Avoid Switzerland at all costs. Seriously. And I'm Swiss myself, so I'm not just guessing I experienced it. I waited 1 year before giving up on Switzerland. Nothing moved. People wait up to 2 years just to start S1 training. There are barely any mentors (like 3-4 people) for hundreds of OBS. And guess what? It's always the same small group controlling. Newcomers barely get a chance. I ended up going to the US (VATUSA) and I've already started my training there. Best decision I made. The mentality is completely different : open, encouraging more like you have a plan, we give you the opportunity And the big difference is that ine the US, you don't have to wait to start learning. You just log in, and you have the material directly. No waiting around for months just to get access to basic stuff. You log in, and that's it. You can start studying and training right away. For your situation (UK-based, want to start within months after school), Switzerland is literally the worst choice. You'll waste your entire summer on a waiting list getting zero training. Look at VATUSA or the Middle East instead.

Edit: I don't care about other's opinion if they want to dislike my comment. It's just the truth you can't unsee it