Frequently Asked Questions
What if my son or daughter has a problem abroad?
How do I contact my student while he or she is abroad?
Will my son or daughter be safe?
What are my options for paying your program fee?
I would like to surprise my son or daughter with something special. Can SAF help?
What if my son or daughter has a problem abroad?
In the case of an emergency, SAF students will access to SAF staff, in their host country on a 24-hour basis.
Students are strongly encouraged to contact the SAF office in their host country if they experience problems, either personally or related to their studies. The SAF staff is familiar with the academic and social challenges of study abroad, are trained to help students solve problems, and are always happy to lend guidance or a sympathetic ear.
Students will be provided with SAF office phone numbers and pagers or cell phones in case of student emergencies. In the event of a medical emergency , a student will be instructed how to contact their medical insurance provider immediately. We will also provide students with contact numbers of their host university's police and safety departments as well as SAF's university contact.
How do I contact my student while he or she is abroad?
Most parents use a combination of e-mail, telephone, and regular mail to contact our students. Whenever possible, SAF informs students of their overseas addresses before departure, but in rare cases student addresses will not be confirmed until arrival in the host country. Nearly all of our host universities assign e-mail addresses to students, and we enourage parents to use this address for all their electronic communication. We request you to do so because this is the only email address the host university and SAF will use for official communication purposes once the student arrives in their host coutnry. We are hoping that parents will help us to conveny that student's host university email address should be their primary email account while abroad.
The responsibility of setting up and paying for phone service varies by university, but typically students are either provided with a phone line or have access to the public phone system within their host university’s living arrangements. It is becoming increasingly common for our students to purchase Pre-Paid Cell Phones upon arrival and we will provide information about how to make such a purchase and discuss plan details during the orienation program.
Parents that need assistance or having difficulty in getting in touch with their son or daughter should contact the SAF, which will relay the message to the student through our host university contacts.
Will my son or daughter be safe?
Understandably, safety is one of the highest concern for parents of children studying abroad. SAF partner universities are prestigious, stable, and located in areas with low violent crime rates. Our comprehensive, mandatory orientations address health and safety issues relevant to the country of study, and our resident staff are careful to keep students knowledgeable about locations and situations that can present danger. In addition, the publications that we send to students, both before departure and while overseas, contain extensive information about staying healthy and safe while abroad.
What are my options for paying your program fee?
We try to provide parents with a varieity of payment options. Please contact our Japan (03-5321-6222) or Korea (02-735-2300) offices for specific details.
I would like to surprise my son or daughter with something special. Can SAF help?
Sometimes the best thing to cure a bit of homesickness or to remind someone how much you miss them is to send a "something special" gift. If you would like SAF to send flowers or a birthday cake to your son or daughter, contact the SAF office in your home country who will relay your request to the SAF host country office.
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