Spending time in another country is an invaluable way of improving your understanding of its language and culture – as well as being hugely enjoyable. Work experience, whether in the UK or overseas, is vital to really make your languages come alive, and can also help you develop skills in other areas that will help you along in your career.

Most languages degrees will include a year abroad, and if you’re studying another subject there are often exchange programmes available, which could see you spending a year studying at a university in Paris or Barcelona, for example. Go to Erasmus programmes to find out more about this.

You might also consider taking a gap year before university, which will not only allow you to immerse yourself in another language and culture, but will also help you develop many life skills before starting work or university.

There are many support organisations and websites that can help you research and plan your time abroad, whether it’s in a working or a study context.