Program Support For Teachers

Language & Friendship salutes you for taking the time to offer your students the gift of an immersion experience abroad, and we are committed to supporting you throughout – before, during, and after your program.

Your L&F program coordinator works closely with you to plan the program that best suits the needs of your group, and to fine-tune the itinerary to make sure it includes your priorities.

While abroad, our extensive network of long-time friends and colleagues treat you like friends as well. You will have contact information for L&F staff and trusted coordinators who will be available to help you with any situation.

Further support:

High Behavioral Standards:  Language & Friendship has high expectations of participants so that our groups reflect highly on themselves, their communities and their country. Students and their parents must sign L&F's Program Expectations and agree to L&F's Communication Expectations. We support teachers in upholding expectations and in communicating with parents.

Contract with L&F:  Students and their parents sign an application agreement with Language & Friendship, Inc. All payments are made payable to Language & Friendship so that monies do not need to go through school funds. The agreement is thus between Language & Friendship and the parent(s).

Liability Insurance:  Language & Friendship's liability insurance covers teachers as designated program leaders.

Materials:  L&F's educational study materials, sample rubrics, and journal ideas are tools designed encourage active engagement of students before, during and after the program abroad. Many teachers find L&F's study materials appropriate for use with all their students and incorporate parts of them into their curriculum. Some schools agree to offer credit for participation in an educational program abroad if teachers define it as a course.

School Approval:  If your program travel dates are during the school year, approval from your school administration is required. Please request our School Administrator Packet for helpful information to provide to your administration. If your program travel dates are in the summer, your school may or may not require an approval process but it is essential to verify your school's policies. In many cases a school does not necessarily sponsor a program abroad but still requires specific information about the program.

Scholarships:  Language & Friendship's Naomi Thomsen Scholarship Fund, established in memory of our founder, provides financial aid to students who demonstrate significant financial need as well as a strong commitment and motivation for language study. A selection committee of retired language teachers reviews applications and selects recipients.