Gap year opportunities

Gap year basics

A gap year is a planned break after college before starting a full-time job, graduate school, or professional school. Gap years can look different for everyone, so it’s important not to compare your plans to peers’ plans. Make the most of the time so you’re set up for success in your next step, and plan ahead for how you’ll reflect on the experience and describe its value when you apply for what comes next.

A gap year doesn’t have to be a structured program. It can also be:

• Traveling
• Working a part-time job, shadowing, or volunteering
• Preparing for standardized tests like the GRE and MCAT
• Improving graduate or professional school application credentials by gaining more industry experience, taking specific classes, or building portfolio work

Factors to weigh before you commit

Before planning a gap year, think through your interests and values, your future goals and plans, your level of flexibility, and your current and future financial situation. A well-planned gap year can give you:

• Time to recover or relax after college
• Time to focus on things you love
• Time to evaluate interests and develop skills
• Time to gather materials and experience needed for future goals or plans

A career coach can help you weigh these factors against where you want to end up after the gap year, schedule with the coach for your major if you’re not sure.

Structured service corps programs

Structured gap year programs, especially service corps options, offer limited compensation by providing room and board, travel expenses, living stipends, health insurance, and student loan forgiveness or education awards. Service corps programs are available internationally and in the United States, with placements in education, healthcare, agriculture, economic development, environmental work, and more.

Service corps placements are most frequently one- to two-year post-bachelor positions. Members are often referred to as corps members, interns, long-term volunteers, or fellows depending on the program. Individual programs vary widely in the type of assignments available, the geographic area covered, and the format of training and work.

How to search for a gap year program

The gap year search will be different for everyone because there are many different options based on your goals. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Start early if you can
• Talk with people in your network, including peers, faculty, staff, and alumni
• Research programs in your industry and their application timelines
• Reflect on why you’re interested in the various programs
• Meet with your career coach to discuss your plan and options
• Keep track of application components and deadlines, since each program has a different application and timeline

Programs by area of interest

The programs below are the ones UT students apply to most often. Click any program name to visit the program’s site.

Most-applied-to programs

• AmeriCorps – AmeriCorps focuses on service in education, economic opportunity, disaster response, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families. Volunteers are placed with organizations in the United States serving around 10 to 12 months, with some short-term and summer options. Sub-programs include AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps State & National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the Knoxville Knox County CAC AmeriCorps program for students who want to stay local.
• Peace Corps – The Peace Corps focuses on international service in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth in development. Volunteers serve from 3 months to 27 months depending on the program, with most serving around 27 months. Connect with a recruiter to learn about the program.
• Teach for America – Teach for America places recent college graduates in pre-K through grade 12 classrooms around the United States for a two-year commitment in one or more subjects. Strong fit for students considering education, education policy, or graduate work in social policy.

Education access and achievement

• Citizen Schools – Partners with public middle schools in low-income communities to provide an expanded learning day. Teaching fellowships, volunteer work, and paid positions all available.
• City Year – Unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service supporting students in under-resourced schools.
• National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) – District-serving teacher education programs that combine full-year apprenticeships with master’s-level instruction. Tennessee-based partners include Memphis Teacher Residency and Project Inspire in Chattanooga.
• TNTP Teaching Fellows – A more affordable, faster path to teacher certification for career changers, graduating seniors, and recent grads, with practice-based, job-embedded training and personalized coaching.
• Urban Teachers – Places effective teachers in high-needs schools. Participants earn a master’s degree and eventually lead their own classroom.

English as a second language

• Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) – Participants are placed in cities in Japan for approximately 12 months as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) or as interpreters and translators.
• Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) – Strengthens foreign-language instruction in French schools. Participants are placed at elementary and secondary schools for about 7 months.

Environmental

• FoodCorps – Recruits leaders for a year of paid public service building healthy school food environments in limited-resource communities.
• Knoxville Knox County CAC AmeriCorps – Combines traditional conservation practice with community action. Members work on public lands, streams, greenways, public education, disaster response, and volunteer-capacity building in East Tennessee. Strong local option for students who want to stay in Knoxville.
• Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC) – The Adult Conservation Program places participants in conservation roles across the Southeast for 8 weeks to 6 months. Strong entry-level path for students considering the National Park Service or Forest Service.
• The Student Conservation Association (SCA) – America’s conservation corps. Members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks, and community green spaces in all 50 states.

Healthcare

• Global Health Corps (GHC) – Pairs fellows for 13 months with international health and healthcare organizations working on systems-level public-health problems.

The current page lists only Global Health Corps under Healthcare; the content owner is confirming whether common UT-applicant destinations such as Public Health AmeriCorps, the National Health Service Corps Students-to-Service program, or Health Corps should be added here.

Religious

• AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps – Hands-on work experience at local organizations working on homelessness, public health, HIV/AIDS, education, and other pressing social issues for people in their 20s.
• Christian Appalachian Project – A Kentucky-based, interdenominational, non-profit Christian organization serving people in need in Appalachia through physical, spiritual, and emotional support programs.
• Episcopal Service Corps – Invites young adults to work for justice, live in Christian community, grow in leadership, and deepen their faith life.
• United Methodist Church Global Ministries – Faith-based service with placements in health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and disaster relief.

Additional options

• Atlas Service Corps – Develops leaders, strengthens organizations, and promotes innovation through an overseas fellowship of skilled professionals.
• International Volunteer HQ – A wide variety of volunteer programs in over 50 destinations across childcare, marine conservation, community development, arts, elder care, and more.
• Projects Abroad – Projects and internships in countries focused on causes including women’s empowerment, archaeology, veterinary medicine, and environmental education. Offers gap-semester programs, volunteer-abroad, and intern-abroad options.
• Public Allies – Advances new leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits, and civic participation.
• Year Up – Combines technical and professional training, college credits, an educational stipend, and a corporate internship for adults 18 to 24.