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Hosting

Our students bring with them their own spending money, health insurance and a wonderful attitude and desire to learn about their new host country. Your whole family…and your relatives and friends…will grow and learn as you all get to know your new ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ from another country. This is a establish a lifelong link to a family in another country and contribute to international goodwill.

Students arrive in January, May, July, August and stay for 3, 5 or 10 months. All students have a wide range of interests and hobbies.

Hosting is voluntary

Host families are interested in welcoming an overseas teenager. They provide a bed, desk and at least two meals per day. Host families involve their students in your family’s activities and students attend a local high school.

Why consider hosting?

Learn about another culture and language

When an amazing young person joins your household, it broadens your horizons. You’ll learn how a person from another culture thinks and feels, and you can share their excitement as they learn about your country and culture.

Sense of reciprocity

Give an exchange student the same opportunity as your son or daughter has on exchange. Hosting is not a reciprocal requirement, but a great way for the whole family to have the exchange experience without leaving home.

Expand your family

While hosting an exchange student, you and your family will create bonds that last a lifetime. Some families grow so close that they visit each other for many years to come. It’s a wonderful way to experience another country and culture from the inside. 

24/7 Support

Every exchange student and host family will have their own Local Coordinator, and emergency support throughout the program. These caring coordinators provide backup support if the family is travelling without the student or if there is a crisis. 

Are you considering hosting an exchange student?

Please click & scroll across to view profiles of students who are waiting to have their host family placement confirmed below.

Please complete the form below to discuss the hosting process in detail with our Placement Manager. We are here to guide you through the hosting process.

Register here

Due to child protection regulations, access to full student profiles may not be provided until identification and screening has commenced.

Join our team!

Local Coordinators

Host families and exchange students are supported by our team of Local Coordinators. Coordinators assist by recruiting host families, and providing ongoing support for both families and students to ensure the program is a success.

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Frequently asked questions

Our host families come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and ages. Retired couples, single parents with or without children, couples with primary school children, couples with teenagers and a family pet…all can apply to become a host family and all can benefit in many ways from the exchange experience.

Students have all been tested and speak English well enough to attend classes at a local school. As with any non-native speaker, there may be a period at the beginning of the exchange where they need extra help and patience as they get used to speaking and hearing English.

We work with partner organisations around the world with which we have long standing relationships. Every new student is interviewed, their medical and academic records are checked and references are always required. Students come from over 15 countries, are usually aged between 15 and 18 years old and their natural parents must have the financial means to support them while on exchange. Each student comes with a passport and return ticket plus money to cover personal expenses and school costs.

We are a registered, non-profit student exchange organisation. Regulations governing exchange programs in Australia prohibit payment of host families. The programs operate on a reciprocal basis that allows AU/NZ students to benefit from the same opportunities overseas. Our not-for-profit status is also a regulatory requirement and means that our accounts are audited by an independent auditor each year and lodged with regulatory authorities. Click here to view more information explaining the government regulations on student exchange programs.

Exchange programs help promote international understanding and good will and depend on the good will of a number of participants. Volunteers help to look after the students while they are here and provide additional support services. The combined result is that many more students from around the world can share in the experience of living and studying in another culture.

Your basic responsibility is to welcome the student as a member of your family and to provide the same care and support you would give to your own children. We ask that you provide a bed and two to three meals a day. Students assume the normal responsibilities as a member of your family and are expected to undertake the same simple chores you would expect your own children to do.

Students are expected to have access to a minimum of AU$325 / NZ$400 a month to cover personal expenses and all ongoing school costs such as subject levies, excursions, school books and uniforms (no tuition fees are paid by the student).

Exchange students will go to a secondary school in your area, where we can secure an enrolment. Our office will arrange the school enrolment and your family might be asked to assist with finalising the enrolment details.

We will provide you with profiles of students which will include information on their interests and family background, and a ‘letter’ written to you as a prospective host family. This will often give you a special insight into the student which will help your decision. You then make a decision based on the students available.

All students have overseas student health insurance cover with the same benefits to the student as Medicare.

We provide a Local Coordinator who will live nearby. Trained by us, this person provides support to the host family and the student. Full time staff are available 24 hours a day in case of an emergency. We arrange transport for the student to the nearest main airport when they arrive. We also provide you with handbooks and other information.

We’re probably biased, but YES! We can have you talk to families who tell us how their lives changed by participating in student exchange. Having said that we wouldn’t dare say your semester or year would be without its problems –after all you are welcoming a teenager into your home. But we find host families cope well and help students through any problems they have and we are here to support you locally and at the national level.

Please telephone us on 1300 135 331 (in Australia) or 0800 440 079 (in New Zealand) to request more information. We’ll send you details on students who will be coming to Australia and New Zealand soon and as well as information on how you can become a host family.

Hosting Rebate

If your family hosts one of our inbound exchange students before, during or after your outbound exchange program, then you may qualify for a rebate of AU$500 off your program fee if you host for 5-10 months and AU$250 for hosting 2-3 months. Please contact us to discuss this rebate further.

Please note:

  • this rebate can be claimed at the end of your host student’s exchange program. Please email us at the end of your host student’s exchange program with your bank details to claim your rebate.
  • this rebate is in addition to any other scholarship or early bird discount you may be eligible for.
  • you can claim a separate rebate for each inbound student your family hosts.

To be eligible your family must meet the normal eligibility criteria including relevant Working With Children checks.

Our students arrive in January, May, June, July & August each year. Our new arrivals will live with a host family and attend a local school.

What’s next?

We would love to hear from you!

If your family can offer a friendly, supportive and caring home environment or you think you might be interested to host one of our students please call our office on 1300 135 331 (in Australia) or 0800 440 079 (New Zealand), email us on info@studentexchange.org.au or complete the form below.

Please note: Due to child protection regulations, access to full student profiles may not be provided until identification and screening has commenced.

Student Exchange Regulations
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