Eligibility
Program Description
Visa and Travel Documents
Getting There
AFS Orientations and Activities
Eligibility
To be eligible you must:
- Be between 15 years 0 months and 17 years 11 months old at the start of the program
- 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
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.
As with all AFS homestay programs, you will be placed with a volunteer host family who will provide you with lodging, meals, and guidance while abroad.
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.
Participants may be placed throughout Thailand. Most placements are in small to medium-sized cities or suburban areas.
Even though you will be placed with a Thai-speaking host family, you do not need to speak Thai in order to participate in the program. Informal language lessons will be offered during the arrival orientations; individual lessons will also be offered to you by teachers in your host school.
Program duration is 7 weeks, the majority of which will be spent attending school or spending time with your host family and community.
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.
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 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 – accompanied by a chaperone – 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.
