IF you are one of the thousands of students who have got your exam results today and want to take a gap year out, then read on.

Gapwork.com, a new firm specialising in finding work abroad, is offering advice to the 200,000 18 to 25-year-olds who will be travelling this year.

A good starting point is to assess your finances. The main thing that worries wannabe travellers - and their parents - is that they will run out of money on their year out. You are probably going to have to get a job whilst you are overseas and Australia and New Zealand are ideal working holiday destinations, because you can work legally on a working holiday visa. If you want to stay nearer to home, take full advantage of the EU work laws and head for the sun.

www.gapwork.com offers a range of information from how to get your visa, to tips on how to secure a job. Yvonne Wilson of Strictly Personnel, a Sydney-based employment agency which specialises in placing travellers in office work says: "We suggest people come to see us with all the basics, including an up to date resume, references with contactable referees, a valid working holiday visa and a passport."

It also offers good online resources such as www.jobsearch.com.au, where you can hunt for jobs in Oz, and www.eures-jobs.com, which gives you the low down on employment opportunities in the European Union.

Gapwork has put together its Gap Packs, which give all the information you need to organise your trip including lists of employers and employment agencies (available in bookshops and from www.gapwork.com), and its membership services to help young travellers find work.

"Gapwork gave me a lot of information to start with in their Gap Pack and then put me in touch with all the agencies here in Sydney. It's really nice to have someone give you a helping hand when you come to another country where everything is new, " says Kathryn Bourne, a Gapwork Member.

Gapworks suggest visiting the following websites to discover more information about finding work abroad: www.gapwork.com for info on working in Australia, New Zealand and European destinations; www.jobsearch.com.au for jobs in Australia, bear in mind that working holidaymakers can only work for one employer for a maximum of three months; www.immi.gov.au Australian Visa information; www.immigraition.govt.nz New Zealand visa information and www.eures-iobs.comor for employment opportunities in the European Union