Yipiyap - redefining the gap year
Considering a gap year? Unis and employers love the maturity, motivation, and higher final grades of gap year students. Our friends at Yipiyap have experienced over a decade of well-planned years out transforming careers. Sponsored content.
Jump start your career with a gap year
Each summer, Yipiyap's gap year tutors leave having not only changed lives but also starting university or their career as fully-formed professionals.
Yipiyap gappers take that development to Oxford, Cambridge, and red brick unis; they nail challenging apprenticeships, and become doctors, lawyers, scientists, artists, musicians, and veterinarians.
Yipiyap alumni consistently describe their gap year as a crash course in professionalism that stood them out at work or uni.
So, how can your gap year jump-start your career?
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Don’t be aimless
Think ahead a year, then work backwards. If you’ve deferred a place at uni or are applying to a course, job, or apprenticeship, consider the skills that will wow once you’re there. Confidence? Interpersonal skills? Maturity?
Now, what gap year will get you there?
Unsure? That’s okay – simply pick a skill to build on and set yourself up for success once you find your path.
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Focus on your influence
Missing out on competitive courses like Oxbridge, medicine, or dentistry can result in a surprise gap year. Don’t be disheartened – focus instead on what you can pack into those 12 months, and tackle next September with new skills, a new attitude, a glowing CV, and proven resilience.
Yipiyap tutor Smriti successfully reapplied to medicine on her gap year. “The skills I acquired were pivotal in interviews, while the insights gained provided compelling evidence of my suitability for medicine.”
Sam had the same experience reapplying to Oxford: “A gap year was justified from a university application standpoint alone - never mind the other perks!”
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Knowledge is power
There are options beyond the local supermarket or a savings-busting 10-month backpacking holiday. Research will reveal opportunities you’ve never dreamt of, as gap-year tutor Eszter discovered.
“If not for a call from a distant friend, I may never have heard of Yipiyap. It felt like such a coincidence.”
“This year of experience reassures me of my work ethic and that it was not a mistake to take a gap year before university. This job feels like the start of a career”.
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It isn’t all or nothing
Besides work, our gap-year tutors have spoken at international conferences, competed for Team GB and in Olympic selections and even performed as drag queens.
Part-timing is also great for supporting volunteering in your chosen field. Remember, you’ve got two summers, plus revision-free evenings and weekends.
Show off that personal and professional development at interview and you’ll be unforgettable.
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Leave your comfort zone
Whatever you decide, pushing yourself is the only way to grow. If your plans scare you – that’s a good thing.
“I’ve seen confidence grow in both students and myself,” writes Grace, “This gap year has been truly transformational and I couldn’t recommend it enough.”
Still not sure? Read Yipiyap's article about the pros and cons of gap years.