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The notion of a gap year raises a lot of questions for parents, including whether it will cause their child to fall behind academically or professionally. After many years of placing gap year participants at partnering schools in Mexico and France, Andégo Internships Abroad has found the opposite to be true.
Students Who Take a Gap Year Don’t Fall Behind..They Launch Ahead
Students Who Take a Gap Year Don’t Fall Behind..They Launch Ahead
By Gabrielle Whelan
Thus far, the 2020s have been a decade of constant paradigm shifts. The pandemic completely reshaped the nature of learning and working, and then a few years later, AI was suddenly among us. Seeing as we’ve only just scratched the surface of how AI will impact the workforce going forward, today’s high school students have begun to rethink whether conventional education even makes sense anymore. What’s the incentive these days to jump straight into college and rush towards an ever-shifting job market? That said, it’s no surprise many students now view taking a gap year before college or after-college as a solid strategic move.
Here are five ways a gap year could help your child get ahead.
1. Skill Building
A culturally immersive gap year can strengthen skills such as empathy, versatility and resiliency. In his recent interview about the benefits of a gap year, Andégo
founder Robert Zenk says, “There’s an adaptability, independence, and confidence that comes from being abroad or hosting.”
In particular, Andégo participants work as English language teaching assistants during their time overseas—a position which calls upon constant creative communication and critical thinking. Participants often unearth entirely new skills in these roles as well. Andégo alumni Emma Nichols notes, “The time I spent in my school was less about reinforcing the skills I’d had my whole life, and instead about just letting them live within me [...] You have to lean into your other strengths and build other parts of your personality.”
2. Self Development
A purpose-driven gap year is a period of rapid self-development. This time of reflection and reinvention often leads to a greater sense of maturity and confidence, which can better equip your child to enter college and the professional world. Emma recalls, “I wasn’t ready [for college] right out of high school. When I graduated, I deferred to Oregon State because it was my home base university. They were really excited I was taking a gap year. They agreed it would involve very impactful self-work.”
Universities recognize how a gap year can transform students who aren’t ready to enter college straightaway into self-assured leaders who will thrive on campus and beyond. Emma notes, “I came back to Oregon feeling like I had the strength and skills to go wherever, whenever, and be confident I could build a new life there. [My gap year] allowed me to explore and tackle hard questions and tough situations. Even my college experience was much richer because of the work I'd done that year [...] I probably sound like the most confident person on the planet—now—but let me tell you, that's definitely not who I was at the beginning of the year.”
3. Global Outlook
Adapting to a new culture will also broaden your child’s global perspective. Robert notes, “Cultural exchange is so important early on because it helps young people realize what it means to be part of a wider world.” Andego participants often make lasting connections during their time abroad. Robert explains, “They will be welcomed into a supportive host-family, and we also provide a point of contact at their school to get them settled and involved in the community. It’s really just all about preparing our participants and creating a community around them.” Gap year participants can therefore return home knowing they are part of a lifelong global community.
4. Language Acquisition
Cultural immersion accelerates the process of learning a new language, which has countless benefits. Robert notes, “[Andego participants] realize how language can not only be a skill that will be useful in their academic or professional lives, but that language also represents the connections, experience, and memories one has while abroad […] It’s like the Nelson Mandela quote, ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.'"
5. Professional Edge
These days, prospective employers will likely view having a purpose-driven gap year on your resume as an asset. Employers recognize the adaptability required to live and work abroad, and how that experience cultivates language and communication skills. Doing a gap year will also enable your child to expand their opportunities into an international job market.
Robert explains, “When you have a program like Andégo on your resume, anyone who’s had a similar experience will instantly recognize the courage it takes, and how that translates into everything you approach. You now have an ability to navigate and work through difficult situations. I’ve frequently heard employers in different industries say, ‘I can teach you the ins and outs of my industry, but it’s those intangibles that can’t be taught. Same goes for jobs that require language knowledge. A lot of students will study a language for years, but an immersive experience like this solidifies and anchors that language. One of the big things our interns have specifically heard during job interviews is that their time abroad is what set them apart.”
As Emma notes, “I'm now interviewing with companies that have bilingual programs. By the time I left Bordeaux, I was completely fluent, and I'm hopeful that whatever I do next, I can do it in both languages.”
Perhaps the greatest gift you can give your child is the support and encouragement to do a program that will bolster their adaptability in a rapidly-changing world, and honor their desire to expand their horizons and themselves.
Interested in spending a gap year abroad as a teaching assistant? Learn more about Andégo’s gap year internship programs in France and Mexico or join an upcoming info session to explore whether the experience is right for you.
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