About Us

 

 

The Career Break Guru was started by Tessa Mills in 2006 as a consultancy company, designed to advise and guide grown-up gappers as they dream about, plan and create their ideal trip.

 

 

When planning her own gap year, despite being well travelled and knowledgeable about the world, Tessa was uncertain of what her options were and what she really wanted to do.

 

"Going on a grown up gap year can be one of the most empowering, inspiring, and often life-changing, experiences you'll have," she says. "But with so many options out there now, it can be very hard to make a considered judgement about what you want to do.

 

 

 

"I thought perhaps I wanted to go and save animals or do voluntary teaching, because that's what everyone was offering me, but actually I discovered in the end that what I needed to do was save myself. And this is what I say to all my clients, this is as much a mental journey as a physical one."

 

 You don't know what you don't know...

 

"What I lacked in the planning stages was someone I could bounce ideas off, who took the time to understand what I wanted, and who really could advise me about which options I might enjoy.

 

 

Trips to travel agents usually went like this:

"Well, where do you want to go and what do you want to do?"

 

"I don't know, " I replied. "I want to get away - but I'm not sure what I want to do and I really would appreciate some advice."

 

A blank look, a sigh, and then the very young sales person would pick up a few leaflets and vaguely hand them to me.

 

"Have a look in there, you can save cheetahs in Kenya."

 

" But I don't know if I want to work with animals. I'm not very good with them."

 

"Oh right. Well there's conservation you can do. We have some options in Kenya."

 

"I'm not sure I want to go to Kenya."

 

"Oh, well what about Tanzania."

 

"Do you have anything not in Africa."

 

"Yeah - you could save tigers in Asia."

 

 

Exasperated I would leave and then spend numerous hours soul searching about which option I should do. In the end I realised that what was most crucial was working out what I really wanted to do - not what I thought I should do, or what I should settle for because it was all I had been offered.

 

So, on my return, I started the Career Break Guru to do just that. Through one to one consultations I support and empower people to recognise what they really want to do - not what they should do - and then guide and encourage them in booking and planning the trip.

 

Of course there's a lot more to it than that, and you can find out all about what we do here.

 

Since I started the business it has grown and grown and I now offer a number of supplementary services - all things that I know I would have benefitted from had they been available when I was travelling:

 

• Consultation and support while planning
  

• Practical advice, phone and web support while away
  

• An on return de-brief and consultation session
  

• A bespoke travel companion

 

The key thing is that my service is bespoke to each individual, and together we work out a consultation programme that will work for you. To get more of an idea of what we do click here, but ideally call us so we can talk through some of your options.