Exchange Programs

What is Hosting

As a host family you are offering an international student a safe place to stay, nourishing food, and supervision. You are helping promote world peace and understanding. In an age when the United States is undisputed as a major world power, it is important for people of other countries and cultures to understand us as individuals. Student exchange is a very effective way to do this. You aren’t just any family – you are representing your community and your country. From this time forward, your student and his/her family, will think of you as the American family by which all others are measured. Accepting a teenager, whom you have never met before, as a member of your family will require patience, a sense of humor, and sometimes a firm hand. You may find the hosting experience to be quite different than what you expected. Whatever your experience turns out to be in most all cases, host families find it to be exceptionally rewarding.

Why is host with Elsa and Friends

We developed a student exchange program based on the needs of our students and host families, providing a culturally rich immersion. Based on the fact that we work with such a small group of students and families, we are able to tailor the program to fit the needs of both students and host families. Unlike other cultural exchange programs, we know each one of our students on a personal basis, as they attend our English academy, Bilbao College. Given the importance of global relations in today´s society, sharing cultural commonalities and differences can be very beneficial. For this reason, we believe our student exchange program will benefit the community just as much as it will our students.

Who can Host

There is no “typical” Elsa and Friends host family. Regardless of the size of your family, you can volunteer to host a Elsa and Friends international student. As a Elsa and Friends Host Family, we ask that you provide:

• A safe and nurturing environment
• A private or shared bedroom (with a host sibling of the same gender)
• Three meals a day
• Necessary transportation

Your international student’s parents will pay for all travel costs, program fees and health insurance. They will also provide your student with a spending allowance used for social activities and other expenses

Benefits of Hosting a Student

For some families, hosting an exchange student adds an exciting new dynamic to their family life, others love the new perspectives that students infuse into their homes and communities. TLC offers the option of full day excursions for host families at special rates.

You will:

• Introduce your family to a new culture and language
• Grow closer as a family as you help your international student to learn about your town and area
• Practice hospitality and generosity with your own family
• Support diversity and cross-cultural understanding in your own home
• Increase cultural awareness in your community
• Create an international friendship that lasts a lifetime