In 2017 under the New Colombo Plan Mobility Program, UNE was able offer subsidies to assist Law students to study for one semester at Thammasat University in Bangkok. The recipient of this subsidy, Zoe Holdaway-Griffiths recently shared with us the opportunities and experiences that this program has given her.

“I’m writing to you from Bangkok, where I am on exchange in the Law Faculty of Thammasat University. I have had a few raised eyebrows when combining the words law degree and Thailand, however I cannot speak highly enough when recommending this program. The university has amazing professors who specialise international economic, environmental and business law. The experiences you will gain from studying in Thailand, extend far beyond the classroom.

It is easy to group your lectures together so you can make the most of travelling this amazing country, as well as the many surrounding it, such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Australia and Thailand have a Free Trade Agreement, which means there are many volunteer opportunities over here and the experience you gain is often highly valued by employers at home as travel enhances your communication, problem solving and networking skills. This agreement also means you may be privileged enough to receive funding from the Australian Government’s ‘New Colombo’ Initiative. I combined this with the HELP exchange funding and have found it to be more than enough to survive and explore.

I am only halfway through my experience. I have gone from the North to the South of the country, from the Islands to the jungle. I am currently writing an article for a local law firm, making recommendations for the reintegration of human trafficking victims, based on Australian protocol and international best practice and working with a global anti-money laundering database. I get to do this from an outdoor, mobile office, with some of the most amazing sights in the world. If you want to get real experiences from your degree, this is the way to do it”.