There are various online international student exchanges that place students in schools in other countries. They also arrange for guests to live with a host family while they are living away from home.
International student exchanges worldwide
It is possible for students to travel overseas from the United States to attend schools all around the world to participate in international student exchanges. A foreign exchange program trades a student from another area of the world with one from the United States for a predetermined amount of time, such as a semester or school year. Programs can be for high school or college learners, and some are work programs that require a learner to have a potential job in the U.S. before they can enter the U.S. Schools that are interested in hosting exchange students contact organizations who accept applications from those who are interested in attending school in another area of the world.
Benefits of attending school in another country
There are many benefits of attending school in another country. It is a good way to experience the everyday culture of the area by actually living there. It provides experience that cannot be found by simply touring as a guest. Another benefit is that they can hear the language as it is spoken by those native to the area. This provides the benefit of hearing real language that is spoken with the proper accent and pronunciation. Additionally, students get a wider view of the world as they live and attend school in a foreign region. They can experience the similarities of others who live in there, and they can see how much they are similar to those students. They may even develop a better appreciation for their own country if they are involved in international student exchanges in a country that limits the freedoms of its citizens.
Families who host students
International student exchanges need families to host students from ages 15 through 18 as they attend school while they are visiting. Those who come to the U.S. to attend school stay with a family, and though this experience they learn a lot about the American culture. They are expected to be active members of the family which includes eating meals with them. For the most part, they go where the family goes, such as shopping and visiting family and friends. Students bring their own money for their personal expenses, such as school supplies and lunches. The responsibility of the family is to ensure the student’s well-being and safety. Most organizations require that the learner be given a separate bedroom in which to stay. Learners must be able to speak and understand the language used in the family they are staying with. They must also have proven ability of success in the academic program in their home town, and they must have the flexibility and adaptability to live away from their family for a semester or year.
Schools who act as hosts
High schools recognize the benefits of having foreign learners attend their schools. These guests offer unique perspectives to class discussions and group work. They give students in their host school a wider view of their home country, and they act as ambassadors for their countries. Learners in a hosting school often remark that their impression of those from the home region of the young person is positively affected after seeing how much they and the student have in common.
U.S. department of homeland security monitoring
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security screens students before they enter the U.S. as international guests. One of its departments, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) provides Homeland Security with any requested information on a student. Visas for those participating in international student exchanges are also issued through SEVP.
How exchanges place learners
International student exchanges act as the intermediary between those who want to study in another region of the world, schools looking for these learners, and families who are interested and qualified to host these young people. First of all, learners must be good students who have an excellent chance of success in the region they are visiting. The school must be receptive of hosting a young person from another area of the world. Finally, families must be emotionally healthy and able to provide a good experience for the visitor that represents typical American life.