How your CV can benefit from travelling - the REAL guide

This is how NOT to put travelling on your CV:

Curriculum Vitae
July - September: sunbathed in Brazil

October - March: sunbathed in Australia

April - September: sunbathed in Thailand

We're not saying don't do any sunbathing while you're travelling - just that when it comes to your CV, you should focus on how taking a gap year trip makes you more employable, rather than what it did for your tan.

How your CV can benefit from travelling - the skills section
Giving examples of different skills is a good way of organising your CV if you don't have a long employment history. (Most school/college leavers don't!)

Here are some examples of how your CV can benefit from travelling:

• Organisation
  • Drew up a schedule, planned and held fundraising activities, and made sure I made enough money to pay the balance of my gap year trip before the departure date.
  • Was fully prepared for travelling around Asia and Australasia - prioritised things I had to do before leaving: vaccinations, visas, booking flight, buying necessary equipment etc.
  • While teaching English in Brazil - drew up lesson plans and kept track of what the different classes were learning.
  • While doing some sports volunteering in Ghana - drew up a schedule for training sessions and competitions.
• Communication
  • Built up a rapport with people from different backgrounds - local children and adults, local staff, fellow travellers etc.
• Teamwork
  • Worked with local staff to build a house, devised activities for an orphanage, implemented a health care programme etc.
  • Worked with other members of the group to prepare meals while travelling around Central America.
  • Often took on the role of mediator/motivator while travelling in a group.
• Using your initiative
  • Overcame the problems posed by a lack of teaching resources and sports facilities in South Africa.
  • Set up a new after-school programme in Cambodia.
  • Reacted calmly when faced with problems - luggage being delayed, losing a credit card etc.
• Public speaking
  • Gave lessons to large classes in Kenya.
  • Gave talks on wombats at a wildlife centre in Australia.

Your CV can benefit from a gap year trip more than you think!

How your CV can benefit from travelling - qualifications
If you're unsure about taking a gap year trip, remember you could earn an internationally recognised qualification. Our options include a PADI scuba diving course, a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), a skiing instructor course and more.