Affordable Gap year ideas for modest income families?

[Anonymous]

Do kids still go to Alaska for a year to work? I knew so many people who did that-back in the olden days, of course.

[Anonymous]

Rotary or similar if the student wants to go abroad/learn a language. Basically look for job opportunities that offer the person what they're looking to get out of the gap year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the young person interested and do they have particular skills they want to build?

Business/sustainability
Event planning
Great work ethic, great people skills
Travel
Water/lifeguarding/surfing/warm weather
Learning more Spanish

[Anonymous]

State Department will pay to send you overseas for a year to learn a needed foreign language. Check out NSLiI academic year.

[Anonymous]

Look into seasonal jobs that offer housing, like national parks and ski resorts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the young person interested and do they have particular skills they want to build?

Business/sustainability
Event planning
Great work ethic, great people skills
Travel
Water/lifeguarding/surfing/warm weather
Learning more Spanish

Maybe look into working in Australia? You can work short stints and travel. For language, Central
and South American language schools. But even Spain has reasonable options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gap year - community college or job. Gap Year's are absurd.

Community college credits would mean she loses her freshman standing and scholarships, which would negate the financial benefit of community college tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:State Department will pay to send you overseas for a year to learn a needed foreign language. Check out NSLiI academic year.

18 year olds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:State Department will pay to send you overseas for a year to learn a needed foreign language. Check out NSLiI academic year.

18 year olds?

I checked it out—- great program but applications are closed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dd fashioned her own gap year and the basic guidance I gave her was it needed to be safe and it needed to be cheap. It was both of things and she had a great time. Check out WWOOF and Workaway For all kinds of interesting opportunities both domestic and international. These are essentially situations where you trade labor for room and board but what’s nice is they have reviews so you can base a decision on more than just the description on the website. You can also look for opportunities that are intended to be short or long depending on your preference and interest. My DD’s year was a combination of work exchange she set up through these two organizations, a paid job doing something she had always wanted to try (line cook), and some backpacking and road tripping with a few other kids who were gapping.

Thanks -- WWOFF looks promising. Do you have to sign up to see the review or is there a discussion forum out there? We do have friends in many countries - in case she runs into trouble.

Your daughter's plan sounds reasonable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd fashioned her own gap year and the basic guidance I gave her was it needed to be safe and it needed to be cheap. It was both of things and she had a great time. Check out WWOOF and Workaway For all kinds of interesting opportunities both domestic and international. These are essentially situations where you trade labor for room and board but what’s nice is they have reviews so you can base a decision on more than just the description on the website. You can also look for opportunities that are intended to be short or long depending on your preference and interest. My DD’s year was a combination of work exchange she set up through these two organizations, a paid job doing something she had always wanted to try (line cook), and some backpacking and road tripping with a few other kids who were gapping.

Thanks -- WWOFF looks promising. Do you have to sign up to see the review or is there a discussion forum out there? We do have friends in many countries - in case she runs into trouble.

Your daughter's plan sounds reasonable!

Good question, I took a quick peek at the website to remind myself. It looks like you can see at least some reviews just by clicking on the location, but you need to sign up to reach out to the hosts. There may be a small signup fee, that I don't recall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gap year - community college or job. Gap Year's are absurd.

Not nearly as absurd as statements that purport to apply to everyone, everywhere, regardless of circumstance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done a lot of searches on this topic but most of what comes up are ideas for COVID-related gap year/virtual programs and that's not what we are looking for!
Anyone have some resources or ideas for gap year plans for families who need financial aid just to afford college? Besides just living at home and working, which is a possibility.
We can't afford the fancy gap year programs.

JobCorps might be an option for your child.

- At the age of 18, if you can no longer claim them on taxes, the financial requirements to change. The child is seen as low income, despite the parents choice. Dependent upon how the child did in school, it may be a good boost for them academically. Do be careful, and be choosy. There are some Job Corps programs that are awful, so find the right trade, and then place your child there. Once the child completes the program, the child not only has a decent trade option, but two years of free college.

- I would avoid City Year or Americorps, unless the person lives at home.

- Ranch or farm hand. Check out Cool Ranch Jobs.

[Anonymous]

I worked for 3-4 months, saved my money, and used it to travel on a shoestring budget for the rest of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Work construction.

+1 or landscaping, or waitressing. Good cash and work ethic is required.

Construction and landscaping tend to have Hispanic crews, which means they are great for learning Spanish.