If you're a sensible sort of gapper, more worried about improving your CV than working out how spiritual you are, and keener to impress future employers than a new circle of Aussie-Scandi-Israeli friends, this could be your year. More gappers than ever are aiming to spend time constructively to boost their careers. The gap year is going professional. If that sounds dull, think again. With a bit of imagination and planning you can organise a gap year that is both memorable AND a valuable first step on the career ladder. Here's how …

Skills and experience

A gap year is a great time to score some experience and check that your idea of a career matches the reality. Getting some before uni could also help you steer clear of unpaid internships after graduation.

"Think about what you want from your career and match the gap year experience as closely as possible," says Ewan Henniker-Smith, resourcing manager at insurer Allianz. "Filing and photocopying may not be glamorous, but working in industry will show your commitment and get you a reference."

In industries where it's tough to secure even unpaid work in the UK, it's easier to sign up to internships overseas – not least because you'll often pay for the privilege. Budding radio journalists can work on stories and interviews on an internship at a radio station in Mombasa, Kenya, through Sub Saharan Volunteers & Adventures (subsaharanadventure.com). It costs £649 for two weeks, and £75 for each additional week, including accommodation with a host family and meals. GapGuru (gapguru.com/gap-year-internships) has work experience placements in publishing and editorial in New Delhi in India and in Tanzania, with prices from £1,090 for a month.

You could learn a language – becoming fluent in, say, Spanish or Arabic, is one of the best ways to boost your employability while enjoying yourself abroad. It won't be easy, but it is possible to get quite fluent in a year: the secret is immersion. Pick your country, then book lessons and move in with native speakers. CESA Languages Abroad (cesalanguages.com) offers courses from Guadeloupe and Costa Rica to Austria and Morocco. A Spanish course in Lima, including accommodation, costs £278 for one week or £753 for six weeks.

Law, archaeology and care internships are available from Projects Abroad (projects-abroad.co.uk), and lots of charities and NGOs offer direct work experience on specific projects (goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad lists many). Future doctors might consider Medforce (medforce.info), which offers medical placements overseas, with shadowing and work experience for unqualified students. Prices from £1,150.

Sportforce (sportforce.org.uk) offers students the chance to gain a UK sports coaching qualification then coach overseas in Ghana, South Africa, Ecuador and Egypt.

Whether you use an operator or contact a charity directly, ensure they are reputable and offer good value for money by asking to speak to current or previous volunteers.

The kerching! gap year

A lot of volunteering and travel schemes come with a thousand pound-plus price tag, but you don't have to go into the red during a year out. Year in Industry lists paid gap year jobs and internships, mainly in engineering, science, IT and business. Its "Yini Combo" offers an internship followed by a discounted place on a conservation summer camp, expedition or volunteering project abroad (yini.org.uk). Want something more niche? Enternships.com lists internships run by entrepreneurial companies, including a fair few overseas (enternships.com/en/enternships).

And if that all sounds too corporate, you can be paid to work at a summer camp in the US, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Bunac (bunac.org/uk) has been sending young workers to the US for the past 40 years. It charges around £495 to cover interviews, insurance, flights, food and accommodation; camp staff then receive salaries of $800-$1,300 (£470-£790) for the two-month working period.

For a gap year job that will give employers oodles of evidence of your feisty, hard-working character, try a stint as a Jillaroo or Jackaroo in the Outback. A typical day involves mustering cattle by horse or motorbike, welding gates, driving trucks or working on engines. Available farmstays include one at Wainui near Toowoomba, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Brisbane, listed at Australian JobSearch (jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail). On New Zealand's Willing Workers on Organic Farms scheme (wwoof.co.nz) hosts provide food, accommodation, training and sometimes low pay in exchange for help on the farm.

There's always bar work and work at hotels and other tourism businesses in most resorts. On yachts, even for people with no training, you could gain skills in hospitality, tourism and cooking. Go down to a big port (Antibes in the south of France is a good bet) early in the day (around 6am) and ask around for work; you could earn several grand within a few months.

Do good – it can do you good too

Don't let the tough job market dampen your aspirations – a gap year is a rare opportunity to explore the world, and employers understand that. Industry giants Real Gap Experience (realgap.co.uk) and i-to-i (i-to-i.com) both offer a huge range of schemes worldwide, ranging from Tefl – teaching English as a foreign language – and placements to wildlife conservation work. The Unique Travel Company (theuniquetravel.co.uk) runs a scheme in schools and orphanages in the Sri Lankan coastal town of Negombo. It costs £550 for four weeks, including accommodation and meals with local families.

The charity Raleigh International has a bursary scheme aimed at "diverse socio-economic, disability and ethnic groups". People aged 17-24 can apply for a five-, seven- or 10-week project and if they are deemed suitable, get one-third or two-thirds of the cost of the project paid for (raleighinternational.org). Most projects with bursaries still available for next are in India – for a five-week expedition, you will need to fundraise £1,750 before the bursary.

Tourism Concern has this year developed a Gap Year and International Volunteering Standard – the "GIVS kitemark" – that it will award to those it feels have proved they operate responsibly (tourismconcern.org.uk). It offers tips on how to select one. For example, if it is a paid-for project, it should be able to tell you exactly how much of your money is going to the project, and to local people.