By the way, Aquavitastudy offers a variety of programs for studying abroad. Language and private schools, summer and winter camps – there are many options to send your child abroad. Moreover, studying abroad for children can take place both in European countries (England, Czech Republic, Ireland, Switzerland, etc.) and on the American continent (USA, Canada). The main thing is to choose the necessary program taking into account the child's abilities and the tasks that parents set for themselves before this important decision.
Holiday Programs
A holiday program is a solution for those who would like to improve their knowledge in some area but cannot find time during the school year. This program is popular among students and schoolchildren. As a rule, educational institutions organize holiday programs during the summer break. However, they also exist during other holidays; the main thing is to choose the time. It should be remembered that, for example, in Australia, everything is "upside down," so vacations there are at an unusual time for our students. But even this is a solvable issue – universities and other educational institutions offering holiday courses to our students and schoolchildren are aware of the differences in education systems.
Any student or schoolchild can use a holiday program. All you need is the desire, available time during the holiday period, and the ability to pay for the education. It is generally not recommended to send a child abroad without proper supervision if they are under 10 years old. However, if the child does go alone, no problems usually arise, as the work with children involves well-trained, experienced teachers. Some educational institutions even organize special holiday programs for children aged 7-8. There are schools offering programs for children with parents – where the child lives in a children's camp, and you stay nearby in a hotel or boarding house and have the opportunity to spend part of the day together.
Typically, a holiday program includes a set of courses in several disciplines, one of which is the main one. So, if a child goes to study English, that subject will be the main one among the others. They may also include the study of British or English-speaking culture, traditions, and literature. One of the advantages of a holiday program is that it is not just classes from morning to evening. Students have the opportunity to travel and go on excursions, of which there are many, but this makes the program more expensive.
As a rule, the educational institutions organizing holiday programs for foreign students are universities or schools that have sent their own students on vacation. Students of holiday programs can live on university campuses, with a family, or in a hotel. Sometimes companies provide the opportunity to stay in apartments.
The most popular accommodation is on university campuses. There are pros and cons. Among the latter is what the British call "the lack of privacy," i.e., the impossibility of keeping any secrets of private life, constant guests and visitors, noise and bustle. The positive aspects of living on campus include the ability to use all university facilities and services.
To get into a holiday program somewhere, it is not at all necessary to contact the chosen educational institution directly, especially since it is often quite problematic. You can turn to domestic companies that specialize in sending our students to study abroad.
Holiday programs exist in all countries of interest in our market and where there are educational institutions offering holiday programs for foreign students. If we talk specifically about learning a foreign language abroad, the choice is very wide – from English in the UK, Ireland, and Australia to Arabic at universities in various Persian Gulf states.
Internship - Internship
An internship is a work practice that allows you to make a good impression at a company and gain necessary work experience in your field. Internships can take place over the course of a year or only in the summer. Whether it is paid or not depends on the place of internship, the company's resources, and, of course, on you. As a rule, the conditions of payment are specified in advance in the announcement for accepting interns (those who will undergo the internship). There is an option where partial payment is provided for work during the internship.
Internship programs are offered by companies with various types of activity – from show business to PR (public relations). The main thing is to have the necessary information.
Remember: an internship is not an opportunity to earn money, but a chance to show yourself, demonstrate everything you have learned and already know, the opportunity to make a name for yourself in a company, and start paving your way to success. There is a very high probability that the same company will hire you for a permanent job.
The goal of an internship is to gain necessary experience. Even if you earn nothing, the main thing is to acquire experience that will be very useful later. You yourselves know the vicious circle that graduates of our universities find themselves in: without experience, they don't want to hire you. Even if the company where you interned did not offer you a permanent position, the fact of an internship will help find a decent job in the future, because you already have experience.
It is better to do an internship at large, well-known firms. The brand name speaks for itself: if you have worked at some famous company, you will surely be a valuable asset for any other firm or organization operating in the same business field.
There are several ways to learn about internship programs. The most reliable is to use the Internet, where, as in Greece, there is everything - including special websites dedicated to internship programs abroad. Right there you can fill out an application form and send it to the company.
Academic Year
It should be remembered that the academic year is not equal to the calendar year. The 'Academic Year' program is designed for a period of 9-11 months, i.e., one school year. The program includes not only study, although even at a desk, you will not be bored. Usually, in addition to the curriculum, the 'Academic Year' program includes an extensive cultural and excursion program (for an additional fee or free of charge). In addition, sometimes there is an opportunity to work in your free time from study.
The choice of disciplines depends on the educational institution and on you personally. As a rule, in addition to compulsory subjects, you can enroll in a large number of additional disciplines. The main subject depends entirely on your choice – you decide on it when you enter the academic program. Think about whether you want to learn a foreign language (that is why students most often go) or prefer to immerse yourself in the study of some other disciplines.
Another option - for schoolchildren - to spend an academic year in a standard, for example, American public or private school, and thus get acquainted with the education system of another country. You will feel how effective certain foreign teaching methods are, experience the atmosphere of a foreign culture and see the sites of historical events. It will be interesting to compare domestic teaching methods with foreign ones, and then tell your friends about them.
During the program, accommodation is most often provided with a family. You will be given a room (usually private) and half board – you have breakfast and dinner at home, and lunch somewhere in the city or at school. Families treat their new 'children' or 'siblings' very friendly.
The 'Academic Year' program is the best way to 'get a foot in the door', as Americans say, i.e., to start paving your way to success. One of its main components is a good education. Many Western universities offer the opportunity to enroll to those who have completed the 'Academic Year' program in the same country and successfully passed the required exams and tests.
Au Pair Program
The phrase au pair is borrowed from French and translates as 'on equal terms', 'in pair'. Participants of the program, who are called au pair, temporarily become members of the host family with certain rights and responsibilities.
The Au Pair program is a unique chance to get to know the culture of another country, learn a foreign language and gain useful experience. If you are young, sociable and, most importantly, love children and everything connected with them - this program is for you. The Au Pair program is popular among young people all over the world. And there is nothing surprising about it: having paid only for paperwork and travel to your place of stay, you become a member of a foreign family for a certain period (from 3 to 12 months), with corresponding rights and responsibilities.
Who can participate in the program? The participant of the program is a young person aged 18-25 (in some countries up to 26, or even up to 30 years old), with conversational level of a foreign language, complete secondary education, without bad habits and criminal record. It is implied that the au pair has a gentle character and good health, loves children and has experience with them. It is advisable to provide one or two references from people you helped take care of children, and perhaps a recommendation from a place of work or study may be required.
The main concern of the au pair is childcare (up to 40 hours per week) and help around the house. You will have to feed the child, play with him/her (there may be several children), keep order in their room and, importantly, in your own. You will have to pay for personal expenses yourself.
Imagine that you live and work in a family. It is quite natural that it is difficult for you to draw a line between work and personal life. Do not forget, au pair is not a guest or an employee, but practically a family member. You are not obliged, of course, if you do not want to, to do heavy housework, mow lawns, take care of pets or manage the household.
Au pair is provided with a private room, full board, pocket money, free time (1-1.5 days per week), the opportunity to attend language courses and a small paid vacation, during which you can travel around the country.
Work+ Programs
The Work+ program exists in several variants. For example, the Work & travel program implies work for a certain period of time, after which you have the opportunity to travel or visit friends.
When participating in Work + Earn, you can devote all your time to earning money. The goal of this program is to get the opportunity to immerse yourself in the language environment, practice speaking, feel the atmosphere of the host country. As a rule, the average salary, for example in the USA, is from $5 to $10 per hour, which by Western standards is a rather low wage. Sometimes, however, they offer payment up to $15 per hour. But it is worth remembering that the amount earned also depends on the number of working hours per week.
The Work+ program offers, mainly, work in the hotel and tourism business, and sometimes in agriculture, for example, on a farm, at factories, gas stations or hospitals. The program participant must be at least 18 years old. As a rule, the age does not exceed 40-45 years, but this depends on the field of activity. This program is attractive to young people, as they are more mobile, adapt more easily to changing conditions and cope with possible difficulties.
The only way to get into the Work+ program is to follow the offers of domestic and foreign companies operating in our market in the field of education and training abroad. Such firms take care of visas, tickets, and handle accommodation and meals.