Choosing a Gap Year

The majority of my friends were all heading off to university once they'd finished their A Levels. I was less keen on that option because of the high price tag and because I couldn't pick just one subject to study for three years. There is also a whole myriad of other reasons, including why go to university just for the sake of going?

I intended to study at RADA for two years since I was about 11 years old. It was quite a shock, even to me, when I changed my mind six years later. Stuck for ideas, I looked to other people as examples, and came across a friend who was au pairing in Germany. She loved it, she was staying in an apartment in Berlin, and her German had improved tremendously. That was what I would do for a year, at least. I would travel, stay away from home (very far from home) and improve my German. I also really wanted to go to Germany as I'd been learning the language for six years or so, but I'd never actually been to the country.

With my mind made up, I signed up to an online agency and quickly began messaging families. Lo and behold, I quickly started receiving messages too. My eye was temporarily drawn to a few other European countries, but the family I liked the most lived in Stuttgart, Germany. Perfect. 11 months staying with a four year old boy and a seven month old baby? Sorted. And that was that.

It was all fairly seamless, until my mum started worrying about 'empty nest syndrome'. I decided to use my ample summer break to have a taster, and headed to Italy, where I would be staying with two girls, aged 9 and 12, and a little boy aged 1. I really enjoyed it, and although the family wasn't as great as could be (I was their first au pair and so they weren't very well organised yet) I still loved being there, being with the children, and exploring the town. I knew I had made the right decision about going to Stuttgart for 11 months.

A lot of my friends were jealous of the idea, particularly as I get paid to do frankly very little, as opposed to having a big student debt. I think everyone should go on a gap year. I know they used to be frowned upon by employers but I really think it is a vital learning curve that everyone ought to experience. It's the best opportunity to grow up that you will ever get.