But employees who ask for time off face a potential double-edged sword, according to Griffiths. “If you’re considered valuable, you’re likely to get it, but if you’re not, your request could be seen as a sign that you are unhappy. You could end up having ‘let’s talk about your position’ conversations — and you may not want to be prompting that.”

Details: www.gapyearshow.com

Need to know

Gap Advice (www.gapadvice.org), good starting point; Year Out Group (www.yearoutgroup.org), lots of placements; Gap Year Directory (www.gapyeardirectory.co.uk), covers jobs and courses; VSO (www.vso.org.uk), Voluntary Service Overseas’ site; MondoChallenge (www.mondochallenge.org), Asia and Africa specialists; PoloSkool (www.poloskool.co.uk), polo courses in Argentina; Gap Work (www.gapwork.com), good employment links; Trekforce (www.trekforce.org.uk), rainforest conservation; Non-Stop Ski & Snowboard (www.nonstopski.com), ski and snowboard courses in Canada; findaGap (www.findagap.com), conservation and teaching links; Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk), good trip planning information.

Page 2: So what can you do? ()

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Monkey business
Help to rehabilitate vervet monkeys that were formerly pets on a Monkey Rehabilitation Project in the Limpopo region of South Africa. Participants help prepare monkeys for eventual release into the wild.

Details: Travellers Worldwide (01903 502595, www.travellersworldwide.com), £1,445-£1,995.

Box clever
Train alongside some of Ghana’s top fighters and help to mentor children in their academic studies on a three-month Boxing Experience. “You’ll return home with some unforgettable memories — and a pretty impressive six-pack.”

Details: Gap Sports (0870 8379797, www.gapsports.com), £1,595.

New frontiers
Join an expedition to establish protected wildlife areas in Cambodia. The trips last a month or more and are in remote regions that are a last stronghold for endangered wildlife including tigers, sun-bears and clouded leopards.

Details: Frontier (020-7613 2422, www.frontier.ac.uk), from £1,100.

Andes adventure
Gain ski and snowboard instructor qualifications in the Andes in Argentina. Placements last nine weeks and include excursions to ski in Chile, a trip on the Patagonia Express, all food and flights. Details: Peak Leaders

(01337 860079, www.peakleaders.com), £6,500.

Gap year gurus
Combine volunteering, paid work and sightseeing in India. For example, a seven-month programme tailor-made by Gapguru, an India gap-year specialist, could include four months working on a hotel management scheme in Cochin, followed by two months at a charity looking after the poor in Delhi, and trips to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and white-water rafting in Goa.

Details: Gapguru (0870 6091796, www.gapguru.com), £2,170.

African dream
Take a 25-day tour of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia and help to supply aid packages to refugee camps. Visits to a wildlife research centre in Kruger National Park and to Victoria Falls are included.

Details: I-to-I (0870 3332332, www.i-to-i.com), £1,395.

Score in Fiji
Coach rugby, netball or hockey at schools in Fiji. Rugby volunteers must first complete a week of coaching by the Fiji Rugby Football Union. Football coaching trips of 2-15 weeks are offered to Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda.

Details: Sportsventurer (0845 1211996, www.sportsventurer.com), £750-£2,780.

Think pink
Assist with flamingo conservation work in a nature reserve in Mexico. Volunteers also monitor pelicans, alligators and turtles. Trips last five months.

Details: GAP Activity Projects (0118-959 4914, www.gap.org.uk), £900.

Jungle story
Mix community work and adventure in Borneo. A ten-week programme includes an ascent of Mount Kinabalu, a diving course and projects to set up co-operatives. Trips are 4-10 weeks. Volunteers must be aged 17-25, staff roles offered to skilled over 25s.

Details: Raleigh International (020-7371 8585, www.raleighinternational.org), £1,500-£2,995.

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