4.2.Dl.1 Frequently Asked Questions

8/11/2019 4.2.Dl.1 Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions (4.2)

Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)about applying for Wide Horizons. If

you still have unanswered questions, feel free to contact via email: link to 7.

Download the FAQs as Pdf(4.2.dl.1)

1. How many students will be chosen?

24 (12 women and 12 men) from many ethnic groups

2. How many teachers are there? Are they all foreign or are some local?

1 English teacher and 1 Community Development Teacher. Both are usually foreigners, and

they teach Monday-Friday. There is 1 Computer Teacher who is usually local. But all classes are

taught in English only.

3. What supplies does the school provide (meals, hygiene, school supplies, etc.)?

WH provides accommodations in the WH school. There are 2 separate dormitories for males

and females. WH also provides mats, mosquito nets, blankets, and fans. If you live in the Mae

Sot area, you may want to bring your bed and pillow from your own organization. WH also

provides budget for 3 meals a day that the students cook. WH provides all school materials

needed, such as pencils, pens, notebooks, and 1 computer for every 2 students. Students are

encouraged to arrange their own transportation to and from Mae Sot at the beginning and at

the end of the year. WH will reimburse the travelling costs for these two trips. If students takepersonal travel during the year, such as for ration check-ins or visits to family, they have to pay

for this themselves.

4. Do we get pocket money?

No. WH cannot provide pocket money. However, we provide all the essential things you need

for their studies (see above). Many students ask their organization or a sponsor to give them a

little pocket money while they study.

5. Do we have to pay school fees?No. WH covers all of the necessities for study. You will need to have enough money to pay for a

school T-shirt, hygiene materials, snacks, clothes, phone credit and other personal expenses.

6. Can we attend if we are married?

Yes, however, you should check that your spouse is supportive of you living at the WH

compound away from him/her during the year. Because of the large quantity of work and social


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activities at WH, there is limited time to visit family members during the school year. Thus,

students who are married or have children may find it difficult to balance their schoolwork and

personal life.

7. Can Post-10 students with no experience join if they pass the entrance exam?No. You need to have at least 1 year of work experience in an organization or school. If you

have no work experience, but are motivated to learn and work in an organization, and are

interested in Community Development, then EIP is a better program for you.

8. Will we have a chance for scholarships/further study?

No. WH aims to take students from Community Based Organizations and build their skills so

they can return to work in their organizations. If you want to apply for further studies after your

work placement, you can. However, we prefer that students remain in their organizations for

longer so they can gain more valuable work experience and help their organizations develop

more. If you are more interested in further study than community work, MHEP is a better

program for you.

9. Will the certificate be recognized by the international community?

Wide Horizons is a program with an excellent reputation in the Thai-Burma border community.

The program is recognized by the Windham Institute (USA) and WH staff have furthermore

submitted the WH curriculum to Tak Community College, Naresuan University (Thailand), for

approval to get recognized certificates for WH students.

10. Do I have to live on the compound?

Yes. All students live on the English-speaking compound together. Group work is also a very

important part of the curriculum inside and outside of class, so living on the compound ensures

participation. Therefore, it is important that all students are on the compound during the week.

11. What kind of rules and regulations does the school have?

All of the rules have been chosen for good reasons, based on previous years experiences. Some

of the rules include: No alcohol, beer, or drugs. No dating other WH students or Hsa Htoo Lei

students. You must carry your WH Student ID card with you everywhere you go. You must

inform the WH coordinator and student leaders if you are leaving the compound for personal

business.

12. How many subjects are there?

There are 3 main subjects: Community Development, English, and Advanced Computers. Within

English, you learn skills for reading, writing, listening, and speaking, grammar, pronunciation,


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and vocabulary acquisition. For Community Development, you go through the project cycle in

depth, learn report and proposal writing, leadership, and facilitation skills, and do practical

community work in the Mae Sot migrant community. For computers, you learn Excel, InDesign,

Photoshop, Video Editing, and Basic Website building, and some computer maintenance. The

computer skills learned in WH are more advanced, so its important that you havesome basiccomputer knowledge before attending WH. If you dont have any computer knowledge yet,

start working on it now!

13. How much homework do you have? Do you always have a lot of homework?

Homework can vary from night to night depending on the projects you are working on. Usually

students spend about 2-4 hours on homework per night. If students feel like they are receiving

too much homework, they always have the ability to give feedback to their teachers and

teachers are usually willing to reduce homework if needed. Teachers also make sure to

communicate with each other so that if one teacher needs to assign a lot of homework, the

other teachers will try to reduce theirs.

14. Is it all academic, or is there a practical component?

WH uses a curriculum that focuses on experiential learning, which means that all academic

learning is coupled with practical experiences. Students complete many projects in their

English, Community Development, and computer classes, and do community development

projects on the school compound and in the Mae Sot community.

15. What are the responsibilities outside of school?

Students have daily cooking and cleaning duties on the school compound. WH students are also

expected to participate in community projects, trainings, and meetings with donors.

16. Will we have a chance to use Internet 24 hours a day?

WH has internet installed on the compound and students are regularly using it in their studies.

WH also has a computer lab at nearby Hsa Htoo Lei School where there are 12 computers in

total (1 for 2 students to share). If you have your own laptop, we recommend that you bring it

with you since we have a limited number of computers and the quality can vary. The computer

room at Hsa Htoo Lei also has internet. Students are required to follow the established

guidelines and rules for internet and computer use.

17. How many holidays will we get?

There are 3 trimesters with a holiday at the end of each trimester. Usually there is a one-week

holiday around the end of August, and a 1.5 week holiday at the end of December/beginning of


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January. The school year finishes at the end of March. At that point, WH, you and your CBO

supervisor all discuss together to determine when you will begin your internship work.

18. When we have holidays, will we have a chance to go back and visit our families?

Students may visit their organizations and family if they are in the Mae Sot area, as long as theyask permission from the WH school coordinator. If families are farther away, students will need

to discuss with the WH school coordinator and your organization, and the decision will be made

on a case-by-case basis. If you leave the school for personal reasons, you will need to make

your own arrangements for transport and travel documents. WH will not be responsible for

your security if you are leaving Mae Sot for personal reasons.

19. Can I do my work placement in any organization I want?

The goal of WH is to develop the capacity of the organizations that students have already been

working in. Therefore, students must go back to their host (or mother) organization for their

work placement. If the host organization closes while the student is studying at WH, or if the

organization is unable to give the student a job when they finish WH, then the student can look

for another suitable organization to do the work placement at. Before a student leaves their

host organization during a work placement, they must get a letter of permission from their

supervisor explaining why the intern cannot work at their organization. The student must give

this letter to WH staff. When the intern starts work at a new organization, WH staff will discuss

with the student and new organization about the arrangement of the work placement, to make

sure the student still follows the WH work placement policy.

20. What happens if my work placement organization moves to Burma?

WH encourages students to work with their organization in Burma, as it will provide valuable

work experience for the student during the work placement and help to develop the capacity of

organizations in Burma. However, WH staff understand that for personal or safety reasons, it

may not be possible for students to move to Burma at this point. If the student wishes to stay in

Thailand, they must discuss with WH staff and follow the directions noted in #19.

21. Can I get a part-time job or study while I do my work placement?

During your work placement, your first priority should be contributing meaningful work to your

mother organization. If you do choose to do part-time work or study, you need to discuss with

your supervisor, WH staff, and follow your organizations policies accordingly so that you are

still providing valuable work to your host organization. Students are encouraged to seek

learning opportunities that are connected to their position at their host organization (ex.

attending a fundraising training if you are the donor communications focal point, taking

weekend Thai classes to improve communication skills with Thai colleagues, etc.).


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23. What support does WH give us during our work placement?

During the work placement, students must submit a quarterly report to a WH staff member.

The reports are read and the student is given feedback for how to overcome challenges. There

are 3 workshops for work placement students per year in Mae Sot to support them withchallenges they are facing. Additionally, WH staff try to visit students and their supervisors

during their work placement.

24. How can WH help us in the future?

WH provides you with leadership and management skills that can be carried into many high-

level job positions in the future. Many former students have later gone on to become directors

or high-level managers of projects, or start their own programs.

Documents

4.2.Dl.1 Frequently Asked Questions