All aspects of the programme reflect this. The students live in small houses with 8 - 9 in each. They are responsible for the cleaning and hygiene of their home and this is carried out everyday. Breakfast and tea is prepared by the students in their own house on a wood burning stove. Students are given cooking lessons in the first six weeks of their stay so they have skills to cook cakes, biscuits and scones and the confidence to try out new recipes.
Every student is rostered on to be one of the three cooks every two weeks.
Evening meal prepared by the students. Living with seven other people can present many challenges for the students. They learn to communicate, co-operate, deal with conflict, care, tolerate, trust and be sensitive to others. Students are very busy at Tihoi and time management, punctuality and organisation are all skills the student must learn. Boys are responsible for their own housekeeping.