How to Become a Host Family With YFU
Jennifer McKendree
Hosting an exchange student can be an incredibly rewarding experience. As a host family, you will provide guidance, love, and support while they are studying in your community. You will also share your culture and traditions, and learn about your exchange student's culture in return. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of becoming a host family with YFU USA. For further information visit our general Hosting page.
How to Host a Foreign Exchange Student?
This section will guide you through the necessary steps and considerations to ensure a rewarding experience for all involved.
Step 1: Submit your online Application
This initial phase is designed to gather information about your family and living environment, ensuring a good match with an exchange student. It's a process that sets the foundation for a successful and enriching hosting experience. Here's what you need to do:
Start your journey by filling out the online application. This form gathers essential details about your family and living situation.
Upload images of your home to give an overview of the living environment to the prospective student.
Complete a Criminal Background Check (CBC) to ensure a safe setting for the student.
A YFU representative will visit your home to discuss your application, answer questions, and assess your readiness for hosting.
Step 2: Review Student Profiles
After completing the initial application, the next step is to review and select a student profile. This stage is where the magic of matching happens. Our staff and dedicated volunteers work closely with you to find a student whose interests, hobbies, and personality align with your family's lifestyle and values.
During this phase, you'll have the opportunity to consider various aspects of potential students, such as their hobbies, academic interests, and cultural background. Whether your family enjoys outdoor activities, has a passion for the arts, or values academic excellence, YFU's matching process takes all these factors into account. The goal is to create a mutually beneficial and enriching experience for both your family and the student.
Interview & Reference Checks
Our staff or volunteers will meticulously verify the references you provided in your application. This is followed by an in-home interview, a key aspect of the process. The interview is not just a formality; it's an opportunity for YFU representatives to understand your family's dynamics, and your motivations for hosting, and to assess your home's suitability for an exchange student.
We consider this step vital in ensuring that both the host family and the student have a positive and enriching experience.
Standby For School Acceptance
Once the interview and reference checks are satisfactorily completed, the next significant step is the school acceptance. Your local Community Manager will be liaising with schools to secure a place for the exchange student.
The school's acceptance is a green light that paves the way for the final arrangements, including sharing the student's contact details with you and officially announcing to the student about their new American family.
Connect With Your New Family Member
The excitement builds as you reach the stage of connecting with your new family member. Once the school acceptance is confirmed and all necessary paperwork is completed, it's time to establish a connection with your incoming student.
This can be done through various means such as writing, calling, or video chatting. Such initial communication is an exhilarating moment, marking the end of the waiting period and the beginning of a new cultural and familial bond.
School Enrollment
The final step in the hosting process is the school enrollment of your exchange student. This involves coordinating with the high school your student will attend for class registration and enrollment.
We will be there to guide you through these necessary steps, as this phase is not just about formalities; it's an opportunity to support the student as they adjust to a new educational system and environment. It's a time to have fun and engage in the learning process together, helping your student navigate through their academic year in the U.S.
To discover the different hosting programs we have to offer, don’t hesitate to visit our Hosting Opportunities page.
Requirements To Host A Foreign Exchange Student
Welcoming a foreign exchange student into your home is a journey filled with learning and cultural exchange. To ensure a smooth and enriching experience for both the student and the host family, certain requirements must be met:
Provision of basic necessities: Host families are expected to provide the student with a comfortable living space and regular meals.
Integration into the family: It's important to include the exchange student in family activities and treat them as an integral member of the family.
Age requirement for host parents: Host parents should be aged 25 or older to ensure a mature and stable environment for the student.
Background check: All host parents must pass a background check, ensuring the safety and well-being of the exchange student.
Stable and appropriate household: The household should provide a supportive and positive environment, conducive to the student's growth and adaptation.
These requirements are key to fostering a successful and memorable hosting experience, enriching the lives of both the student and the host family. If you can meet this list, then chances are you’re ready to become a YFU host family.
Student Responsibilities
On the other hand, when welcoming a foreign exchange student into your home, there are some other responsibilities that the student’s family will be taking on, including:
Travel expenses: Students are in charge of their own travel costs, including flights to and from the host country.
Health insurance: It's mandatory for students to have their own health insurance coverage to cater to any medical needs.
School-related costs: All expenses related to education, such as tuition, books, and other necessary school materials, are the student's responsibility.
Cell phone expenses: Students should manage and pay for their own cell phone bills.
Personal spending money: For their personal leisure activities, shopping, or additional snacks, students are expected to use their own funds.
Benefits Of Being A Host Family
Opening your home to an exchange student is more than just providing a room; it's an opportunity to enrich your family life in numerous ways:
Enhanced Family Dynamics
Hosting an exchange student introduces a vibrant new dynamic into your household. It's a journey that fosters deep, lifelong relationships and offers a unique window into different cultures. This experience is especially beneficial for young children, as it promotes mutual learning and cultural understanding, broadening their horizons from an early age.
Fresh Perspective on Community
Welcoming a student from another country allows you to rediscover your local community through a new lens. Ordinary activities, such as grocery shopping or visiting local landmarks, become adventures filled with shared learning and new insights. This fresh perspective can transform everyday experiences into extraordinary memories, helping your family to appreciate their own community and share it with a foreigner.
Discovery of Family Values
The act of hosting is a powerful way to connect your family to the global community. It's an opportunity to impart and learn valuable lessons about acceptance, unity, and the celebration of cultural diversity.
These experiences often lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of your own family values and traditions, which is specifically beneficial for children at school age.
Inclusivity
Host families have many different faces and backgrounds. Regardless of whether you have children, are single, an empty nester, or part of a same-sex couple, anyone can become a host family as long as you are open to new experiences and prepared to offer guidance, love, and support to a student seeking personal growth.
Commitment to Intercultural Understanding
At YFU, we hold the conviction that local communities play a pivotal role in creating a global impact and fostering a more harmonious world. By hosting children from different backgrounds, we gain a profound understanding that our shared experiences outweigh our disparities.
We have been at the forefront of intercultural exchange programs for over 65 years, owing to our unwavering commitment to safety, renowned reputation for excellence, and exceptional support services.
Can A Single Person Host A Foreign Exchange Student?
The concept of hosting an exchange student is often associated with traditional family structures, but it's important to recognize that single individuals can also provide a nurturing and enriching environment for an exchange student. In fact, single-parent hosting can offer unique advantages and experiences both for the host and the student.
For some students, living with a single host may reflect the family dynamics they are accustomed to in their home countries, where single-parent households are increasingly common. For others, it may present a new and enlightening perspective on family life. In either case, the experience is valuable, offering a window into different forms of family structures and dynamics.
If you are also looking to make a positive contribution to your community while earning some additional cash, recommend a wonderful family or individual to become a host with YFU refer to a host family here.
Do You Get Paid To Host A Foreign Exchange Student
While YFU hosting is a volunteer role without financial compensation as per U.S. Department of State regulations, host families can potentially receive a charitable tax deduction in recognition of their contribution. If you are interested in this compensation, don’t hesitate to contact us to get further information about this.
What Do Other Families Think About the YFU Experience?
The majority of families that have welcomed an exchange student into their homes hold the experience in high regard, often emphasizing its positive influence not just on their lives but also on the lives of their children. To provide a clearer picture, let's consider the feedback from families who have hosted through YFU by the conclusion of their hosting year:
A significant 92% of them acknowledge the experience’s positive impact on their family.
91% express satisfaction with the educational and cultural advantages that come with hosting a student.
83% would recommend the experience of hosting an exchange student to friends and family. A notable number of these families choose to host again, while several others opt to contribute as YFU volunteers.
Regardless of whether a family hosts a single student or decides to welcome several more, hosting a YFU student offers an enriching educational experience for all family members involved.