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Are you weighing up options for your gap year? Lucky you. A gap year can be incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. There is no better opportunity to get out there and explore the world, try new things and develop the confidence that makes all the difference at uni and in the working world.

Have you thought about what you would like to do with your gap year?

We believe that learning a language during your trip is one of the best things you can do… not only will you have more fun when you are away, but you will come back with valuable skills.

Confidence

Samuel Johnson once wrote that “self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings”.

This was a man who promised to single-handedly write an English dictionary in 3 years (a task that had required 40 academics in France). The dictionary eventually took 9 years, but Dr Johnson’s work was the first great English dictionary. Perhaps he was on to something…

Exploring the world on your gap year will naturally bring you confidence, but much more so if you explore in another language. The buzz of having your first conversation in another language is unique. As your language skills develop you will become more and more comfortable in a whole range of situations, with a wide variety of people.

Make your CV stand out

Fluency in another language will make you more employable. The National Centre for Languages estimates (pdf) that British industry’s lack of language skills currently costs around 5% of potential overseas trade. Simply put, speaking another language makes you more valuable to employers.

Learning a language also shows dedication and a willingness to learn, not to mention that all-important confidence. It also shows that you didn’t waste a year lying on the beach (although we offer courses in locations where you can do plenty of that outside of study time!)

Enjoy your trip more

If you are planning on spending your gap year in South America, your experience will be transformed when you can speak Spanish (or Portuguese, if you want to base yourself in Brazil). In French-speaking Africa or Europe, you will struggle without French.

Being able to communicate with people you meet is a key part of your gap year experience… if you only speak English, you will only communicate with other English speakers.

Make international friends at the school

Travellers often hop from place to place, spend a couple of weeks here, a couple of days there. By studying at a language school, you are much more likely to make lasting friendships as the students will typically stay in one place for longer.

You will meet people from all over the world too. This isn’t always the case in hostels, which often gain popularity with a specific crowd or nationality.

Really understand a culture

Speaking the language is the difference between being a tourist and a real traveller. You will only really come to understand a place when you can understand and speak its language. Do you want your gap year to be a year-long holiday or something more?

Give your gap year structure

If you are considering a long, travelling experience for your gap year, a language course is the perfect way to begin. You will meet people, start to understand how things work in your chosen destination and become more comfortable living in another language. If you want to go on a grand tour afterwards, not only will you have extra confidence but you will be much better prepared for any challenges that come up.

It’s a big old world out there and most of it doesn’t speak English

Around 1.5 billion people speak English around the world. That means over 5.5 billion people do not. That’s a lot of stories you’re missing out on if English is the only language you speak!

Combine your language study with an internship, paid work or volunteering

You can add another dimension to your gap year by combining language study with a project that will get you really involved with the local community.

Find out more about our gap year language programs or language trips for adults.

Whom would you choose between a neighbour who throws away all his rubbish in the same bin and one that recycles paper, foil and glass? Between a cousin who buys strawberries in December and one that buys seasonal products from a local producer? Between a colleague who leaves the lights on when he leaves the room and one that buys energy-saving light bulbs?

At ESL, the choice is clear. From now on and in the long run, the Swiss organisation, which is a leader in the study abroad industry as well as a key actor in the fight for sustainable development, will encourage its customers to favour partner schools committed to sustainable development.

To support and promote its partners with social and environmental priorities, ESL has developed a self-assessment tool aimed at its partner schools. It wasn’t an easy undertaking, considering the company has established partnerships with over 350 schools throughout the world…

But ESL took up the challenge and, in collaboration with a consulting committee (ECO2 Initiative), its management developed a self-assessment tool specially designed for language schools. With the help of a questionnaire based on the ISO 26000 norm, which also serves as an action plan, the schools can now evaluate the degree of maturity of their environmental initiative implementation process.

For customers – this is new! On all ESL websites, the presentation page of each school will include a box showing the results of the self-assessment carried out by the school in question. The school’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy will thus be presented in a clear, comprehensible way. Does the school have a waste management policy accessible to all, an-energy saving strategy or access for disabled people? Does it integrate specific environmental content in its academic programme? Does it organise events to involve its students in projects designed to help the local community?

You will find out more about this initiative by discovering this fascinating tool put in place by ESL on all of its websites. So whom will you choose?