Leisure activities - what are they worth?

Quite a lot actually!

Perhaps you think that the sports activities you take part in, the amateur dramatics group you’re a member of, the DJing you do for your local hospital radio, or your involvement in setting up a local babysitting circle are just ways to relax (or help make it possible to relax)? They’re much more than that! The commitment, time and effort you put into all of these can be just as important to employers as qualifications from school, college or university. They show an employer that you can, for example,

take responsibility for yourself
work with others in a team
start something and see it through to the end
recognise the need to take account of the feelings/needs of other people

What you do in your spare time can also be valuable if you’re applying for a college or university course which receives lots of applications. For example, if the course you’re interested in is nursery nursing, occupational therapy or medicine, regular involvement in particular leisure activities can give you an advantage. Think here of helping out with young children, or elderly people and of working as a first aider.

A lot of these sorts of activities are referred to as "volunteering" where you choose to give up your time (without being paid) to do something which benefits an individual or society. Find out more about Voluntary Work.

Make good use of your spare time. And remember – when you apply for a job, or a course at college or university, include on your application form all these activities that are relevant to your application.

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