Program |
Duration |
Start/End Dates |
Tuition |
Availability |
More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer High School Program | About 2 months | July 2012 - August 2012 | $6,500 | Apply now | Read More + |
Age Range:
15 years 0 months - 17 years 11 monthsBirth Date Range:
08/03/94 - 07/03/97Travel Dates:
Jun 29-Jul 2, 2012 - Aug 23-26, 2012Application Deadline: March 15, 2012
Thailand Summer High School Program
Imagine spending seven weeks of your summer in Thailand learning about this historic culture through classes on handicraft, Thai boxing, and Thai cooking. You will live with a Thai host family and receive individual lessons at a local school. This will give you the opportunity to practice your Thai, make new friends, and become involved in community life.
Program Details
You and your fellow AFSers will travel together between Los Angeles and Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, where you will be met by staff and volunteers from AFS Thailand. They will escort you to the arrival orientation site, a comfortable group site outside Bangkok, where you will take part in a 2-day arrival orientation.
After the orientation, you will be picked up by your host family (if you are placed near Bangkok or in the central region of Thailand). Or, if you are placed in the north, northeast, or south, you will travel by bus or train – accompanied by a chaperone – to your host community where you will be met by your host family.
You will also be placed in a host school so that you can experience the life of a Thai student. You will attend school for duration of program. Day-to-day activities besides school are largely unstructured so that your schedule is flexible and you are free to spend as much time as possible engaging with your host family and host community.
Some local chapters organize activities for students and host families throughout the summer. These will vary from chapter to chapter but may include parties or excursions to other cities or regions in Thailand. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are at the student’s expense.
At the end of your time abroad there will be a final evaluation camp. This is your chance to reflect on your experience and to share with other AFSers. You will also prepare for the cultural readjustment that is a part of returning home.
Placement Realities
Participants may be placed throughout Thailand. Most placements are in small to medium-sized cities or suburban areas.
Meals and Diet
Thai food is some of the world’s tastiest cuisine. You will likely eat a lot of rice, paired with curries, fish and vegetables. Spicy pepper and peanut sauces are quite common. AFS Thailand is very accommodating for vegetarians.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range at the start of the program (age range located above)
- Have a passing GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- Be in good mental, physical, and emotional health in accordance with the AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
- Be in possession or have applied for a U.S. passport at the time of application.
| Summer Community Service Program | About 2 months | July 2012 - August 2012 | $6,500 | Apply now | Read More + |
Age Range:
17 years 0 months - 35 years 0 monthsBirth Date Range:
07/03/77 - 07/03/95Travel Dates:
Jun 29-Jul 2, 2012 - Aug 23-26, 2012Application Deadline: March 15, 2012
Thailand Summer Community Service Program
Perform community service for seven weeks and enjoy a summer like no other. Teach English and serve as a teacher’s aide in a traditional school or even tutor adults; assist secondary school health or physical education teachers develop programs to reduce problems in schools or highlight social/health issues; or work in a local hospital. You’ll live with a host family, make new friends, and become involved in community life while learning about the local culture. You can earn up to 105 hours of community service credit.
See below for sample projects:
English Teaching Assistant
Assist secondary or primary school teachers with language teaching and resource materials. Participants would be teaching a variety of age groups with emphasis on communicative language skills. Placements throughout Thailand.
Hospital Placement
Participants can be placed in rural (but not isolated) hospitals and work with medical staff in a variety of areas. Current participants are placed in Provincial Health Clinics and assist staff with daily duties. Duties may consist of taking temperatures, simple first-aid, traveling with staff to remote areas, helping staff with English language, developing programs to highlight health issues (for example No Drugs, No Smoking, reducing HIV/AIDS infections)
School Based (non-teaching)
Participants may be placed in a secondary school and work with Health or Physical Education Teachers in developing programs to reduce problems in schools or highlight social/health issues. These may include reducing problems of students smoking, drug use, bullying, etc. Activities relate to skills of participants and needs of schools.
Some local AFS chapters organize activities for students and host families throughout the summer. These will vary from chapter-to-chapter but may include parties or excursions to other cities or regions in Thailand. Unlike the orientations, these activities are optional and are at the student’s expense.
Eligibility
To participate in this program, you must:
- Be within the age range at the start of the program (age range located above)
- Have a passing GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- Be in good mental, physical, and emotional health in accordance with the AFS Medical Evaluation Policies
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to new a culture, school, and environment
- Be in possession or have applied for a U.S. passport at the time of application.
About Thailand
Thailand, “the land of smiles,” and the gateway country of Southeast Asia, draws more visitors than any other country in Southeast Asia thanks to breathtaking natural beauty, ornate temples, robust cuisine, and ruins of ancient kingdoms. Buddhism, which places a high value on hospitality and kindness, is the dominant religion, and you are likely to see orange-robed monks and statues of the Buddha.
Please Note: Travel date ranges are provided to help with general scheduling. Please do not reserve any domestic travel based on these dates. AFS will notify confirmed participants with specific travel details approximately 45 days prior to departure. Programs, prices, and travel dates are subject to change without notice.