An increasing number of people are opting to leap off the career ladder for anything from three months to two years to offer their skills abroad.

According to research from American Express almost one third of people in the UK are planning to take a break from their career with 90 per cent of gap year travellers now over the age of 30 – a phenomenon being recognised as the ‘grey gapper’.

In fact, a career break has now become the fastest growing sector of gap year activity and all the signs are that this will continue.

There are benefits on both sides – employers see a career break as a positive move that can ultimately benefit them when employees return

refreshed, motivated and with increased self-confidence.

Website gapyearforgrownups.co.uk, which places volunteers in a range of programmes across 35 countries, says taking an unpaid sabbatical allows older gappers to combine purposeful travel with their professional skills.

“From a volunteering perspective, it makes people feel they have made a real difference and have done something meaningful with their time as opposed to just jetting off on an average holiday,” says Lauren MacKay, brand manager for gapyearforgrownups.co.uk.

“They really get to know a place and become part of the community.

“We have career breakers in their thirties and forties who want a change from the humdrum of their daily life, we have people who have retired and are keen to take on new challenges and we have people whose children have left home or who are recently divorced and want to have a complete change of lifestyle.”

However, it’s a big decision to take and one that requires careful financial planning.

For instance – how will the trip be financed? Will you have enough to live on? How will bills be paid such as the mortgage when you are gone?

Are you going to rent out your house when you are absent?

These were just some of the issues which faced Belfast based Gavin Forkan (34), who returned to Ireland last January after taking a two-year career break to work in Cambodia on a fisheries project.

At the time Gavin was offered the placement by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), he was employed as an environmental scientist with a consultancy in Sligo.

Looking back on his experience Gavin, who now works for Enviros, an environmental practice on Belfast’s Ravenhill Road, says: “I was keen to go abroad and use my scientific skills in an interesting project – but I was also looking for an adventure and some kind of professional development.

“VSO offer placements that are technical in nature and are geared towards your training and work experience – so the job in Cambodia was perfect.”

A graduate in marine and environmental science, Gavin's role was to help establish a country wide programme in Cambodia for locally managed fishery organisations and move away from the established practice of central government controlled fishery bodies.