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When you have found your GAP year Destination there are several jobs you can choose from. Every kind of job includes different tasks and responsibilities.
The key to choosing the right job is knowing what you want from your GAP year. If you didn’t save a lot of money for your GAP year, you can choose for a paid placement. When you are eager to learn a new culture volunteering in a local village is a good option!
- Activity Instructor
 As an activity instructor you will most likely be a sports instructor. Every GAP year destination offers his own range of sports, both indoor and outdoor. You will have a lot of free time, plus some destinations offer the opportunity to work in the wild.
Activity Instructor job examples:
- Skiing instructor in Canada
- Football instructor in Ghana
- Rugby instructor in New Zealand
- Animal / Wildlife Volunteering
An animal and wildlife volunteer works with the animals in his GAP year destination. Your daily tasks will involve safaris, research and preservation in general.
You will see the local animals from close by and study their behaviour.
Animal / Wildlife Volunteering examples:
Study Lions in South Africa, Rehabilitate Gibbons in Thailand, Monitor mammals in Canada
 Throughout the world every country has its own environmental problems such as global warming and floods. The greenhouse effect is being noticed in every country in the world.
As an environment worker you will monitor global warming and research the effect it has on animals and nature. Another way of working for the environment is working in one of the national parks that are preserving the countries nature.
Environment Volunteering Examples:
- Study the snow layer in the north of Canada
- Work in a National park in Tanzania
- Preserve the nature in and around the Grand Canyon USA
- Au Pair Jobs
If you are looking to spend your GAP year abroad and earn some money at the same time, an Au pair job is the ideal solution. An Au pair job means that you will be taking care of the kids while their parents are working.
During your stay the family will provide you with food and accommodation. Next to that, you will get a monthly wage for your services.
Au pairs are highly needed in the bigger cities of most countries.
Au Pair Jobs exciting destinations:
- Health and Medical Volunteering
 This kind of GAP year job is common in poor countries. Especially Africa offers a lot volunteer jobs in this branch due to the low level of healthcare in these countries.
One of the biggest problems in Africa is HIV, there several HIV awareness programs running throughout Africa. Volunteers on these programs are always highly appreciated.
Health and Medical Volunteering Examples:
- HIV awareness program in South Africa
- Working as a medical assistant in a refugee camp in Ghana
 When you didn’t save any money to go on a volunteer GAP year, you can look for a paid placement. In the bigger cities of every country they offer paid placements during your GAP year.
Very popular destinations for this kind of GAP job are the bigger cities of the USA.
Paid Placement Exciting Destinations are New York, Los Angeles and London.
 As a relief worker you will visit areas that have had to cope with disasters. You will visit towns that have been wiped out by a tornado. Or villages near the sea which have been flooded.
Your daily tasks will vary a lot: teaching, support, renovating and building. It is not possible to give a location for you relief work activities because naturally a working site will be available just after a disaster.
Summer camps are especially popular in the US. That is the main reason why these GAP job offers are concentrated in this country. The camps are comfortable and situated at the most beautiful locations. The majority is located near a lake and forest.
 Teaching has always been a popular GAP year job. A lot of countries have job offers for English teachers.
If you know the basics of English grammar, you are qualified! In countries where the basic English is spoken well, you will be able to teach other classes then English.
Some teaching Abroad Jobs Examples are Teach English in Japan, Teach Mathematics in South Africa, Teach Geography in Tanzania.
- Volunteering Opportunities
Most of the GAP year jobs are volunteering jobs. This normally results in paying a lot of money for working abroad. What you get out of it is a work experience in a different country, working in an environment which is totally different then the one in your country.
Another reason might be an ethical one; like the personal satisfaction you get out of the HIV awareness projects in Africa.
 If you are interested in living on the quiet countryside, a GAP year in the agricultural sector might be a good choice.
The great thing about this sector is that you will be working outdoors. You will have to get up early but you will finish early in the afternoon. This leaves a lot of time to explore the natural beauty of the country.
Examples of Agriculture Experience Jobs: Work at a wine farm in France, Work at an enormous farm in Texas USA, Work at a British farm at the English countryside.
Working as a host can be both volunteering and a paid GAP job. When you are a volunteer you will probably work for a charity fund on a trade fair. The bigger cities have a lot of GAP year job offers as a paid host or hostess. The jobs vary from luxury hotels to promotion campaigns in the streets.
Example of Hospitality Work: Work as a host in a hotel in London, Be a hostess at one of the fairs in Tokyo
Want to know more about Gap Year work? Read our Gap Year Guides:
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