Try something new
Not ready for a permanent move? Try something for a season.
A few weeks or months of something very different: seasonal work, volunteering or time abroad. Each has a fixed end date, so it tests a direction without betting your career on it.
Can't take months off? Test it around your job
- A shadowing day. Spend a day with someone already in the role. Hospitals, schools and councils often have a formal route; elsewhere, ask directly.
- Evening or weekend volunteering. A few hours a week in the setting you're curious about, and often the experience a course application asks for.
- A secondment. A fixed-term move inside your own employer, with your job kept open. Ask HR or your manager what exists.
- A sabbatical or unpaid leave. Some employers offer a career break after a few years' service. Check your contract or staff handbook.
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A ski or snowboard season
4–5 months · December to April
Resort jobs in chalets, hotels, bars, ski hire and childcare, mostly in the Alps.
Why try it: A complete change of pace with a fixed end date. You come back with hospitality and team experience, and a clearer head.
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A summer at a US camp
About 9 weeks or more · June to August
Counsellor and specialist roles at American summer camps: sport, arts, outdoor activities and support staff.
Why try it: Tests whether you'd enjoy teaching, coaching or youth work before you retrain for it.
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Teach English abroad
3–12 months · Year-round; many contracts start in September or January
Language-school and classroom contracts worldwide. Most ask for a TEFL certificate.
Why try it: A paid way to live somewhere new and find out whether teaching or training suits you.
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Festival and events crew
Weekends to a full summer · May to September
Build, stewarding, bars, production and site operations at festivals and outdoor events.
Why try it: See how live events run from the inside: a fast test of an events or production career.
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Christmas temp work
6–10 weeks · November to January
Seasonal retail, warehouse, delivery and hospitality roles around the holidays.
Why try it: Short, paid and low-commitment: a way to try a different working day or sector.
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Harvest and farm work
A few weeks to a season · June to October
Picking, packing and farm roles through the growing season.
Why try it: Outdoor, physical and nothing like a desk. A reset with a clear end date.
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Stay and work on an organic farm
A week to a few months · Mostly spring to autumn
Volunteer on organic farms and smallholdings in exchange for food and a place to stay.
Why try it: Try growing, food or sustainability work hands-on before you commit to it.
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Conservation volunteering
Single days to regular weekly sessions · Year-round
Practical work on green spaces, woodland, waterways and heritage sites.
Why try it: A low-commitment way to test an environmental or land-management career.
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Lend your professional skills to a charity
A few hours a month, often remote · Year-round
Skills-based roles and trustee posts: finance, marketing, data, HR, IT, operations and strategy.
Why try it: Use what you already know in a new sector, and see whether mission-driven work is what's missing.
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Become a listening volunteer
A regular shift after training · Year-round
Trained volunteers answer calls and messages from people who need to talk.
Why try it: A serious test of whether counselling, coaching or care work suits you.
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Give advice at Citizens Advice
A regular weekly commitment after training · Year-round
Help people with money, work, housing and legal problems, with full training.
Why try it: Hands-on experience if you're weighing law, social work, finance or public service.
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Emergency and community response
Flexible · Year-round
First aid, emergency response, logistics and support roles with the British Red Cross.
Why try it: Try a crisis-response or health setting with training and a team around you.
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International development volunteering
Usually several months or more · Year-round
Skilled placements in education, health and livelihoods with an international charity.
Why try it: A deep, purpose-led change of scene that uses the expertise you already have.
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Something local, a few hours a week
As little as a few hours · Year-round
Search thousands of local roles: from sport and running groups to food banks and mentoring.
Why try it: The smallest possible step: try a different kind of work alongside your current job.
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Volunteer in a US national park
A day to a full season · Year-round; most roles in summer
Visitor services, trail work, education and conservation roles across the National Park Service.
Why try it: Find out whether outdoor education or conservation is for you, somewhere remarkable.
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A volunteering project elsewhere in Europe
From two weeks to a year · Year-round
EU-funded projects in communities, education, environment and inclusion. Check the age rules on the programme page.
Why try it: Live and work somewhere new on a funded placement while you work out what's next.
Pay, eligibility and dates vary by programme and change often: always check on the organiser's own site. CareerFlip isn't connected to any of them and doesn't earn from these links.