Ride out the recession with a Gap Year

If the thought of job seeking fills you with horror and daily news bulletins about redundancies and lay offs make you question the sense in even writing a CV then beat the recession with a Gap Year with a difference.

Currently youth unemployment is at its highest since 19994 (ONS) and recent news cited even Mc Donald’s seeing record highs of 3,000 applicants for each vacant position. But even if you can fend off the competition does a life flipping burgers for the golden arches appeal? If not how about jumping on a plane and riding out the recession on the crest of a wave before returning to the UK fully qualified and placed into a job?

Ticket to Ride Worldwide Surfing Adventures is launching a new programme to help young graduates enjoy their year off whilst learning a new skill, helping developing communities and ultimately gain employment.

Up until now Ticket to Ride has focused on offering surf specific gap years combining surfing with community projects and securing globally recognised lifesaving and surfing qualifications.

But as the recession bites deeper the founders of the organisation have seen a critical need to offer full year’s gap programme that give participants a variety of skills that can be used in future employment.

The Season2Season scheme starts with a week long cookery course (partnering with Natives.co.uk) which gives confidence in cookery as well as basic skills to produce a variety of simple yet nutritious and enjoyable meals. After this it’s straight on the plane to South Africa to explore some of the world’s best surf whilst getting involved with challenging and rewarding projects where graduates can make a genuine impact.

On returning to the UK in November, its off to the Alps for a paid position in a chalet utilising those cookery skills learned earlier in the year before finally returning home to the UK in April with the chance of working as a fully qualified surf coach at surf schools around the country with the help of Ticket to Ride’s special recruitment service.

“The combination of a lack of jobs and the fear of mounting debts is making graduates and young people uneasy about the future. We have implemented a scheme that means a Gap Year is still possible but as well as having the time of your life, graduates are assured of new skills and the chance of two paid positions as part of the scheme.” says Will Hayler, co-founder of Ticket to Ride.

For more information, visit ttride.co.uk.