Semester Program

The Discoverer

Get experience with global business and gain new language skills that will help you work cross-culturally.

The Discoverer is designed to prepare you for the world of tomorrow, which will require global competence and understanding. During your semester, you’ll connect with others more profoundly by enhancing your skills in a foreign language.

Then dive into the world of global business world through an internship. You’ll return home with a transformed perspective and newfound confidence that you’ll carry for the rest of your life.

Upcoming travel dates:
Spring 2023: Jan. 20 – Apr. 7

How you'll grow

GROWTH MINDSET

Foster new personal and professional life skills that will set you up for success in college, your career, and beyond.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Experience cultural immersion in two iconic European cities of your choice; live like a local and intern independently abroad.

Navigate new cultures, environments, and friendships with confidence as you practice responsibility and self-sufficiency.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Become a better global citizen by gaining foreign language and international business skills that will keep you a step ahead of whatever comes next.

Program itinerary
Click here to download this itinerary as a PDF.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to availability and local conditions at the time of departure.

Europe 2 Weeks

Europe: Orientation

2 Weeks London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona

Dive right into your EF Gap Semester with a tour of four iconic European cities: London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona. Your EF Tour Director will make sure you see the big-name sights as well as the underground must-sees. Bond with your cohort as you get comfortable and confident navigating new places together.

City of your choice 4 Weeks

Language Learning: Starting Out

1 Week Barcelona, Nice, Rome, or Berlin

Begin your Language Immersion experience as you settle into your host city. Take a language placement test and begin your courses at your EF Campus. Meet your homestay family and get to know their routines and culture. Start to get a feel for the public transit and geography of your new city.

Language Learning: Finding Your Groove

2 Weeks BARCELONA, NICE, ROME, OR BERLIN

Keep attending your language courses at the EF Campus as you become more comfortable with the language and culture of your new city. Spend your free time exploring your new city, and perhaps take a weekend trip to a nearby city to flex your travel skills and see a new place. Get to know your cohort and homestay family on a deeper level. Become a pro at navigating your new city.

Language Learning: Learning to Say Goodbye

1 Week BARCELONA, NICE, ROME, OR BERLIN

Make the most of your last week in your Language Study module as you wrap up your courses and celebrate with your new friends and connections. Use your language skills to make sure you check off all the last items on your bucket list in your host city. Enjoy a final celebratory dinner with your cohort.

City of your choice 4 Weeks

Internship: Starting Out

1 Week Dublin, Seville, or Stockholm

Fly to your internship city and settle into your new apartment! Get a taste of independent living as you settle in, learn how to navigate the city, stock up on groceries, and go to your first day on the job. During your first week, expect to learn more about your internship organization, get to know your colleagues, and start working on a few projects.

Internship: Finding Your Groove

2 Weeks Dublin, Seville, or Stockholm

Now that you’ve settled into your new city and your new job, you’ll be feeling right at home in Dublin, Seville, or Stockholm. Enhance your professional skills as you work on different projects at your internship. Spend your evenings grocery shopping, cooking, exploring your new city, and hanging with new friends. Enjoy free weekends, during which you can plan a trip to a nearby city or town.

Internship: Signing Off

1 Week Dublin, Seville, or Stockholm

During your last week of your internship, wrap up any big projects you were working on and get feedback from your mentor. Enjoy your last few days as a young professional in Dublin, Seville, or Stockholm. Enjoy a final group dinner as you celebrate your accomplishments during your internship.

Portugal 1 Week

Portugal: Wrap-Up

1 Week Portugal

Meet up with other Gap Semester students in gorgeous, sunny Portugal to flex what you've learned, learn how to share your gap story, and discover new skills to help you manage the transition home. Most importantly, celebrate all that you have achieved alongside your cohort.

Program Fee

Tuition for this 11-week program is $17,950, and payment plans are available. Tuition includes:

  • Flights and transportation

    Round-trip flights and local transfers to each stop in your itinerary

  • Room and board

    Your accommodations and some of your meals on the trip

  • Activities and excursions

    Activities and excursions led by local guides

  • Course at an EF Language Campus

    Tuition for 4-week course at EF's accredited language school

  • Global support network

    One-on-one mentorship and 24/7 travel support before and during your program

  • Professional Development

    Access to CV/interview coaching and our network of internship partners

Explore our language learning destinations

Choose where to learn a language. EF Language Campuses are located at the heart of these world-class cities.

Nice, France

This sun-soaked, cultural gem of the French Riviera combines old-world grandeur and lively street life.

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Barcelona, Spain

This seaside city will sweep you off your feet with its world-famous dining, architecture, and energetic culture.

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Rome, Italy

Italy’s mesmerizing capital city teems with historical ruins, mega-famous art, and bustling street life.

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Berlin, Germany

Lose yourself in the culture and art of this trendy, diverse European capital city.

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Explore our global internship destinations

Our internship host cities all share three things in common: friendly locals, a thriving business scene, and a strong international community.

Dublin, Ireland

This quirky city is filled to the brim with history, charm, and character.

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Seville, Spain

Experience magnificent architecture and a slower pace of life in this romantic Spanish city.

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Stockholm, Sweden

An innovative and stylish Scandinavian city, Stockholm is a city of layered contrasts.

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Ready to get started?

Our Gap Year Consultants are ready to answer any questions you have and enroll you on our program.

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