Find out from Sophie about daily life, travel, friends and memorable moments from her Gap Year in The UK! To anyone thinking about taking a UK Gap year, Sophie says, “making the decision to take a Gap Year is one of the bravest things you can do. Gap Years are about facing challenges, pushing yourself to new limits, discovering what you’re truly capable of, taking the road to self-discovery, meeting new people, making friends and travelling and exploring beautiful places. If you’re thinking about taking a Gap Year just know that you can absolutely do it and you have what it takes to carry it out. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, because you can.”
Why did you choose to take a Gap Year?
I’ve always dreamed of coming to the UK and jumped on the opportunity to move over here to live and work. I also wanted to gain the experience and skills of working in a different country.
What’s been the best part of your Gap Year so far?
I would say that the best part of my Gap Year, was meeting a range of diverse people and experiencing the culture of the UK. I’ve learnt to rise above the challenges of a job like this and develop skills I.e. resilience, compassion, patience, tolerance, empathy, initiative, loyalty, understanding and integrity.
Tell us about the friends you’ve made
This year I’ve made some incredible friends. I’ve made friends within my workplace and the community. The friends I’ve made have become my family, they have inspired and taught me a lifetime’s worth of lessons. I hope to stay in touch with them all. Some of the friends I’ve made include; my houseparents, boarding staff and teachers.
Share some secret spots or travel adventures from your time so far
Over the year I’ve travelled to some amazing places. Personally, my favourite places that I’ve been to are Seville (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal). I find these two destinations to hold an amount of romance and beauty. I loved the culture, scenery and food; especially the Portuguese egg tarts. There’s so much history to learn about when travelling around Europe and amazing stories from locals. Whilst I was in Europe, I attended some events that were really fun and a great way to make new friends and learn about different people from other countries. My personal preference would be a Flamenco; it’s an amazing way to experience the Spanish culture.
How did you choose what places to visit when travelling?
Before travelling to these places, I met some great people at my Letz Live orientation in January. We decided as a group that these were the places we wanted to travel to.
What are some of the biggest differences between home and your Gap Year country?
The houses aren’t spread as they are in Australia, there’s less choice of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the roads are very narrow; especially on country lanes. It’s not as hot and sunny as it is back home, everything is close together and compact. However, there’s a wide range of really good quality clothes and the public transport is quick and easy as well.
What surprised you most about living in a new country?
Whilst living over here, the things that have surprised me the most include; the history and age of the buildings and towns, being in the same country as the royal family, living so close to every country in Europe, the different cars and how popular manual is over automatic, the weather, the variety of supermarkets, the differences in the school curriculum and the education system and how different the every school uniform is.
Tell us what a standard day of work is like at your placement
Most days start at 12:30pm and end at 9:30pm. A standard weekday of work involves; playground duty, assisting in various classrooms and helping with after-school clubs. My afternoon shift starts at 5pm and involves; ensuring boarders carry out their everyday duties, managing evening registrations, supervising boarders at dinner times and carrying out administrative duties. My weekend shifts start at 10am and they involve; ensuring that the boarders are awake and ready for the day, supervising at brunch, going on trips/excursions and overseeing boarders and In-house duties.
Thinking about following Sophie’s footsteps and taking a Gap Year in The UK? To learn more about our programmes, view our Gap Year options.
