Program Reviews

A very well researched, well supported project that takes care to make sure the work is meaningful, useful and sustainable. Very different to many gap companies who are in it for a quick buck and don't really care about your experience or the impact of your work. They take care to place you with people who you are likely to get along well with and they met me before my project and spoke to me in detail. It is more expensive than some but I think it is very well worth it and would highly recommend AV. My friends who went with other organisations regretted it when we compared stories.

What a great time, I still have such good memories. We were based in Eastern Kenya in a rural village. I really learnt so much about the community, the culture, the country and the language. As well as really learning a lot about myself. I really grew as a person and gained a lot more confidence and indepence. The support from the UK team as well the local support was fantastic and felt secure in the village. The community also gave us a lot of support and really tried to ensure we were well looked after.

I took part in the course when I was 18 and now I am in my 30's. I still have great friends from that course and is still something employers look at when I go for job interviews. When I finished the experience and was going for graduate jobs, it was definetly a differentiator between other applicants

Had an amazing time in Tanzania with a group of 17 fellow travellers for just under 6 months. I lived with two girls and one other boy in a 10 by 10 metre house in Arusha, it was small, but after the first week it really felt like home! Had an amazing time, loved teaching the kids English and Geography and also helped out with IT when asked. The teachers were incredibly nice and very welcoming. We had a great time socialising in Tanzania and Moshi at weekends as well as 1 or 2 safaris on a couple of weekends.

Climbed Kilimanjaro, (Highly suggest doing that) was a great experience, Had a great time in zanzibar as well as in Uganda and Kenya!

It is a fantastic experience from start to finish. Richard Venning and Guarev Chhetri were great people to have with us during the early days in Kathmandu, Nagarkot and Besisahar. Richard, as well as Guarev, has a fantastic knowledge of the country, it's cultures and the language and gave us many useful pointers for interactions with the Nepalese.

The teaching stage is fantastic - be prepared to get given random lessons at a moment's notice, match your students' enthusiasm with your own and organise projects for them. It was amazing how much effort and care they put into some of the large pieces of work that we set.

Never turn down an invitation - going to colleagues' houses/weddings/day outs was always a special experience. More often than not you will meet their family, try some new Nepali dish and learn something new about their country.

But make the most of an amazing opportunity, explore your surroundings, make a real effort with the language because people will appreciate it and accept you, be prepared for cockroaches and for your gas supply to run out, go to pokhara, visit the other AVs, get involved.

It's hard to sum up a trip like this in a paragraph or two because the experiences were so diverse. This first month of homestay with a Chinese family and mandarin classes was a great view into the daily lives of Chinese people living in a city such as hangzhou. Homestay is the best way to make new friends, be exposed to new things and speak plenty of mandarin as the temptation of becoming lazy by speaking English with the other group members and not getting out and about just doesn't exist as your homestay will expose you to many different experiences and although they speak some level of English, will encourage you to practice what you have learned during the day.

The two following months of teaching in a rural area of china was one of the most challenging things I've done, but it's set at a level where everything is achievable so as not to become overwhelmed. I would say the best thing about the whole trip was the choice available to the group members. Participate as much or as little as you want (although participation is always warmly encouraged) and choose to do what you would like in the city during your free time and also in the rural town. All in all a great trip which leaves you with a great knowledge of Chinese life across multiple demographics, a feeling that you have helped and inspired young children though your English teaching and a set of skills (including a descent chunk of mandarin knowledge) which you did not have before.

With AV I was introduced to a new culture in a setting that facilitated personal growth and helping others. I was challenged in my living situation without running water or constant electricity but I was given the support necessary to know I was safe. Staying in one place for tree months allows you to get to know the people, place, and culture and really immerse yourself rather than taking superficial visits. I played with nursery school children and the older kids as well, teaching them my games and learning theirs. We learned some recipes from the other teachers and settled into daily life. Because we live on our own we are able to grow as people too, becoming resilient and independent and capable as you only can when you have a safety net but aren't smothered. Introducing a new culture to the students there and offering your time, care, and English knowledge was clearly also very helpful to them and I was comforted knowing that I was directly influencing some people. With AV I had fun, learned about myself, and helped others.

My experience in Mexico was unforgettable, the most amazing experience. So rewarding and so much fun! AV is a brilliant company, very supportive and there whenever you need them, and the placement schools are so welcoming. We taught lessons to enthusiastic kids (and keen teachers joining in), joined in with all the festival celebrations, and almost daily we were invited to different peoples houses from the village for food. Everyone was so friendly! We had great accommodation in a lovely village and there was a lot to do nearby in the afternoons and weekends. Mexico is a fantastic place to travel around and we went on lots of adventures in our time off. Whenever people ask about gap year advice, I always recommend AV. Best experience ever!! Thank you AV!

I had the most amazing, awe-inspiring experience in Uganda. AV were so supportive, they were like a huge safety net ready to catch us if anything went wrong. I wouldn't change it for the world. It has certainly helped me set myself up for university.

How do you sum up an experience like the one AV offered? You just can't. The experience I received was one that will stay with me for the rest of my life (which I know is cliche but it's true!). The organisation of the whole program from start to finish was brilliant; with both my parents and I not having to worry about my safety at all. The scheme ensured that I gained the most out of my experience including really involving me in the community that we were based in for the majority of the time.

The main advantage of a scheme with AV is the perfect balance between volunteer work and free travelling. Primarily you are there to really immerse yourself in the community/culture in which you are based for volunteering, and this in itself offers many advantages that you would not gain from simply free-travel alone.Visiting the schools every day and seeing their beaming faces (and hearing chanting of your names!) and seeing their real appreciation of what you were doing for them was truly amazing. And when you were not helping out in the community in various ways, there was plenty of time to take trips out to go and explore the area like visiting tigers, swimming in lakes and visiting local towns.

Having the free travel time at the end of the experience also allowed you to experience and amazing safari and a surf school before embarking on your own adventures (with help from the scheme with planning if needed!). Wherever you were, you always knew you could call on someone locally if you needed.

Overall the experience brought with it strong friendships, new experiences and a feeling of doing something worthwhile for people who really appreciated it. I wouldn't have spent my GAP year any differently. Only wish I could do it all again!

Had an amazing time volunteering. It was an incredible experience living and teaching in a school and I learned a huge amount amount the local culture, lifestyle and also a lot about myself as a person. The highlight was probably teaching and playing sport with the kids at the school and also the travelling time after the project where I traveled down through kenya and tanzania. The organisation was great and I would recommend them to anyone.