You spend 12 to 13 years of your life working towards graduating from school and can hardly wait to finally hold your high school diploma in your hands. Until the day comes sooner than you think. Suddenly school is over, and what happens now? It always seems as if everyone has their future planned out except for you. No stress, many high school graduates know this feeling and therefore want to take their time before making a hasty decision on a course of study. This time is also often called the “gap year”. In this article I will bring some order to the chaos of options you have to bridge the time for studying.
Traveling after graduating from high school
Other cultures, other landscapes and other people, you learned about all of this in school and finally you have time to experience it all in real life. Traveling the world a little longer before the seriousness of life begins is the motto of many globetrotters. Get to know yourself by pushing your own limits. Traveling after graduating from high school is an important step in growing up because you are on your own for the first time and experience the world outside your comfort zone. This means you gain a lot of life experiences that no one can take away from you. Spending time abroad often helps you find out which course of study is right for you. As nice as it sounds, for many people an empty wallet puts a damper on their plans.
Work & Travel - earn money while traveling
If this train of thought sounds familiar, then Work & Travel is right for you. As the name suggests, you finance your stay abroad by working in the host country. Not only will your account be happy about this, but you will also discover your dream country on a different level than that of a tourist. You will meet many new people, learn to speak the language fluently and gain your first work experience. All of this is very interesting for your future employer. What's particularly advantageous about Work & Travel is that you can decide the length of your foreign adventure yourself, regardless of whether you plan it individually or enlist the help of an organization. The latter is particularly recommended as you will be faced with a lot of paperwork, such as visas, insurance, accommodation and health arrangements.
Live as an au pair in a host family
That sounds interesting to you, but the thought of an uncertain job offer and constantly changing your accommodation stresses you out? Maybe you have always been a family person and have a big heart for children? As an au pair , you earn money by helping your host family around the house and looking after their children. Also, since you live there, you are not considered an employee, but rather a member of the family. Not only will you experience everyday life in your dream country up close, but you will also learn the language particularly well. You can gain both personal and professional benefits from your au pair experience. The responsibility of taking care of children will make you more independent and confident. But being an au pair can also be perfect preparation for a future in the education and care industry.
Volunteering within an FSJ
But if that's too much responsibility for you at once, or you don't really need to go abroad, there is also the option of the Free Social Year, or FSJ for short. The name alone suggests that your commitment is on a voluntary basis and therefore no payment is to be expected. Nevertheless, you gain an incredible amount of experience and of course good karma. There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to the areas in which you can get involved. Environmental protection, animal protection, education and peace projects are particularly popular abroad. For example, you can imagine a project to protect sea turtles in the Caribbean or to preserve the rainforest. Many of the volunteer projects are organized by the state, such as weltwärts.de , which means that the costs incurred can be kept relatively low. As already mentioned, the FSJ is also possible domestically. You can volunteer at any organization that is legally approved. For example, this could be your childhood football club or the retirement home around the corner.
What you should consider when working
Somehow you don't feel completely comfortable with the idea of going to a foreign country completely alone, but you still want to make money? The most obvious path after high school is often underestimated when it comes to bureaucracy. By working, you can make sensible use of the vast amount of time you suddenly have on hand to fill out your account and build a solid foundation for your studies. Because while you're studying, you won't have much time to earn a lot of money. The work experience will also help you figure out what you want to study and also become more confident. To ensure that the job is ultimately worth it, you have to consider a few things in advance regarding child benefit and health insurance . Since these are all things you've never dealt with before, it seems very overwhelming at first. As long as you earn a maximum of €450 per month, i.e. have a mini-job , everything is fine. You will continue to receive child benefit and remain insured with your family. In addition, this salary is tax-free, so you don't have to worry about gross and net. However, if that isn't enough money for you, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. As soon as you start working part-time or even full-time, you have to forego child benefit. Family insurance also only applies until you are 25 years old, as long as you are in training or studying. The category of further training also includes internships , paid or unpaid, which is why you can continue to receive child benefit.
Work-study - a combination of working and learning
Even if you study full-time, you can still earn money as a working student . You are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours a week, excluding semester breaks. Although the minimum wage is lower, you don't have to pay as many social security contributions and you still receive child benefit.
Unfortunately, the decision as to which path is the right one cannot only be based on your own interests, but must also remain within the financially possible range. The child benefit in particular was very overwhelming for me at the beginning, which is why I can advise everyone to think carefully about whether it is worth foregoing the additional benefit or not. In addition, the decision whether to go abroad should be carefully considered. People often tell you that this is the only sensible thing to do or that you have to go abroad after graduating from high school because otherwise you would miss out on something. I can recommend to everyone that you can achieve just as much or even more at home if the thought of leaving seems outrageous.
Have you just graduated from high school but don't want to go straight to college? We have put together a few alternatives for you.
