Important Information: PLEASE READ
For the Parents/Guardians of potential Teenagers Abroad participants

We understand that parents and guardians of our participants have special concerns and questions about our Teenagers Abroad programs that your children will be attending. This section is dedicated to YOU - the parents and guardians of the participants in our programs. You will naturally have a different set of priorities and questions than young people who will actually consider going on one of our programs.

Students normally want to know how much free time they will get during the day and evenings, what if any independence they will have, what will the other participants like, where will they be from, will they have to speak the "target" language ALL the time outside of class, what are the activities like etc.

In this section, we will address specific concerns and answer the questions that we commonly hear from our parents/guardians every year. We will describe our safety policies and give you information about the staff at our camps. All of this to put your mind at ease about having your child attend one of our fabulous Teenagers Abroad programs!

Remember, we have been doing this for years, and we appreciate that you are new to this idea, even if we are experts on the whole experience. Trust that our experienced staff can help guide you through the application process and program selection, every step of the way.

Below are more links to other pages that will help answer many of your questions & concerns

How to prepare your teen or child for a program abroad!

General rules & guidelines for students on a program!

Your childs safety & security abroad!

Our insurance!

Your most popular questions & answers

Personal Safety
One of your main concerns may be that many of our programs are located in countries that you are not that familiar with yourself, even though your child has an interest in visiting and studying the language spoken there.

It's hard for us to outline ALL of the benefits your child will receive from attending a language school or camp abroad. Yes, they will improve their language ability, meet new friends, eat new foods, experiment with some new activities and be exposed to new and different cultures and ways of life - both at the program and with the other international campers attending the program at the same time.

They will learn plenty, but there is another aspect that is more difficult to describe; it comes with actually leaving home and being placed in a new environment with other young people from around the world. In most of our programs, only 20-30% of the participants come from North America, so the exposure to new ideas, perspectives and opinions of students from other countries is a given on our programs.

Our camps and schools staff and directors are trained in the field of international education and are experts in handling the adjustment period that most young people from many cultures experience in the first few days of their program. Living in a different culture will open the mind of your child and test their ability to cope and manage in new surroundings which are all part of what the whole purpose living and studying abroad in the first place!

Because most of our programs involve international air travel, our shortest Teenagers Abroad program session is two weeks in duration. Over this time, your child will have enough time to recover from jet lag, adjust to some unfamiliar foods, grow accustomed to the countless unfamiliar faces and new program routines. They will have a chance to really enjoy themselves, get acquainted with a unique group of students from other countries, get familiar with the program staff and hopefully meet the locals too.

We would like to dispel any main concerns you may have about sending your child to study in another country. While it is true that some of the countries where our programs operate have had political and economic problems in the past, these issues do not affect our camps and their operations in any way.

We monitor the international arena very carefully at Teenagers Abroad and will only offer a program where we are confident that the participants are safe and secure - and feel that way when they are at the camp. Please be reminded that providing a safe and comfortable environment is essential to the camp experience and what the teachers and activity monitors are trained to do.

The staff at Teenagers Abroad receives remarkably few reports from our past participants regarding experiences of any racial, cultural, religious or gender prejudices or intolerance while attending one of our programs. Teenagers Abroad and all of our school partners have zero-tolerance on such issues and all staff are trained to deal with any such incidents immediately, if they do arise, and with thought given to all parties involved.

Many of the personal safety issues that exist in our program locations are the same issues that any person faces in many urban and rural areas of the USA, Canada or beyond. We always advise our participants to avoid certain areas of the town or city they are visiting, always travel in groups of at least 3 or more, do not display your cash, credit cards, jewellery or electronic goods in public or in stores or restaurants.

Better still, leave any expensive items back home! We counsel our participants to always stay aware of your surroundings - especially in crowded areas frequented by tourists and other distracted and visitors who may drop their guard when visiting an exciting new city or area of town.

Health Issues
While most of our camps offer access to medical care on-site or have access to a "camp physician" or doctor's office very close by, please remember that the staff is trained to handle any minor health issues (light headaches, bug bites etc.). If the camp staff has ANY cause for concern, they will ensure the participant gets to the closest reliable health care facility or hospital - immediately. The quality of medical care in all of the countries where we offer programs is very high.

We also ask that you PLEASE include any/all dietary or health restriction information about your child with your enrolment (attach a separate page to the enrolment documents if you like). If you do not inform us of the details in advance, Teenagers Abroad cannot take any responsibility for special dietary, allergy or health issue needs not being met once they arrive at their program!

We will pass on ALL the health or dietary information you provide us with to the camp directors, upon enrolment so they will have as much time as possible to accommodate your child in the program.

Our School and Camp Hiring Policies and Rules
All of the teaching staff and activity monitors abroad undergo a comprehensive selection process by the local camp director and personnel managers. The staff selection process is based upon many criteria including; the person's past experience as a language teacher or monitor, passing the camp's security clearance, their capacity to work well with young people from many countries, possessing an engaging personality with an ability to promote the camp's philosophy and enforce the local program rules, when required.

Policies on drugs and alcohol and sex at our camps are very simple: none are permitted on the camp or school premises or in the student accommodation - whether in the camp residence or in a host family. These rules apply to all students enrolled in our programs, no matter their age or nationality. If a student breaks one of these rules, parents/guardians are notified immediately and the camper is given a very strong warning. If the rule is broken a second time, the camper will be sent home immediately-at their own expense.

Supervision of participants
Please note that our camps provide varying levels of student supervision, depending on the type of program chosen and the age of the participant.

Residential Programs: are operated on a "campus type" of location where the students sleep, eat and study on one complex that is normally gated and secure. Some examples of these types of programs with Teenagers Abroad are in Monte Carlo/France, and Lignano/Italy. In these programs, students are supervised 24 hours a day, if the student has not yet turned 16 they are not permitted to leave the "campus" on their own, under ANY circumstances .

If a student over 16 years of age has written permission from the parents/guardian, they may be permitted to leave the campus one or two times per week at times where the structured time of the day is not affected. Students are expected to show up for the classes and activities organized by the camp every day that they are offered.

Please advise your child that WRITTEN PERMISSION TO LEAVE THE CAMPUS IS REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER and the camp has to have a signed copy of this permission form from a legal guardian or parent in order to allow a student to leave the campus for ANY reason.

These students are strongly encouraged to leave with other eligible camp participants, and return to the camp well within the strict curfew set by the camp. This curfew time varies between camps and often on weeknights it is earlier and weekends it is extended 1-2 hours. The AVERAGE curfew times are 11pm (local time) on weeknights and midnight on weekends - but these exact times vary by each camp location.

Again the curfew times are extremely strict and failure to adhere to these times can result in the participant's immediate removal from the program. They will be sent home right away at their (normally the parent's) expense. The curfew time for your specific program will be made clear in the specific pre-departure information that Teenagers Abroad will send you in advance of the program start date.

Host Family Programs: These programs offer host family accommodation which provides accommodation in a different location away from the school itself. The family accommodation is normally within 20-40 minutes from the school, by foot or public transit. The staff provides close supervision during the day in language class and organized afternoon activities. However please note that the participants are responsible to get themselves to and from the host family on their own, after the first day of school.

Normally on the first day of classes, an adult member of the family will escort the international student/s staying in their home to the school and the responsible school staff member will ensure the students know the route home at the end of the school day before they can be dismissed. Please note that sometimes one family will host 1-4 international students in their home at one time. This means that the students can travel to/from school together every day and they often do! (Exceptions: San Jose, CR where the students can have a chaperone escort them to/from school each day and at Barcelona school a chaperone is available to students 14 years of age and under).

The term "Host Family" is a general label given to a number of types of home stay situations where the term "family" may constitute a young couple with small children at home, an older couple with no kids still living in the house, a middle-aged couple with teenagers at home, or a single-parent family with one or more kids living in the house.

Host families normally volunteer to host international students in their home because they are interested in other cultures, sharing their culture and home life with foreigners, they have extra room and may need additional income to augment their current family income. All host families must provide a clean and comfortable separate room for the incoming student/s (shared or private room, depending on the program selected) as well as provide meals as offered in the specific program.

All prospective Host Families are interviewed by local program Accommodation Coordinator. Once accepted, all qualified families are provided with special training and information that includes how to welcome international students into their home, how to address typical communication issues that normally arise, problem solving skills, minor first aid matters etc.

PLEASE NOTE: The host families will do their best to make your child comfortable in their home and involve them in their lives where possible, but remember that they too have busy personal and professional lives (many have two working adults in the house) and may not be able to share all meals and converse with the visiting students at all times. Students are expected to entertain themselves outside class time and on weekends and be responsible for their free time as much as possible.

Typical Schedule for Residential Camps:
Please be aware that all of our camps are privately owned and operated, so the schedule they will follow will vary by location. With that in mind, a sample schedule at a residential (student residence) program could follow this type of program:

After morning wake-up, campers spend the whole day with their teachers and monitors under close supervision. During class, they will be with their instructors for 2-3 hours and sometimes the activity monitors will attend the classes as well. After morning class, they have lunch with short free time and then afternoon activities are organized on or off campus. When the afternoon activities are over for the day, there is a normally a break before dinner where they will go back to their rooms to relax with other campers, write home or grab a quick nap for at least an hour.

During free time, monitors are available should the participants need them and then they often also accompany much younger participants to dinner. Dinner is usually taken quite a bit later than the students may be accustomed to at home (often between 8-9pm, local time) and is normally provided on-site in the campus or school cafeteria. Special diets can be catered to, if the camp is given plenty of notice ahead of time.

After dinner, the campers normally participate in organized activities on-site or may be permitted to leave the campus for a couple of hours, if they have signed parental permission to do so and are over 16 years of age. Please refer to the section on "Supervision of Participants" above for more details. Campers must return by curfew, or this privilege to leave campus is removed. Bedtime hours are strictly enforced and those who do not comply with the rules more than once will be asked to leave the camp program.

During the night, there is will be staff on duty whose job it is to make sure all students stay in their own rooms and remain quiet in order not to disturb the others. Staff will always be close by, without being overbearing. At all our camps, respect is mutual between everybody. We try to communicate with our campers as much as possible so we can find out what's up with them and they are almost always happy to respect us and talk to us about any issues they might have.

Communicating with your child while they are away
All our schools and camps have phones from which international calls may be made. Many locations have a seveal computers with free internet access for student use a limited number of times per week. The rooms where campers stay and Host Families do not have phones available for outgoing calls. Students are permitted to bring or use cell phones, but they MUST be turned off during class or structured activity times and consideration for roommates must be given for late night or early morning conversations home...please be thoughtful of the others who need to catch valuable extra minutes of sleep!!

All of our partners have a local emergency contact phone number (and some also will provide an emergency email address as well) that we provide your family with prior to departure, in the event that you need to get a hold of your son or daughter while they are on the program. Teenagers Abroad also provides an emergency cell phone number in North America which activated for parents' and students' use on travel weekends in case any last-minute questions or issues come up after our office is closed on the weekends or Canadian Public Holidays.

If you have any serious concerns about your child while they are attending a Teenagers Abroad program, please feel free to contact our office in Toronto, Canada during our normal business hours. You can leave us a message if you call us when the offices are closed, and we will follow up with the camp staff right away and call or email you as soon as possible with the result of our contact with the local program director.

Entry/Visa Requirements
Nationals of the USA, Canada, most Western European countries, Australia and New Zealand do not need a student or tourist visa to visit the countries where Teenagers Abroad has programs. Your child is considered a tourist while attending the program and they do not require a special student or academic visa while attending our programs. Upon arrival in the host country on an international flight, Teenagers Abroad participants will be granted a tourist/visitor's visa by the host country's immigration official at the airport. This tourist visa is normally stamped right in the passport, and is usually valid for stays of up to 90 days.

Flying Solo
Young travellers (under 16 years of age) travelling without parents or escorts, need a notarized document certifying that both parents agree to the child travelling alone. This letter needs to be carried by the child when they travel. This document should state who/what organization is responsible for picking the student up at the destination as well as giving permission for the young person to travel on their own. Teenagers Abroad advises our clients to book flights AS SOON AS THEY ARE CONFIRMED IN THE PROGRAM and book a flight with as few connections or stopovers en route. Direct flights are often a little more expensive, but are worth it for the peace of mind that they provide.

We often recommend that our clients consider paying for the additional "Unaccompanied Minor" fee with the airline their son or daughter is flying with, if that child is under 14. This service ensures that a qualified airline staff member will take responsibility for your child during the flying experience. This includes ensuring the child is escorted from the gate to the plane, to their assigned seat on the plane, assisting the child on board the flight as well as escorting the child to the baggage area upon arrival, through customs and deliver them to the camp staff or designated party or driver at the arrival airport.

Arrival and Departure Days
Arriving on the designated arrival date (program start date) is mandatory. We know that sometimes flights are delayed or missed so if this happens, your child will still be met at the airport as long as the camp is informed of the exact arrival details (and phone emergency number provided, in case of last-minute changes in times), flight times and dates at least 2 weeks in advance. If you must arrive or leave on dates other than those designated on our website, additional airport or train transfer fees may be applied and the special arrangements must be confirmed well in advance on an individual request basis.

Spending Money
We recommend that your child bring a cash, credit or debit card if possible for weekly personal expenses. The average amount of spending money we suggest at most locations is $100-150 USD per week. There are ATMs in most major cities and getting cash isn't usually a problem. Please note that the international banking institution will charge a service fee per transaction on an international card, so don't bother withdrawing very small amounts of money at one time. Cash cards can be easily cancelled if lost or stolen, which adds to their security for young travellers in particular. Cash, on the other hand, once lost, is gone. We therefore do not recommend travelling with more than the equivalent of $200.00USD on your person.

Enrolment Procedures and other "Small Print" stuff
To enrol in one of our programs go to the Teenagers Abroad website page called "ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES and follow the instructions from there: www.teenagersabroad.com/teenenrform.html

Payment Options
We accept credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Amex etc), bank transfers, certified checks and personal checks made payable to our parent company, Languages Abroad.

Please call us at 1-800-219-9924 and we will answer any of your questions or send us an email at info@teenagersabroad.com regarding any payment questions you may have. We are happy to help you out regarding your payment options.

Medical and Health Travel Insurance
Our teen program partners in all countries require proof of additional personal medical health insurance coverage in order to attend their program. If you think you and your family already have adequate medical coverage through your insurance provider or credit card company, please review the small print of your current health insurance policy to insure that it offers personal travel insurance to cover all international accident costs, and medical expenses, evacuation and repatriation costs etc. Because most general medical insurance policies do not offer such comprehensive coverage out of country, we strongly recommend that you get additional short-term travel insurance for your child while they attend their program. Teenagers Abroad has negotiated special rates and coverage for younger travellers for $28.00 USD per week. (subject to change)

Please check the link on our website for all the details of this comprehensive and competitively priced option that we provide: www.teenagersabroad.com/insurance.html

Our Cancellation and Refund Policies:
These terms are quite detailed, so please check our Terms and Conditions page for the whole story at: www.teenagersabroad.com/terms.html.

Turn a Teenagers Abroad program into a family vacation!
Travelling or studying in the area where your child is studying is a great experience for everyone involved. You can choose to travel independently while your child attends one of our programs, or why not consider studying a language yourself? Our adult language division, Languages Abroad, offers over 150 programs for adults and older (17 and over) teenagers to accommodate all family members.

If you have any further questions or concerns about sending your child on one of our children/teen programs, please feel free to contact Teenagers Abroad right away at 1-800-219-9924 or 416-925-2112
You can also email us at info@teenagersabroad.com