Eligibility
Program Description
Visa and Travel Documents
Getting There
AFS Orientations and Activities
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- Be between 18 years 0 months and 25 years 0 months old at the start of the program. Exceptionally mature students younger than 18 may be eligible.
- Be in good mental, physical, and emotional health in accordance with the AFS Medical Evaluation Policy
- Have an open mind, willingness to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to a new culture, school, and environment
- Be in possession of a U.S. passport, valid for at least 6 months longer than your estimated return. Please submit a clear color scan of the passport photo page along with 2 passport-sized photos to AFS by April 30.
Program Description
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.
As with all AFS programs, you will be placed with a volunteer host family who will provide you with lodging, meals, and guidance while abroad.
Participants may be placed throughout Thailand. Most placements are in small to medium-sized cities or suburban areas.
Participants are often hosted in groups of 5-8; however you may be placed in individually or in pairs, depending upon the size of the group.
Choose from the following community service 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.
Program duration is 7 weeks, the majority of which will be spent on your community service project or with your host family and community.
Day-to-day activities besides your work 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.
Vegetarians are welcome in Thailand.
You will be provided with additional information such as a welcome booklet and safety tips prior to departure. Program details are subject to change.
Learn more about life in Thailand.
Visa and Travel Documents
A tourist visa in required in order to participate in this program. Fortunately, it is a relatively easy to acquire.
In order to apply, you must have a U.S. passport that is valid for six months longer than your intended stay. We suggest that you be in possession of your passport at the time you apply for the program. Please submit a clear color copy of the photo page along with 2 passport-sized photos to AFS by April 30.
In addition, the visa application requires a parental consent form. The visa fee is $65. This fee is determined by the Thai consulate and is subject to change.
AFs will provide you with detailed instructions on how to apply approximately 6-8 weeks prior to departure.
Getting There
You and your fellow AFSers will travel together between Los Angeles and Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Upon arrival and after collecting your baggage and passing through customs, 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 1-2 day arrival orientation.
Following the arrival 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 to your host community where you will be met by your host family.
AFS Orientations and Activities
In addition to the orientations that you will have domestically (the local Pre-Departure Orientation, Culture Trek, and the Gateway Orientation), you and your fellow AFSers will have multiple orientations while abroad. These required orientations are intended to help you maximize the AFS experience, reduce culture shock, and gain knowledge, skills, and a global understanding.
The first orientation, in the days after your arrival, will introduce you to the country, Thai life, and various aspects of the AFS experience. It will last for 1-2 days and conclude when you are picked up by your host family or when you depart to your host community.
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.
In addition to the orientations, 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.
