If anyone is interested in hosting a high school exchange student in the San Diego or Orange County, here's some information about the program. (Contact information at the end)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be a CHI host family?
The most important quality we look for in a host family is the genuine desire to open your home to an international high school exchange student and to treat your student as you would a member of your own family.
All CHI host families believe in the importance of cross-cultural exchange and are eager to learn about other countries and cultures as well as to share their American way of life with their student. Host families need not have a teenager or children in the home to qualify.
Qualities that are sought in a host family are friendliness, warmth, flexibility, and financial stability. The host family must also have the means to provide room and board for the student for the period of the student's stay. The socio-economic or educational level of the family is not as important as the family's willingness to share and learn with their exchange student. Busy families or those making renovations to their homes are also encouraged to host as this is a very typical and realistic part of our culture.
Do host families receive compensation for hosting?
All CHI host families are volunteers and do not receive payment for hosting. By eliminating any monetary incentives for hosting, CHI ensures that all motivation for hosting comes from the heart. In addition, the U.S. Department of State has concluded that host families of secondary school students should not be paid for hosting. They believe that hosting would become a commercial transaction which schools would view negatively and as a result, be less willing to accept exchange students or grant tuition waivers. This would counter the Department’s efforts to encourage participation by more socially and economically diverse populations and would have an overall negative effect upon our public diplomacy interests. The IRS allows each family to deduct $50 for each month that the exchange student lives with them. Exchange students are expected to pay for expenses outside of the home.
What is the benefit?
• Sharing the American Dream with a student of another culture
• Providing the opportunity to show a student from another culture that American people do work hard, play hard and are passionate about their concern for the local and global communities
• Having an up-close and personal opportunity to learn about another culture or cultures
• Benefiting the future for your own children who through this experience will have an ‘edge’ on education and the international business world. Your own children will be better able to understand and communicate across cultures
How long is the CHI High School Exchange Program?
CHI exchange students live with the host family and attend high school for a full, 10 month academic year or for a 5 month semester program. All students arrive approximately one week before school begins and depart 7-10 days after the program ends. The full academic year students arrive in late August and depart in June. Some students take intensive English training in the U.S. prior to arriving to their host family location. Because they are already in the U.S. they may arrive earlier than a week before school, depending on when the English training ends. If the high school in your area starts early or your family will be on vacation, special arrangements can be made for the arrival date of your student; however there is little flexibility surrounding requests for arrival more than a few weeks earlier than the start of school.
Are there orientations conducted?
The following are orientations and gatherings that will occur:
• Sending Agency Orientation (for students)
• Host Family Orientation (required for hosting adults)
• Student Orientation (students upon arriving)
• Welcome Party (all - students and families)
• Farewell Party (all - students and families)
Each region coordinates optional activities for students throughout the year. Host family members of high school age may attend. Please contact your AC for more details.
What kind of support will we receive?
Your CHI local Academic Coordinator (AC) has been trained to be sensitive to both the needs of the host family and the needs of your exchange student. Your AC is available to provide orientations, to answer questions, and to offer support. Academic Coordinators contact each family, their student and the school monthly, at minimum, monitoring the exchange and helping to ease through any 'bumps in the road'. On the occasion when your AC might not be available, the local Academic Program Administrator is also available. In the event of an emergency, a CHI member is always available on a 24-hour basis. We greatly appreciate the generosity of our host families and strive to provide each host family with all of the support and understanding that they might need to ensure an enriching cross-cultural experience.
Will we receive information about the hosting experience?
Your AC will visit you in your home to explain the hosting experience and to answer any questions that you may have. Before your student arrives, you will have a meeting either as a group with other host families or individually with your AC. You will be provided with orientation materials that will provide more details about the intercultural experience of hosting. When you select a student and the placement is confirmed, you will receive the Academic Year Program Handbook that provides rules, guidelines and policies. We recommend that you purchase the “The Host Family Survival Kit: A Guide for American Host Families”, a book written specifically to give host families more information about the cross-cultural experience, written by Nancy Huff. We also recommend that the host family gather information about their student's country and culture.
What will our exchange student expect?
The exchange students who participate in the CHI Academic Year Program expect to be treated as a member of your family. They have made the decision to leave behind their own family and friends for 5 or 10 months to have the experience of living with an American family and attending an American High School. The international students are as diverse as the American families who host them. Some are outgoing and gregarious; others are quiet and shy. Like most teenagers around the world, they are curious and inquisitive. They have come to the U.S. to discover what the American way of life is all about. They have also come as ambassadors from their countries to share their way of life with you. Your exchange student will expect you to communicate with him/her about your values, and will also expect you to listen when he/she tells you about the way of life of his/her country.
Will our student abide by the rules of our home?
Your student is expected to behave as a member of your family and follow all of the rules and expectations of your household. Since every family has its own set of house rules and policies, it is important for the family to take time in the beginning to explain to their guest everything that is needed to know about your household, including rules, chores, daily schedules, curfews, etc. Your Academic Coordinator will provide you with information which will be helpful to you in the initial stages of your hosting experience. In addition, the CHI Academic Year Program Handbook contains information about communicating rules and regulations. You should be honest and open about your household rules. Remember, your student is not merely a guest, but a new member of your family.
Who pays for our exchange students expenses during the program?
All exchange students have their own spending money and are requested to bring or receive from home approximately $200-$300 per month to cover personal expenses, such as school supplies, clothing, snacks outside of the home and entertainment, etc. host families are expected to provide only room and board for the student. The expenses of the host family will differ, depending on the lifestyles of each individual family.
May our exchange student share a bedroom with one of our children?
Yes. Many CHI host families do not have enough bedrooms in their home to accommodate an exchange student with a private bedroom. We have many students that are willing to share a room. We require only that your student share a room with a host sibling of the same gender and be given his or her own bed and space in the closet and the chest of drawers. Consideration should be given to the fact that your student will be attending high school and will be required to study and do homework.
Is the host family the legal sponsor for the student?
No. CHI is the legal sponsor for the student. As legal sponsor, CHI issues the documents necessary for the student to obtain an exchange-visitor visa to enter the United States and to participate in the CHI High School Exchange Program. CHI remains legally responsible for the student for the duration of the program. The host family does, however, have permission to obtain medical treatment from a licensed physician for the student when necessary. A medical release signed by the biological parents is included in the student's application.
Will our student have insurance coverage?
Yes. Your exchange student is covered with medical/accident insurance. The policy must meet U.S. Department of State and CSIET standards. Emergency dental treatment is covered for relief of pain or when damage to the teeth is caused by an accident. Your student will have insurance information and claim forms.
Will our student be allowed to drive our car?
No. While on the CHI Academic Year Program, students are not allowed to drive any motorized vehicle. This includes automobiles, motorcycles, mopeds, three/four-wheel ‘all terrain vehicles’, etc.
May we allow our student to travel on his/her own?
Your exchange student is not permitted to travel outside the local area by himself/herself or with peers. Overnight travel with host family, another family, or a responsible adult is permitted if prior consent is given by the host family and AC. Overnight travel is also permitted with an approved group (e.g. church, school, etc.). The host family and the Academic Coordinator must be informed of all such trips and have a telephone number of a responsible adult, in order to reach the student in an emergency.
Would it be acceptable to invite our student to our place of worship?
Your exchange student should be invited to attend your place of worship. If your exchange student is of a different religion, but is interested in attending your church, temple, or synagogue to learn more about this aspect of our culture, they should be welcomed and encouraged. However, attendance of religious services should not be forced upon the student. Arrangements should be made to allow the exchange student to attend the church of his/her choice if so desired.
How is the student's fee put to use?
The exchange students pay a fee in their home country that is established by our Overseas Representative in each particular country. The fee covers the many costs and expenses that are necessary for a successful exchange program. A large portion of the fee covers round-trip airfare to the final destination in the U.S., pre-departure orientation meeting in the student's home country, and educational and program materials for the students. The overseas office also uses a portion of the fee for promoting the program and for office overhead and administration. In the United States, CHI uses the fee to cover placement, orientations, supervision, health and accident insurance for the entire period of the student's stay in the United States, advertising, promotion, materials, office overhead and administration of the program in the United States. CHI is a non-profit educational foundation, and as a designated sponsor of high school exchange students is subject to regulations established by the United States Information Agency.
What school will the student attend?
Typically the student will attend the high school that is within the host family’s boundaries…dictated by the school district. However, there are special cases. If the host parent is not comfortable with the school, there are other school options. In some cases schools have a lottery in which the local students have first choice. As a result, it is not guaranteed that host families with children that attend one of these high schools will have their exchange student attend their high school. In these cases, the CHI AC will seek the nearest local school within the host family’s boundary as a reasonable alternative.
How does the student get to school?
It depends on where the host family lives with respect to the school. If the school is close by the student may be able to walk or ride a bike, which they can purchase. The San Diego Transit System has a school carpool program that can help with arranging the carpool. The student would pay for any fees related to this carpool.
What should I know about CHI?
Cultural Homestay International (CHI) is a non-profit public benefit organization founded in 1980 to promote international understanding, friendship, and goodwill through cultural homestays. We believe that the best way to eliminate fear and prejudice among nations is to experience directly the cultures, languages, and customs of the peoples by living with them.
CHI is dedicated to carefully matching international exchange students with especially selected American host families and U.S. high schools. Every year high school-aged youth from over 35 countries around the world participate in CHI's high school foreign exchange program - the Academic Year Program (AYP).
As a U.S. Department of State designated J-1 Visa sponsor and listed by the Council on Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET), CHI adheres to the highest level of program compliance. International exchange students, U.S. host families and U.S. schools can feel confident they are participating in a quality educational and cultural foreign exchange program.
What is the next step?
If you would like more information about the program, please contact your local Academic Coordinator. A Coordinator will make arrangements to visit you in your home at a convenient time for your family. We appreciate your interest in promoting intercultural understanding in your community!
Alison Fishman, BA
Academic Coordinator
Cultural Homestay International
(619) 675-5004
alisonsdchi@gmail.com
Information About Hosting an Exchange Student
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