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Many people are turning the gloom and doom of the recession into an opportunity to get out of the UK, travel and do some worthwhile work abroad.

With the lack of employment opportunities in the job market, others are turning to education to see them through. People are thinking that if they cannot get a job for the foreseeable future, they may as well go to college or University to study and improve their CV in that way. In 2009, this has meant that University applications have seen a massive rise in numbers. The BBC has said that, according to UCAS, over 42,000 more people have applied to University than there are places available.

With that in mind, come August, many thousands of students will be disappointed when they find out that they do not have a University place. We believe that, once over the disappointment, students should see this as an opportunity to enhance their CV and personal development by taking a Gap Year. Read the rest of this entry »

The global economy is in crisis and we’re all tightening our belts. Is this the right moment to be volunteering?

Yes! Volunteering is still a smart move. Here’s why:

You’ll help poorer countries through the crisis by:

• teaching English (vital in this global market)
• helping with social care, health or environmental problems
• spending your money locally
• supporting their tourist industry by sightseeing and travelling around

You’ll help yourself because:

• you can live very cheaply once you’re out there
• you’ll learn new skills and grow in confidence
• you’ll enter the jobs market with a more impressive CV
• AND you’ll have a great time!

We hope this motivates you to keep stacking those supermarket shelves and raise the cash. It really is worth it!

Oyster is a small and well regarded Gap year organisation sending volunteers and paid workers to 10 destinations worldwide. We are able to offer an internship for 6 months at our UK office. The last month is spent overseas on one of our projects (Emma, our present intern has opted for our Australian working program).

Ideally, the right candidate would begin straightaway. You will gain valuable experience in this popular sector in a role that will cover administration, destination management and making presentations to schools. The role is unpaid but mileage to work at 40p a mile is paid for up to 15 miles and a lunch allowance of £3 daily will be paid. Living costs are not covered.

The ideal candidate would be someone who has had a Gap year and who has a desire to work in the Gap year world. He or she would probably be a recent graduate who can multi task and has a car. You would need to be based close to our office which is between Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead in the South East of England and be prepared to travel to other parts of the UK for recruiting events.

Please email Roger with a CV and cover letter - roger@oysterworldwide.com

Emma and her African friend

- On the one hand, you’re doing a great thing, immersing yourself in a different culture and contributing to local life;

- On the other hand you’re flying long distances and clocking up a big carbon footprint.

Feeling guilty?

There’s no getting away from the fact that an Oyster placement will add to your carbon footprint. But we think we can justify it. Compare these two scenarios…..

(1) Brad Spender decides to take a two week holiday in Florida. He flies long haul with lots of luggage and books into his airconditioned hotel which is kept so cold that he shoves a jumper on. He hires a car (bigger than he needs, but what the hell) and drives to all the attractions. He has a great time on all the highspeed rides in DisneyWorld, loves the massive tidal waves at the water parks and doesn’t feel too bad about all the food waste and plastic packaging he comes across.

(2) Jules Gapper decides to spend 3 months teaching in Tanzania. She feels rather guilty about flying but uses Oyster’s carbon offset facility (£10 to Tree Aid). She reminds herself that she won’t be driving her car for 3 months too. She arrives in Tanzania with a small amount of luggage and gets stuck in to local life. She loves the way they live, eating local produce and using very little energy. She notices how the Tanzanians manage to recycle practically everything they use. After three months helping local children she comes back to the UK with different attitudes and ideas. She knows how to live simply. She cares about Africa and its future.

We think there’s a big difference between these two travellers. We’d love to know what you think and
whether you have any suggestions for the gap year industry.

Nepal is a country of early risers so, living in a Nepali village, you usually wake up around 6.30am, when the cow (who lives downstairs) starts to moo. At 9am you have lunch, consisting of the traditional Nepali dish ‘Dal Baht’ (rice, lentils and curry). This sounds awful at 9am but it’s actually quite addictive! After washing the dishes it’s off to school in time for assembly. Nepali kids are extremely polite and obedient and each morning they stand in perfectly straight lines in the school yard to do ‘exercises’ to the blasts of a whistle. This ‘assembly’ is concluded by a speech (in English) from a child on a current topic and then rounded off by the national anthem bellowed by all 400 students. It’s a rather bizarre spectacle from our point of view but they take it extremely seriously and do this every morning.

Teaching generally involves three or four classes a day for us volunteers and you can teach anything you want: from poetry, grammar, drama and creative writing to drawing and making cards. Our job is to get the children to use their imaginations and they are so inquisitive about our culture and language that each lesson tends to end in laughter. Its so rewarding when you walk into a classroom to find the children happy to see you and eager to learn and it makes our job incredibly easy.

After school we inevitably end up playing with some of our assorted family members, chatting, helping to cook the evening dal baht in the dark and doing all of the other tiny things that make living with a Nepali family so fun. It’s certainly a far cry from what we’re used to in England; each night granny walks around the house ringing a bell to keep the spirits away and before you eat, someone must read from the ‘God book.’ Yet despite this, they make you feel so welcome and you actually become a part of their family. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Written by Alice Foren and Kate Griffiths (Nepal January 2008)

My experience in Romania has been amazing; I’m halfway through my 3 months here and am already making plans to return next year. Brasov is a great place to be based. The flat I’m in is lovely and only 5 minutes walk from the town centre. Our rep is called Razvan and he is friendly, funny and approachable. He speaks excellent English and looks after us very well.

I’m involved in 2 very different placements. I work at a children’s orphanage 2 days a week and at a bear sanctuary for 3 days a week. At the orphanage I work at the children are aged between 12 months and 16 years and are all severely physically and mentally disabled. It can be distressing at times but also a joy to see a child respond to something you do or to a toy you’ve brought in for them. I brought a little hand-held keyboard in for one child and he loved it so much he wore the batteries out within hours! I take as many children as possible to the playroom with the physiotherapist, who is marvelous and very dedicated to the children. I play with the children, give cuddles and play music for them. All of the children can communicate on some level - a smile, a particular noise, a clap and it is so rewarding to have this interaction with them. You don’t need experience, just compassion, patience and a lot of love to give.

My other placement is at a bear sanctuary in Zarnesti which is a 25 minute drive from Brasov. It is set in beautiful countryside overlooked by mountains and is a wonderful, tranquil place to work. There are horses and donkeys in the fields, sanctuary dogs running around and the occasional Romanian shepherd wandering by with his flock. I work with Laci, the manager, his wife Emi and her Aunty Zita. They live in Brasov so I travel there and back with them. They are very friendly and have a great sense of humour and even though Laci is the only one who can speak English we can all communicate and they are good company. Read the rest of this entry »

At Oyster we have found that our returned participants are one of our biggest recruiters of future participants. We take a lot of pride in this as we feel it means that you must have had a wonderful experience.

This ‘Word of mouth’ advertising is very powerful because past participants really do give an honest overview of their time away. That means that when we do have people apply through you they have a realistic expectation of what their project is going to entail.

Oyster has set up a number of schemes to enable returned ‘gappers’ to share their wonderful experiences and encourage others to take up the opportunity. We are recruiting University representatives. This will be an informal role to take on alongside university life including liaising with the careers office, attending careers/ gap year fairs at university and liaising with local schools.

If you enjoy this role there is also plenty of opportunity for you to organize school talks, attend career and gap year fairs at local schools and organize ‘meet ups’ with potential applicants in the local area. We have already had an encouragingly large amount of people sign up to be a rep for us so look out for them at your school or University.

If you are interested in becoming a university rep then it is a role done more for love of your gap year than for money. However we will donate £50 to you or any charity of your choice for anyone you successfully recruit.

For more information please contact lara@oysterworldwide.com.