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South Eugene High School

Study Abroad/Gap Year Travel

 

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Study-Abroad

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Gap-Year Travel Options

 

 

Help is available in South’s College & Career Center on the following topics:

  • Study-abroad programs: Yearlong, semester long, or summer length
  • Service opportunities away from home
  • International trips organized for high school students
  • International colleges and universities

 

 

 

Finding Your Study-Abroad or Gap-Year Program:

Study-Abroad Options:

  • Download our International Travel Worksheet to help you organize your research around some specifically recommended travel programs and consider important criteria related to them.

Considering a Gap-Year:

Gap-Year Options--Volunteer Service:

Gap-Year Options—Work Exchange:

  • Work Exchange Abroad: Tools for a Gap Year on a Budget, an article by Colin Murchison, dated 12/14/20.
  • Au Pair Work
    1. Recommended (but not vetted): Aupairworld
    2. Reader Story: How Angela Travels the World as an Au Pair, a post and interview from nomadicmatt.com, dated 9/5/24
    3. Blogs about the au pair experience can offer personal insights.
    4. Facebook groups for au pairs working in specific areas can offer local insights.
    5. Suggestion from one South student: “[F]or any future people you have looking into this, I found out why most au pair-ships are about 3 months… its because getting a visa into Europe for more than 90 days, is sooo hard. If you go for a student visa, you have to be in school 20 hours a week, and work visas are hard to get, plus the border patrol is really strict about not letting people stay for longer than 90 days….”
  • Northwest Youth Corps. This program includes residential conservation crews, community wildfire protection crews, an internship program for college-age participants, and a fully accredited high school, among others.
  • AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). This program is a 10-11 month, full-time, team-based residential program for men and women ages 18 to 26 who want to gain experience while supporting environmental stewardship, building affordable housing, assisting with disaster response, and more.
  • Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). Originally begun as a way for travellers to exchange work on an organic farm for room and board, this program has expanded beyond organic farms to other places of business. Warning: Because hosts manage their own exchanges, the quality of the stay relies heavily on the individual host.

Earning Your University Degree Abroad:

International teacher

  • Global Degree Pathways at Lane Community College offers several programs that enable students to start their studies at Lane and complete with a bachelor’s degree at one of our international partner institutions.
  • Beyond the States, a website for exploring Europe’s English-taught programs. This for-profit site charges membership fees for some of its offerings. Several South students have recommended it.
  • 2023 Guide to International University Admission from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). This is a very useful PDF that shares basic information about applying to college in many different countries. I’ll share information from my copy with SEHS families, or you can purchase your own copy here.

Note from South’s College & Career Center:

  • While I’m familiar with most of the information I’ve shared on this page, I have not carefully vetted any of the sites I link to.
  • Come by the College & Career Center to chat more about this information!
  • Lori Sauter, <sauter_l@4j,lane.edu>, 541-790-8052