Placement purpose and overview

The main goal of our gap year programme is to give you an experience of cross-cultural Christian ministry. We hope that the programme will help to raise up the next generation of missionaries and mission-minded Christians for the UK church. Each placement will involve serving others, being discipled and practising evangelism.

Placement details

Gap teams are made up of groups of 4-10 school leavers, who are led by one or two team leaders. You will work with our local mission partners from mid-January through to mid-June (five months).

The placement costs vary each year and are dependent on international exchange rates and inflation, so are subject to change. However, we estimate that each placement costs between £6,000-£8,000 in total (including flights).

Individual requirements

Please note that you will need to satisfy the following requirements to join a Crosslinks gap year team. You must:

  • be a committed Christian and have a personal faith in Jesus Christ
  • be motivated by humble service of the global church
  • have considered what mission work is from a biblical perspective
  • be able to take initiative and demonstrate maturity
  • be willing to step outside of your comfort zone
  • be between 18-21 years old when you travel
  • have an enhanced DBS check (can be done through Crosslinks)
  • be available to attend a training week in England in December 2026

Team leaders

Each team is dependent on Crosslinks being able to recruit team leaders. If we aren’t able to recruit team leaders, then we aren’t able to run placements. To find out more information about what this involves, follow this link: come along as a team leader.

Placement locations

We run a range of placements in Africa and Asia, detailed below. You will be sent with team leaders or with extensive support from local hosts.

Each year the placement locations and team sizes we run depend on location availability and the number of applicants. When you apply to the programme, you can state a location preference, but you may be asked to join a different placement to the one you have requested, if that placement is not running or is full.

Kenya

Nairobi

Gap team members will attend the iServe Africa Gap Year Programme. More information can be found on the iServe Website: TransformD Discipleship Programme (TDP) – iServe Africa

This involves living, serving and learning alongside Kenyan Christians of a similar age and being discipled and taught by Kenyan Christians, some of whom are Crosslinks mission partners. The programme involves Bible teaching, practical placements, as well as time spent serving at a local partner church.

South Africa

Cape Town

This trip is a combination of a few different placements. Volunteers will stay at George Whitfield College, studying there one day a week and becoming involved in campus life. In twos and threes, they will be assigned to various local churches to carry out church internships. These involve a range of activities, from children’s work, admin, discipleship, to community outreach. Team members will also spend one day a week as teaching assistants in a small Christian school.

Thailand

Bangkok

The Robinsons are Crosslinks mission partners. They run a Christian school for children from the five communities of the Mahathai slum. They also run after school clubs, a food bank, discipleship groups, and English classes. Placement students will volunteer in the school and attend a church in Bangkok. You can find more information about the school here: Place of Grace UK

Apply now

Applications are now open for the Spring 2027 gap year team. Applications close on 22 May 2026. Please note, there is no advantage to an early application. If you would like to apply or know more, email agibbs@crosslinks.org for more information, or fill out the enquiry form.

Missed the deadline? Still fill out the enquiry form and we may be able to arrange another short-term placement for you.

Take a look at the video below to give you a snapshot of what the Gap Year Programme is like.