile through voluntary work.Pursuing a hobby or a new project.Taking the trip of a lifetime to remote and romantic places.Gaining some new skill or qualification.Spiritual retreats and pilgrimages.The paid jobs around the world that can be found by travellers.
There are many reasons why someone may choose to leave their job and take a Gap Year. Younger people may want a breathing space, a chance to step back, evaluate their career and perhaps to head off in a new direction, while older people whose children have left home may realise that they now have the freedom to travel or to achieve some personal goal or ambition that has long laid dormant.
The book also covers the nuts and bolts of how to take time out:
How to finance a break from work or running a home.Persuading the boss to give you leave.Ensuring that you have a job to return to. Whether to go off alone or to take a partner.How to tackle the return to work or home domesticity.
The text is vividly illustrated with over 100 first hand stories and case histories from grown ups who have taken Gap Years to show the reader what they can expect from their career break.