WORK WITH ANIMALS ON YOUR CAREER BREAK
"I got to see the real Bolivia, and it felt good to give something back, not just pass through the country in ignorance"
Find out more >>
TRAIN AS A
YACHTMASTER
Sail all over Europe while gaining the skills and qualifications to skipper a yacht anywhere in the World
Find out more >>
Gap Years for Grown Ups
gapyearbooks - £11.95
Want to see our new BETA site? - Click Here >>
Your thoughts and feedback would be great - newsite@gapyear.com
Your thoughts and feedback would be great - newsite@gapyear.com
 Name: Alison Potts Age: 29 Occupation: Broadcast assistant, BBC Hey, Alison! So tell us, why did you decide to take a career gap, and why now? Well the BBC recently started promoting flexible working conditions and these include career breaks where you can take time out from your current job and it will still be there waiting for you when you get back. I broke up with a long term partner last summer and my boss said: 'What is the one thing that you haven’t been able to do because of your relationship?' I said straight away about having a year in Oz, and he said to go for it! I didn’t want it to seem like I was running away from things here and I had just started a temporary position in a different department, which is why I waited a year before leaving. What is your current job? For the past few weeks I have been working as a broadcast assistant for BBC World Service Sport during the Olympics. This involves operating desks for short bulletins into the news output, taking in reports from our reporters all over the world and editing the audio, calculating timings for live sports bulletins in the radio studios, and admin work. Before that I worked with the World Today programme team as an assistant, booking presenters for the news programmes, maintaining the programme website and other admin duties. My home department is the hub of the English Network where I would organise the programmes coming in ready to air; bring together the schedules and the information required by the on-air announcers who link everything together. And will it be held open for you until you get back? If not, any idea what you’re going to do when you get back? I will return to my home department after my career break. However, I need to keep in contact with my manager there while I’m away to keep abreast of any changes. The BBC is a great place to work as we have what is known as attachments, where you can be on loan to different departments for a time and gain experience in other areas, so I haven’t actually been in my home department for the past 12 months. Have you had to sort out anything else major before you go? For example selling or renting out your home? I currently rent a room in a shared house but as I am going away from September - September, which is like the academic year, I had the idea that maybe my room could be rented out for that period and I could take it up again when I returned. My landlord went along with the idea and I have managed to find someone to take on the room for the duration. I have drawn up a basic written contract for me, the new tenant and the landlord to sign just so we all agree on what happens when I return and my parents are very kindly storing the majority of my belongings while I’m away. Tell us about your previous experience of Oz during the Sydney Olympics... how did you get involved? When I heard that the Olympics were going to be in Sydney, I decided that I was going to get there, no matter what it took. Therefore, about 12 months beforehand, I began the task of sending off emails to try and find out how I could get involved. In the end, one of the Australian correspondents for the BBC helped me out and passed me on to someone who was in charge or organising volunteers to work at the main press centre, in the Olympic Park. I was asked if I would like to be a volunteer there - although this would mean I had to pay my own way - which included getting out there and somewhere to stay. Thankfully a friend of a friend who I had never met before offered to put me up (that’s just how the cool the Aussies are!) and therefore all I had to do was pay my air fare. My manager at work agreed that I could take some time off and in the end I took a month’s paid leave and one month unpaid so that I could see some more of the country after the Games. And what was the experience like?  Sensational - as they say Down Under! I had a different perspective than most travellers as I was actually living and working with the locals and straight away was accepted as one of them. There was a real team spirit at the Olympics, with everyone pulling together and having a great time. The guy I stayed with introduced me to his friends and family, and there was always someone around to hang out with and share the Olympic experience, which seemed to grab the whole city at the time. One of the most memorable things was the Olympic Torch relay going through Coogee, where I was staying, and the ex-athlete who carried it came in to the pub where we were afterwards and I had my photo taken holding the Olympic Torch! You must have loved the country, because you can’t wait to go back there! What’s so great about Oz? It’s an amazing place, so warm and friendly. There’s a relaxed atmosphere where nothing’s a problem. I love the outdoor lifestyle that’s promoted over there and the whole sporty atmosphere. It’s just a different way of life, even in the rush hour, people are somehow more relaxed. What is Sydney like? Sum up the city for someone who’s never been there... There’s so much, it’s hard to sum up really. There’s the cultural side of the Opera House and the bridge, mixed with modern aspects too. I loved walking through the central business district and being right next to the water and some lovely open spaces. Although it’s a fairly big city, it’s still easy to walk around without feeling lost, plus it’s within easy reach of some lovely suburbs so that you can work in the city and be home by the beach within half an hour. Once you hit 30 you can’t get an Aussie working holiday visa - unfair or what? Very unfair! Sometimes work just takes over straight from uni as you want to get a step on the career ladder like I did. Getting a job related to your actual degree can be difficult so once you get one, you want to keep it rather than take time out to travel. Sometimes the years fly by and before you know it, it’s too late to get the visa you need. Also, when you’re younger, not everyone has the confidence to take off alone or even with friends, leaving the security of a job and family behind them so by the time they have the confidence, it can be too late. So, you’re making the most of it while you can - what work do you plan to do in Oz? I would love to gain some more media experience while I’m away, so I am more or less willing to do anything media related. I have a few contacts which I have made through work colleagues here and I will look them up when I get to Sydney. I’ve made contact with some who have said, 'Come and see us when you get here', so hopefully something will work out. I have a good range of media skills including radio studio operator, writer of the occasional piece for local papers and student magazines as well as good administration and IT skills, so I am sure I can make use of some of these while over in Oz. What else do you want to do while you’re over there? I want to go to places that I haven’t been before, so after Sydney I may go and visit friends in New Zealand before heading back to Oz and taking on the Western and Northern Territories. I’ve been chatting with a few people who have been there and done it to get ideas as well as doing some background reading, but I think the best advice I have been given is don’t make too many plans before you get there. See who you meet and where they are heading and just go with the flow. However, some things on my definite 'to do' list include: sailing in the Whitsunday’s, visiting Rottness Island and seeing some of the National Parks. Do you have any advice for other people thinking of taking a career gap? Just do it. Life is too short, so as long as you’re not hurting anyone else, always do what you want to do. Never regret the things you do, regret the things you don’t! It’s pretty scary leaving things behind but in most cases, these things will still be here when you return.  Click here >> for Australia info |
Relevant Adverts |
© Copyright 1998-2007 - The Gapyear Company Ltd - Company Registration No: 3597000
