Boys from De La Salle College in Malvern are "Coolies" and are in India for six weeks to build classrooms for a primary school. It's no holiday because the term is an Asian word for unskilled labourer.

While their peers are sunning it and funning it in Lorne, Torquay, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay or Bali, 18 students will tough it out in Madurai, in southern India, after raising a minimum of $500 each for building projects.

It is Edward Cheesman's first overseas trip and he is carrying out the teachings of the college's religious leader, St John Baptist De La Salle, in caring for the "least, the last and the lost".

He is not disappointed about missing out on Schoolies. "The main thing is helping those that are less fortunate than ourselves," Edward said.

Teachers Charles Thompson and Joseph Di Ciccio are accompanying the group and spending Christmas together. Mr Thompson said the students were not interested in drinking for two weeks and wanted a positive experience. "They will see some confronting things but they return a better person," he said.

The consensus among mature teens is: "Getting pissed – you can do that any time."

After waving goodbye to VCE exams and the school gate, about 70,000 students are on the loose. Schoolies is an organised operation and comprehensive websites run by the Victorian and Queensland governments have warnings about alcohol, drugs and violence. Given up to 30,000 teenagers will be cavorting on the Gold Coast, the message is: "Be safe and watch your mates." Up to 4000 teenagers are going to Bali to push it to the max.

Some protective parents have chained their kids to the couch to watch The Sound of Music, but most school-leavers have bolted for destination: freedom.

For Xavier College student Ziggy Liszukiewicz, it's "pretty cool" to celebrate the end of school away from his parents and he is chilling out in the private-school playground of Byron Bay. His rented house for seven people costs $7000 a week and just as pricey is the $2000 bond that comes with strict rules.

Safety is paramount, so is avoiding embarrassing photos on social media. "You don't want to be the person who ends up on the front page of a newspaper," Ziggy said.

The www.schoolies.com website is the main booking site for accommodation and has arranged getaways for 26 years. Students book 12 to 18 months in advance and save up for the ultimate graduation party.

Some revellers are determined to get smashed – even smash the furniture – but the CEO of schoolies.com, Matt Lloyd, said throwing televisions off balconies belonged in the 1990s. "You don't see these problems anymore," he said. "There has been a massive education programs in schools."

The result is immaculate rooms due to competitions run by building managers that offer three nights' free accommodation for a future holiday.

Schoolies attracts "Toolies" – adult opportunists wanting a piece of the action – but the policing of IDs and wristbands at party hubs has thwarted their aspirations.

Guardian angels exist for Schoolies in trouble and they have a red halo. Volunteers from the Red Frog support program walk them home and even cook pancakes. Education co-ordinator Grant Gehrke said his organisation ran an entertainment stage to divert teens from alcohol and make them dance until they were exhausted.

"If they are bored, they will stay in their room and drink," he said.

The teachings of St John Baptist De La Salle are relevant beyond India in caring for Schoolies who are "lost" and need a lie down.