Take a gap year to boost total reward, expert advises

Graduates struggling to secure jobs and employee benefits may want to consider taking a gap year, according to one expert.

Tom Griffiths, founder of gapyear.com, argues that there are opportunities overseas that offer greater employee rewards.

There are plenty of employment opportunities in Australia, he advised, which are reasonably well paid – higher than the UK’s minimum wage.

Mr Griffiths a lack of graduate jobs will affect the “mass of graduates” getting their degrees in June and a gap year may be worthwhile.

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He explained: “You can do something that is going to add value to your CV and make you more employable by taking a gap year to work overseas, as opposed to sitting at home unemployed.”

Despite the lack of jobs, a degree can still lead to increased pay and employee benefits for graduates, according to the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).

The unit reports that graduates who struggled at the beginning of the nineties have now managed to boost their employee rewards, with most “thriving and prospering”.