22 Sep 2015 | 3 mins

School’s out! I know all you’re doing right now is imagining your freedom, visualising the years ahead of you clear and untainted by maths and compulsory English lessons. Fantasising about all the partying you’re gonna be doing during your break, and how much time you’ll have to relax on your gap year next year.

But, instead of spending your gap year in a perpetual state of headaches, wouldn’t you like to be doing something productive with your life? Teaching gap years are the perfect solution (because you can still get drunk on the weekends, right?), and here’s why they’re so rewarding.

1. Something new every day

After all, variety is the spice of life, as they say. Teaching isn’t a job that requires you to do the same boring, monotonous work, day in and day out. You’ll be seeing new faces, teaching new things, using new skills every day. Different teaching methods, activities and subjects will excite you and your students, whether they be traditional students in a classroom environment, or your host family in a more informal setting.

2. Travel the world

There are teaching gap year options all over the world. Teach English in China, France and Nepal, be a teacher’s assistant in schools around the UK. You’ll be immersed in a new culture, living and breathing the surroundings, the life. See how the school system works in other countries, how people learn, why they learn. Why stay in your hometown on your gap year when theres so much more to explore?

3. Learning

Not only will you be teaching others your skills, but you’ll be gaining more every day. You’ll pick up the language of the country you visit. Your social skills will improve every day, and you’ll constantly be learning new teaching tricks and skills. Overcoming challenges will soon be your forte. You’ll be gaining heaps of experience every day you’re on the job, and when you’re not, you’ll get to make the most of discovering your new environment.

4. Making a difference

All our gap year programs are for people who want to make a difference, in other’s lives or their own. Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs for this very reason: you’re helping people to understand, to learn, and to grow. You’ll be fostering creativity, and you’ll see the fruits of your efforts every day. Teaching ESL overseas can also influence not only the children you’re teaching, but their families too, as the child will go home and tell them what they’ve learnt today. Helping people learn new things is one of the most rewarding things you can do, and as a teacher you’re doing it every day. I remember every single teacher I’ve ever had, because each and every one of them has made a difference in my life.

5. Friends and memories

The memories you create on your gap year will be littered with personalities. The people you met, the people you taught, the people you helped. You’ll get to know your students personally, understand how they work and how they learn best, and get them excited about discovering new things. Your coworkers and your host family will quickly become like a second family, a home away from home. The connections you make will stay with you forever.

If you think teaching would be pretty rewarding too, check out our gap years page for more info. If you don’t think teaching’s for you, check out our gap years page anyway–you’ll find something you’ll enjoy, I’m sure of it.