Host a Foreign Exchange Student
International Friendships - An enriching experience for a lifetime!

Bright, motivated boys and girls, ages 15 to 18

Arriving in August from more than 40 countries

Eager to experience life in the U.S.

Active in art, music, dance, sports and more! (host families participate in finding a student matched to your home environment)

Students show ability and motivation to succeed in a cross-cultural environment.

Students have English skills, spending money, medical & accident insurance.

CCI’s network is available 24 hours a day to ensure that your hosting experience is the best it can be.  

Anyone who loves students and
has an extra bed can be a good host!

Frequently Asked Questions 

How old are the students? 

Students are all in high school between the ages of 15 and 18. 

How long will the students be staying?

Most students are here for the full year or 10 months. But we do have a few students that only stay for 1 semester (both spring and fall) as well as 4-6 weeks in a welcome family. Welcome families open their homes for about 6 week which gives us a little more time to find a permanent placement for the students since students can’t move forward with their visa and travel arrangement until they have a placement and school permission. 

Expenses associated with hosting a student?

Students come with their own spending money, host families just provide a room (or bed – they can share a room with a same sex host sibling within 5 years their age), meals, place to study, and loving care. Insurance for students? Students come with their own medical and emergency insurance. 

Expectations of the student?

They are not guests in your home, but part of the family. As a family member, they are expected to have rules and chores like any other family members. They are also highly encouraged to participate in family activities. They are teenagers and we want them to do teenage things, but the family is responsible for making guidelines for them to follow and they understand that these guidelines will most likely be different to what they are used to back in their own country. 

Who can host?

Almost anyone who has a loving heart can be a good host home. One host parent needs to be at least 26 years of age. Single parents need to be at least 26 years of age and the host student (and natural family) have the right to reject the placement; however, single people are welcome to host. Same with same-sex partners -- you are welcome to host, but the student must approve. Also, single men can only host male students. We have single people, married people, with children, without children, in single family homes, in apartments, retired couples, just about all types. We just ask that you have a willingness to provide a loving home environment for the student. 

Do I know who I will be getting?

Yes. You decide if you want a male or female, a religious preference, a cultural preference, and we also work closely to match our families and students with similar interests. You then decide on the student that best fits with your family. 

Do I have to enroll them in school?

Students go to your area public high school and we contact the school and get permission before the students is placed with you. The host family is required (by the school) to be within their school zone and to enroll the student, but often times the area representative will attend the process with you so the school knows who they are and that they are closely involved. 

What if there are problems?

You have access to the CCI organization 24/7. The area representative is in close contact with the host family and student, making contact a least twice a month to check on things. If problems arise, the area representative will work closely with the student and family to get things back on track. From time to time unexpected issues arise and it is determined that it is best for the student to be placed in a different home – this can be anything from personal family issues to personality conflicts, but most students do very well in the program. The area rep and CCI wants to see the student be successful and will support the family and student to see that they do have a successful stay. 

How do the students do in school?

The student is required to maintain a “C” average in their academics as well as follow house rules and regulations. If they fall behind academically they must seek tutoring and/or they can be put on academic probation. If they don’t bring the grade back up to passing, they are subject to being sent home.

How much family involvement is there?

We encourage the student to limit their contact with friends and family back home to make the most of the U.S. experience. We ask them to limit their phone contact to once or twice a month as we don’t want their parents to try and parent them or manage their time here. We let the host family do the parenting with as much assistance as they need from CCI and the area representative.

I want to host, but I have a planned trip during the school year.

Many families travel with their students and it is most acceptable to ask the student to pay their own travel and entertainment expenses. If something comes up where it might not be appropriate for the student to attend such as a funeral or business trip, we will help find another family for them to stay with. Often times the student will stay with a friend they have made from school.

If you live in Austin, Texas, or the surrounding area, and would like information on hosting a foreign exchange student, contact your local representative:

Jayne Allen
512-938-7847
info@HostAStudent.info

Why host?

  • Promotes a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family
  • Offers a learning experience that can't be duplicated by textbooks
  • Promotes an understanding of a completely unknown culture
  • Bring their world to you by sharing meals, traditions and daily conversations with an exchange student

Who can host?

  • Working parents
  • Couples without children
  • Singles and single parents
  • Adoptive parents
  • Empty-nesters
  • Singles and couples whose children are grown
  • People who live in houses, apartments, suburbs, cities, villages or on farms.

Who makes a good host family?

  • Warm, welcoming and open-minded people
  • Often international travelers themselves or would like to be
  • Proud to share their American culture and lifestyle
  • Interested in learning about other cultures
  • Eager to include a student in their family and community

For more information about the CCI organization,
visit CCI-Exchange.com

Ways to Help Without Hosting

There are many ways you can help an exchange student have a great experience here other than hosting. 

Many host families are middle income working families that have pretty regular routines and enjoy unwinding and taking it easy on the weekends. So, after the honeymoon period is up family life can get rather routine and sometimes feel a bit drab to the student. Although we encourage exchange students to make friends, get involved in school or church functions and stay busy to keep life in the US exciting and help prevent homesickness some students find it easier than others to be outgoing and make new friends quickly. Also, the area representative tries to offer a change in pace with suggesting optional activity about once a month for the group. However, whether a student is able to attend these group functions is dependent on their host families schedule and availability to provide transportation. 

While some students are better at opening up and making friends, others need a little extra guidance and assistance and just by you providing them another place to go on occasion can help bring out the personality of an exchange student, help work on communication skills and experience more of our community and culture.

Here are some ways you can help:

Entertaining: Since we have students spread as far apart as over 100 miles, it’s not expected that every student will be able to attend a CCI planned group monthly function but you can help the student have a fulfilling experience by hosting them for a dinner, inviting them to one of your activities, sharing a talent or sponsoring a group activity. 

Career Mentoring: Many students are giving thought to their own career path and are interested in learning more about specialized careers and would like to speak one-on-one with professionals. You can do a great service by mentoring a student in your profession. 

Spreading the Word: Many families would love to know about the opportunity of hosting an exchange student but are unaware of the possibility or don’t know how to go about getting involved until they get an e-mail or see a bulletin of how to get in touch with a representative that can answer their questions. 

Welcome Hosting: Being a short-term home for a student whether they are just arriving or are in-between homes, can make a huge difference in how successful a student is in the program. The transition period is crucial to their success in the program and we are always looking for compassionate people to help when we have to move a student from one home to another. 

Guidance Mentor: Whether you call the student periodically as a volunteer or work with the student ongoing as an Area Representative, we welcome your assistance.

Promotion: Help get the work out through: church bulletins, neighborhood newsletters, networking groups, real-estate brochures, teachers, e-mail lists, adoption groups, youth, sports and other organizations.

Area Representative: If you love teens, culture and/or travel, we need people who want to be completely involved with the student to work as liaison between student and the organization. This does provide a stipend pay for you and job entails: finding host families, matching students that appears compatible with a particular family, get school approval, greet student upon arrival, hold orientations (1 for host family, and 3 for each student – arrival, mid-year, and prior to leaving), monitor the student on a bi-monthly basis, counsel student as necessary (probation if necessary), handle any family conflicts (to include replacing student if necessary), supporting the students successful in the program.