Why Take a Gap Year?

For many it’s just a question of having had enough of schoolwork and exams, and taking a much deserved break to re-invigorate the mind. More than this though, taking a gap year enables you to take time out to think properly about what you want to do in the future before possibly committing to a further 3/4 years of education.

From a more altruistic point of view, many recognise the fact that in the UK we have it pretty easy compared with much of the world’s population, and you might want to give something back by Volunteering in less fortunate countries.
No matter the reason behind going or where you might end up, the journey is sure to leave you feeling more mature and confident about yourself and your abilities. With around 80% of gappers travelling alone, your new experiences and environments allow you time to learn loads about yourself and others, providing opportunities to make friends all over the world with loads of stories and photos to bring home with you.

Gap Year Decisions

So how do you make the most of your time away? Deciding where to go can be the hardest part but if you consider the following points and do some research, your decision will be infinitely easier:

• think about what your interests are;
• why you want to go;
• what you’re good at;
• what your budget is;
• if you want to volunteer, travel or work abroad;
• when you want to go and, if you can;
• talk to someone who’s been there and done it.

All of these elements will help you decide where to go and what to do when you get there.

How to Organise a Gap Year

Gap Year Companies can help reassure you (and your parents!) of the help and support you’ll receive while you’re away. They can also provide advice on visas, health and safety with some even providing courses to attend prior to leaving, such as weekend courses to bolster your confidence. One example is a Gap Year Safety Course – even Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman from the ‘Long Way Round’ TV series attended one of these, so you’ll be in good company!

On your return, there are positives awaiting you too, with Universities encouraging gap years believing that it will enable you to be more focused on your studies. Some employers, too, actively seek applicants who have travelled because they can prove to be resourceful, well-rounded individuals and successful employees.

In recent years, more adults want to take a break from their career and see the world.

You will also need to get yourself some of the best gap year gear to make your gap year experience much more pleasant.

Gap Year Voluntary Work Overseas Improve Your Employment Chances

Current thinking from most employers is that you are more employable if you have done some voluntary work overseas or within your local community. It demonstrates a higher degree of teamwork and management skills.

Find out more about how Gap Year work overseas improves your employment chances.

The post Having a Breather – Taking a Gap Year appeared first on Active Outdoors.

The outdoor job boards below show the latest outdoor jobs listed on Indeed. The jobs are listed in order related to the jobs nearest to you. If you want to find an outdoor job in a specific location, use the search box on the outdoor job boards to hunt for a more specific job, such as “Outdoor Events Staff.”

• Current Outdoor Jobs US
• Outdoor Jobs List
• Outdoor Jobs That Pay Well

Outdoor Jobs UK

Outdoor Jobs UK from Indeed

What:

Where:

jobs by

The post Current Outdoor Jobs UK appeared first on Active Outdoors.

• Outdoor Jobs List
• Current Outdoor Jobs UK
• Current Outdoor Jobs US

What makes an active outdoor job pay well?

Finding a job with good pay can be a bit of a challenge. A high paid job for a student may not be such a high paid job for someone who has had years of professional experience. Part time outdoor jobs for students help to get you through your education, but may not pay well. However, the people you meet and the experience you gain will all add to your CV. Most of the jobs out there are gained by knowing the right people.

There are three things you need to consider when looking for an active outdoor job:

1. What value has that outdoor job for you?
2. What value are you providing to others by doing that outdoor job?
3. Can you make this outdoor job into an outdoor career that pays well?

What is having an outdoor job that pays well worth to you?

Depending on where you are in life, the intrinsic value of finding an outdoor job that you love is affected by several factors. Are you purely after the money? Are you looking for the highest paying outdoor job that you can find? Can you put up with what you may have to give in return for that high paid outdoor job? Are there long hours attached? Does it come with high risk and danger?

Other benefits of having an outdoor job include, fun, meeting people, health, working outdoors in nature, travel, visiting some amazing places all over the world, or one of the most important things – doing something that makes your soul sing. Is it worth putting up with a reasonable amount of pay and stuck up customers if you get to spend all day long outdoors skiing down snowy mountains amongst some of the best scenery in the world? And also working with some great people?

What are you worth to your employer?

The salary you will get for doing a job outdoors all depends on what value others associate with what service you are providing. A fitness trainer working for a company can earn about £16,000 per year. A full time personal trainer earns between £18,000 and £40,000. Now that is looking better. That one to one skill is vital. If you are good with people and produce results (even just to make the client feel great about themselves) then you will be in demand. If you are a master of social skills, patient, and motivational, then you could be a personal fitness instructors with high profile clients, earning between £50 and £100 an hour.

If not many people can do what you do, then employers will pay well to attract the best candidates. This is where skills, training and experience come into play. Highly skilled or technical jobs such as engineering are the highest paying jobs outdoors.

What Outdoor Jobs Pay Well?

I have spent years talking to people working from all over the outdoor industry and know that there is a huge range of outdoor jobs on offer. The salaries in well paid outdoor jobs in the list below are mainly earned from working for companies. Some are physically active outdoor jobs, others are technically skilled outdoor jobs. Outdoor engineering jobs are paid well because they require high degrees of technical competency and skill.
You can increase your pay by going freelance (working for yourself), but it is then down to you to find work. Or you can have multiple outdoor jobs. Look around and you might be surprised by what finds you.

Oil Rig Workers

If you are looking for a job with pay over £70K, then you might want to consider working on an oil rig. There are offshore oil rig jobs all over the world. The North Sea in the UK is a good place to start, but you may find it leads to working on an oil rig in Australia. My uncle worked as a commercial deep sea diver inspecting the base of the oil rig platforms in one of those solid metal diving suits that were in one of the James Bond films. He loved it and earned big money. The work pattern is two weeks on the rig, and two weeks shore leave. That means you get paid well for the year while only having to work for half of it! Working in Australia, he spent most of the time on the rig fishing, and enjoyed the activities the sunny shores of Australia provide when on shore leave.

Starting pay is up to £800 per week. General staff who wash dishes and do general house keeping in the living quarters earn £600 per week. Oil Rig Roustabouts, who are general labourers, earn £700 to £1,000 per week. Other jobs you could start with include deckhands, welder, offshore oil rig painting jobs, catering, drillers, derrickman, crane operator, sub-sea engineer, medic or safety officer. Highly skilled technical staff such as oil rig mechanics, electricians and engineers can secure a high paid career on offshore oil rigs because they are in demand. These highest paying outdoor jobs will pay over £75,000 a year.

Firefighter

The starting salary for a firefighter is £21,000. Once you have completed your training, this rises to £28,000. You can earn more by doing overtime. If you get to the postion of crew manager, your pay is about £31,000. A watch manger earns up to £35,000. Station managers will get paid up to £40,000 plus overtime. If you advance further, you will be well paid as a group or area manager, with a salary of up to £54,000.

Sportsperson, Athlete and Coaches

Community football coaches can earn between £16,000 and £24,000. Professional League/Premiership coaches can earn between £25,000 and £250,000. Football referees at amateur level games earn around £20 to £30 per match. Match officials for semi-professional games can get up to £80 per game, plus expenses. Full-time, top-flight Premier League officials can earn around £40,000, plus match fees.

A footballer can be one of the highest paying outdoor jobs there is. Pay varies depending on the reputation of the player, and on the club. Earnings can also be increased by performance related bonuses, appearance fees, endorsements and sponsorship.

Other high paid outdoor jobs

• A Stuntperson can earn up to £200,000 per year when they reach elite status. You’ll need to be at least 18 years old, and be in excellent physical fitness. Other film industry jobs also pay well once you have established yourself.
• Oil and gas lead engineers or those with management responsibility may earn £55,000 to £70,000 or more
• Outdoor Events Management salaries in some high-profile companies can reach £50,000 to £80,000.
• Engineering and land surveyor £25000 to £70000
• Chartered land‐based engineer can earn £60,000 or more
• Outdoor mechanical engineer – $50,550 and $119,480, with a median salary of $74,920.
• Oil and gas engineers with three to five years experience may earn between £45,000 and £55,000
• Geologist $101,000
• Athletics Director – Higher Ed. $101,000
• Field Engineers and construction engineers $100,000
• Sailing skipper £50000
• Farmer £20000 to £50000
• Sports engineer – £18,000 a year and over £50,000
• Nursery sales managers – £46,000 a year at larger nurseries
• Environmental Engineer $90000
• Landscape gardeners £35000 to £45000
• Greenkeeper – £10,000 for an apprentice to more than £44,000 a year for a golf course manager at a prestigious course.
• Natural Environment and Conservation Managers £40,845
• Rollercoaster Engineer – $45,000 to $80,000 per year.
• Incorporated land-based engineers can earn up to £40,000
• Fire Station Managers – between £36,365 and £40,109
• Events manager – £17,000 to £21,000, and with experience, rising to £25,000 to £40,000.
• Personal trainers –£40,000. Freelance instructors can earn between £20 and £40 an hour. Some popular instructors with high profile clients can earn between £50 and £100 an hour. Personal trainers in full‐time employment can earn between £18,000 and £40,000.
• Parks officer – £17,000 to £40,000.
• Fence installer £12000 to £40000
• Senior Resort Representative £16,000 – £24,000, Resort Manager £40,000
• Civil engineer £38,000
• Tourist Board Tourism Manager £28,000 – £35,000, Local Authority Tourism Manager £25,000 – £38,000
• Head Coach (Major Sport) $70,000
• Sports development coach – £20,000 to £35,000. Managers can earn up to £50,000.
• Oil and gas engineer new graduate entrants may earn £25,000 to £35,000 a year
• Business Travel Agency Manager/Leisure Travel Agency Manager £20,000 – £35,000
• Tourism Assistant £12,000 – £16,000, Senior Tourism Officer £20,000 – £25,000
• Farriers – £8,500 up to £35,000 a year for experienced farriers
• Forester $63,000
• Gas Pipe fitters £32,000
• Botanist $61,000
• Fire Crew managers – between £29,971 and £31,263
• Electricity distribution workers – Overhead line workers £30000
• Commercial gas engineer £30,000
• Gas emergency services engineers £30,000
• Gas Mains layer £30,000
• Oil drilling roustabout/roughneck starting salaries may be around £20,000 a year, which may rise to around £25,000 with experience. Roughnecks may earn around £30,000.
• Leisure Services Operations Manager/ Park Operations Manager/Head of Amusements and Leisure Activities £24,000 – £30,000
• Conservation and Environmental Management Officers £29,035
• Tree surgeon £16000 to £30000
• Plant Area Managers – £15,000 – £30,000
• Circus performer £12000 to £30000
• Sport development officer £12000 to £30000
• Marine craftsperson £8000 to £30000
• Horticulture Managers £29,861
• Forestry Managers £29,861
• Commercial divers – $58,640
• Firefighters – between £21,157 and £28,199
• Lightning conductor engineer £15000 to £28000
• Forest and Conservation Worker $49,000
• Horse exerciser/trainer $51000
• Leisure Services Operations Supervisor/Park Operations Supervisor £26,000
• Leisure centre manager – £17,000 – £25,000. Senior managers can earn over £35,000.
• Dog handler £15000 to £25000
• Outdoor activities instructor – £11,000. Experienced instructors can earn between £12,000 and £18,000. Senior instructors can earn £25,000 or more.
• Ski instructors £10-£20 per hour plus tips
• Horse riding instructor – £12,000 and £15,000 a year, rising to £25,000 with experience.
• Bike messenger £14000 to £25000
• Walking tour guide £12000 to £25000
• Sailing instructor – £11,000 to £25,000. Yachtmaster instructors and cruising instructors can earn £60 to £90 a day.
• Senior Fire Control Operator – between £24,741 and £25,678
• Green Badge Tour Guide (Level 3) £6,000 – £25,000, Blue Badge Tour Guide (Level 4) £6,000 – £25,000
• Local General Tour Guide £6,000 – £25,000, Senior Tour Operator £16,000 – £24,000
• Junior Tour Operator £11,000 – £15,000, Senior Tour Operator £16,000 – £24,000
• Nursery Manager – £24,348
• Leading Fire Control Operator – around £24,121
• Land‐based engineer – £18,000 to £24,000
• Senior Consultant Business Travel Agent £16,000 – £24,000
• Demolition operative £12000 to £23000
• Countryside and Park Rangers £22,180
• Fire control operator – starting at £18,019, rising to £22,524 with experience
• Estate worker – £14,000, rising to up to £22,500 with experience and into supervisory position
• The Forestry Commission’s Graduate Development Programme offers a starting salary of £21,966
• Countryside ranger – £16,000 to over £20,000
• Riding holiday centre manager – £15,000, rising to £20,000 or more for experienced managers. Salaries depend on the size of the centre, and whether extra benefits such as accommodation, stabling for your own horse and use of centre facilities are included.
• Swimming pool technician – £15,000 to £20,000.
• Home Working Travel Consultant £20,000 or more, Travel Consultant Call Centre £14,000 – £20,000
• Forestry Workers £19,535
• Leisure centre assistant – £12,500 to £19,000
• Health trainers – £15,200 and £18,200. Supervisors can earn between £21,000 and £27,000.
• Sport and fitness occupations £15,000 – £18,000
• Martial arts instructor ‐ instructors usually charge per lesson at rates starting at around £5.
• Theme Park Rides and Activities Operators/Entertainer £12,000 – £18,000
• Gamekeepers – £11,000 to £18,000. Employers often provide free or cheap accommodation and a vehicle.
• Riding holiday leader – £12,000 and £17,000 per year.
• Gardeners and Grounds people £16,764
• Horse groom – £12,500 per year, rising to around £16,000 with experience. Head lads/girls in a racing yard can earn £20,000 plus.
• Retail Store Assistant/Gift Shop Supervisor/Souvenir Outlet Supervisor £12,000 – £16,000
• Theme Park Ticket Office Assistant £12,000 – £16,000, Ticket Office Supervisor £14,000 – £18,000
• Lifeguards – £11,500 a year, rising to over £15,000. Many lifeguards are part-time and are paid an hourly rate, which can range from £6 to £10 per hour.
• Horticultural Trades £14,318
• Agricultural Engineering Technician – £12,000 – £13,000 a year, with qualifications this can rise to between £13,500 – £20,000. Senior agricultural technicians can earn up to £25,000.

Where to Find Outdoor Jobs

If these high paying outdoor jobs have got your attention, then have a look at the current outdoor job vacancies from Indeed.

• Outdoor Jobs List
• Current Outdoor Jobs UK
• Current Outdoor Jobs US

The post Outdoor jobs that pay well appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Research by the Chartered Management Institute and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) has found that if you undertake voluntary work in your local community or overseas, it can provide an effective way to develop a range of skills needed by engineering companies. For example, while volunteering overseas on a marine ecology conservation initiative you can pick up lots of skills that are transferable to the workplace.

The research shows that voluntary work overseas have a significant impact on skills development for managers and the companies they then work for. 80% of those who participated in voluntary work overseas felt that they learned skills they were unlikely to pick up in the UK. The majority gained a better understanding of other cultures, which leads to a greater tolerance of others.

It was found that most organisations were very positive about employing someone returning from voluntary work overseas. Employers stressed that it was important that candidates be able to demonstrate evidence of formal recognition of the skills they had gained. Employers suggested that having a reference from an overseas employer helps to make more of an impact for those looking to gain employment when they return from their volunteer work. It is also useful to keep a detailed work log or record of professional development while working overseas to capture the skills and experience gained.

Find Out More About Volunteering Overseas

For more information on tips to make the most of planning and enjoying a gap year, read my Gap Year Guide. It has lots of advice on volunteer work and volunteer jobs overseas.

• Outdoor Jobs List
• Outdoor Jobs That Pay Well
• Current Outdoor Jobs UK
• Current Outdoor Jobs US

The post Voluntary Work Overseas Improves Your Employment Chances appeared first on Active Outdoors.

• Outdoor Jobs That Pay Well
• Current Outdoor Jobs UK
• Current Outdoor Jobs US

What’s so Good About Working Outdoors?

Working in an office 9 to 5 will provide you with money, but it’s not for everyone. Why get stuck indoors looking at a computer all day when you can be doing an active job outdoors. Sunshine, fresh air, meeting all sorts of people. Working in the outdoors is not only good for you both physically and mentally, but you can also get career opportunities working with the environment.

What Types of Outdoor Jobs are Available?

If you don’t currently work in the outdoor adventure market, then it is most likely that your first outdoor job will involve seasonal work. This may suit you if you are in full time education, as you can work during your holidays and earn some cash for your own holiday or to pay for your time at university.

Unlike other outdoor job websites that only provide details of outdoor pursuits jobs, I have information on all forms of jobs that will get you working outdoors.

There are ten main types of outdoor jobs you can choose from:

1. Summer seasonal jobs,
2. Winter ski resort seasonal jobs,
3. Outdoor pursuits instructor jobs,
4. Guides, adventure, travel and exploration jobs,
5. Environment and environmental management jobs,
6. Sportsperson or athlete,
7. Outdoor media and entertainment jobs.
8. Outdoor skilled trades.
9. Outdoor research, science and discovery jobs.
10. Outdoor services and supplies.

Volunteering Jobs Overseas

In addition to these outdoor job categories, you may also be seeking a job in a specific location, such as outdoor jobs abroad in Canada or New Zealand. You may be looking to give your skills and time for the benefit of others by volunteering overseas for a charity. Then there are the ever popular gap year jobs. You will find jobs that you can do in your gap year in any of the outdoor job categories above. Have a look at the outdoor jobs in the various categories, and it may help you to plan your gap year.

Read my article on how to plan your gap year for lots of help from gap year experts.

Perhaps you want to look for environmental studies jobs abroad, or use your skills as a diving instructor. It has been shown that voluntary work overseas improves your employment chances

Outdoor activity jobs give you the opportunity to see new places and meet new people. Working for an outdoor adventure activity company gives you a sense of being part of a team. Not only that, but you can find a job doing the outdoor activities that you enjoy. Some outdoor jobs are highly skilled, such as construction jobs or oil rig jobs. Other outdoor jobs do not require training, such as apple picking, or ski chalet hosts. Whatever you choose, you will need to be flexible in your approach work, and be able to get on with all sorts of people.

The outdoor job pages in the outdoor jobs list below contain information on what the job entails, roles and responsibilities, the highs and lows of the job, what training is required, the experience, skills and qualifications required, and the key attributes that employers are looking for. The job pages also provide the expected salary range, links to professional bodies for that outdoor job, job sites, and who the key companies are that have job vacancies that you could apply to. If you want to earn big money, you will need to know which are the outdoor jobs that pay well.

Summer Seasonal Jobs

• Festival jobs
• Fruit picking jobs, apple picking or strawberry picking
• High ropes course instructor – Go Ape
• Lifeguard jobs
• Lodge seasonal employee
• Lookout tower spotter
• Outdoor events jobs – festival taxi driver, bar workers, stage crew
• Sailing crew

Winter seasonal ski resort jobs

• Chalet maid
• Chalet host
• Ice rink attendant
• Ski instructor and ski instructor courses
• Snowboarding Instructor courses

Outdoor pursuits instructor jobs

• Canoe instructor
• Climbing instructor
• Diving instructor
• High ropes course instructor, e.g. Go Ape
• Horse riding instructor
• Outward bounds instructor
• Outdoor activities instructor
• Sailing instructor
• Ski instructor and ski instructor courses
• Snowboarding Instructor courses
• Surfing instructor
• Windsurfing instructor

Guides, adventure, travel and exploration jobs

• Cruise ship jobs
• Fishing guide
• Hiking trail guide
• Hunting guide
• Mountain bike trail guide
• Mountain guide
• Off piste ski guide
• Ski guide
• Travel jobs
• Tour guide
• White water raft guide

Environment and environmental management jobs

• Animal jobs
• Conservation jobs
• Countryside jobs
• Ecology jobs
• Environment jobs
• Environmental engineering jobs
• Forest ranger
• Forestry jobs
• Gamekeeper or game warden
• Gardening jobs
• Green jobs
• Greenpeace jobs
• Groundsman
• Landscape gardener
• Nature jobs
• Nature conservancy jobs
• Park ranger
• Renewable energy jobs
• Tree planter or tree grower
• Wildlife jobs
• Wildlife conservation jobs

Sportsperson or athlete

• Footballer
• Personal trainer

Outdoor media and entertainment jobs

• Concert stage rigger
• Outdoor writer
• Outside broadcast engineer
• Photography jobs
• Roadie
• Travel writer
• TV and film industry jobs, such as extras, film crew, and production crew
• Tv and film set designers and builders

Outdoor skilled trades

• Agriculture jobs
• Army jobs
• Boat jobs
• Building jobs
• Construction jobs
• Bush Pilot
• Deckhand jobs
• Farm jobs, such as farmer, farmhand or farm labourer
• Horse jobs, such as farrier
• Fisherman, on trawlers at sea, or fly fishing for salmon in rivers
• Fish farmer
• Lumberjack
• Marine jobs
• Marine engineering jobs
• Military, armed forces, army, navy, air force
• Mountain bike trail builder
• Oil rig jobs
• Pisteur, piste basher driver
• Power line engineer
• Railway engineer
• Road maintenance
• Roofing jobs
• Roller coaster engineer or theme park engineer
• Sailing skipper
• Scaffolder
• Ship pilot, tug boat pilot
• Steeplejack
• Stuntman or Stuntwoman
• Surveyor
• Tree Surgeon jobs
• Tugboat jobs
• Yacht jobs

Outdoor research, science and discovery jobs

• Archaeologist
• Botanist
• Biology jobs
• Environmental science jobs
• Environmental studies jobs
• Hydrologist
• Marine biology jobs
• Zoology jobs
• Zoo jobs

Outdoor services and supplies

• Bicycle courier, despatch rider, bicycle messenger
• Bike rental service, sales and repair
• Car park attendant
• Car washing
• Canoe rental service
• Coastguard
• Festival taxi driver
• Fireman
• Fisherman
• Fishing bait and tackle shop owner
• Harbourmaster
• Lodge owner
• Luxury yacht crew, Sunseeker
• Marquee Rigger
• Motorbike courier, despatch rider, messenger
• Motorbike riding instructor
• National Trust Volunteering
• Security guard
• Stable hand
• Street cleaner, street sweeper
• Tower block or high rise window cleaner
• Traffic warden
• Tugboat operator
• Window Cleaner
• Water taxi driver

Find Out More About Jobs Abroad and Volunteering Overseas

If you want to find out more about the range of gap year jobs, jobs abroad, or volunteering overseas vacancies, take a look at the sites listed below:

• Outdoor Staff – Jobs in outdoor retail and outdoor adventure instructors
• Season Workers – seasonal work, such as ski resort jobs or summer vacation work
• Adventurework – Outdoor Adventure Jobs
• PGL – Outdoor instructor jobs, providing active holidays for active people
• Cool Works – Summer jobs and seasonal jobs in the outdoors US
• Adventure Pro – Australian & New Zealand Outdoors Adventure Jobs, ideal for gap years.
• Backdoor Jobs – US and Worldwide Adventure Jobs
• Natives – Ski jobs and seasonal work in ski resorts

The post List of Outdoor Jobs appeared first on Active Outdoors.