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Becoming
An American Host Family
The 2008 Presidential election exemplifies how diverse Americans are, not only culturally and racially, but in their belief systems too. Hosting someone from another country might trigger interesting conversations about the Democratic process. What are elections like in China, Iraq, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, or Germany? Do democracy and order go hand-in-hand? What do other governments provide that is different? Ask an exchange student! Apply to become a host this historic election year by August 30, 2008.
Chances are, a family you know has had a student
from another country live with them for a short
period of time. Perhaps it was a relative, maybe
a neighbor, or possibly a colleague at work who
hosted one of these young ambassadors. While most
people have heard about student exchange through
people and families who have been participants,
many aren't sure exactly what hosting a student
involves.
Hosting an exchange student means opening your
home (and your heart) to a teen from another country
while he attends your local public high school.
With P.I.E.-USA, hosting opportunities are available
for periods of 6 months (either August/September
through January, or January through June) or 10
months (August/September through June). Students
who participate in the program have been carefully
screened before their acceptance. Applicants are
selected based on their academic achievements
and their extracurricular interests. Interviewers
identify individuals who demonstrate a curious,
responsible, outgoing and adaptable nature.
 P.I.E.-USA
provides full medical and accident insurance coverage
for the students as well as a local representative
to assist families and students during the exchange.
The students provide their own spending money,
host families are asked only to cover the cost
of room and board. While no compensation is paid
by P.I.E.-USA to volunteer families, the Internal
Revenue Service has authorized families hosting
for government-designated, non-profit exchange
programs (such as P.I.E.-USA) to claim a $ 50.00
per month charitable contribution deduction on
their itemized tax returns.
Just as there is no such thing as a typical student,
there is also no such thing as a typical host
family. Single-parent families, retired couples,
families with only young children, as well as
families with teenagers, have all had successful
hosting experiences. The most important criteria
for a host family are a genuine interest to share
the American culture with a foreign teenager and
a genuine interest in the well-being of the student.
During the time the student stays with you, we
ask that you treat the him (or her) exactly as
you would your own children. The student will
share the ups and downs of your everyday life,
and by the time he leaves, he will have become
a part of the very fabric of your family.
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Should you indicate an interest in hosting an
exchange student, P.I.E.-USA will gather information
about your family's makeup, hobbies and interests,
and special requests regarding the nationality
and gender of any potential exchange students.
An information packet will be sent to you and
shortly thereafter, a local program representative
will contact you to answer any questions you might
have. If, at that time, you are interested in
pursuing hosting, the program representative will
set up a time when an in-home visit can be conducted.
The purpose of the in-home visit is to see where
the student will live, discuss the program in
greater detail with all family members, and select
a student from the files the representative will
bring to the meeting. During the interview, the
representative will want to visit the room where
the student will stay to ensure that he (or she)
will have an individual bed, adequate space to
store clothing, a suitable area in which to study
and adequate bathroom facilities.
Shortly prior to the arrival of the students,
the representative will have a pre-arrival orientation
for the host families in the area. During this
meeting, tips and suggestions will be given to
assist the families in preparing for their students
and for the first few weeks following arrival.
Approximately six weeks after the students have
arrived, a post-arrival orientation will be held
for the families and students to address any issues
that may have arisen during the settling-in period.
Finally, shortly before departure, a reentry orientation
will be held for the families and students to
prepare them for the end of the program.
While the students are with the host families,
the local representatives will contact one host
parent in each family, the student, and the student's
high school counselor, on at least a monthly basis
to track the progress of the exchange and to provide
any needed assistance or advice.
Students, families and local representatives have
access to P.I.E.-USA's headquarters staff via
a toll-free phone number available from anywhere
in the United States. This number is answered
by P.I.E.-USA staff members between the hours
of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), Monday
through Friday. P.I.E.-USA makes every effort
to offer the highest level of support and accessibility
to the students and families involved with the
program.
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I
don't have any children at home. Can I still
host?"
There is no typical host family. Students
are interested in a wide variety of hosting
situations. Some students who come from large
families would like to experience being the
only child in a family.
"Can
young children benefit from hosting?"
Many of the students accepted into
the program indicate an interest in being placed
in families with small children. As for your
own children, their facility for learning a
language is never greater than when they are
young; and their interest, curiosity and acceptance
of people different from themselves is strongest
at a young age.
"I
think my house may be too small. Doesn't a student
need his own room?"
Program participants are prepared to
share a bedroom with a child of the same gender.
The only requirements are that the exchange student
must be provided with his or her own bed, and
that the host sibling sharing the room be at least
10 years of age. We have found that a student
who shares a room with a host sibling often makes
the transition from exchange student to family
member more quickly.
- "Since
my spouse and I both work, we wouldn't be home
to entertain the student. Wouldn't this be a
problem?"
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The typical American family, where the husband
works and the wife stays home, is fast becoming
a relic of a bygone era. In most of our two-parent
families, both parents work. We are not looking
for families to entertain our students. We are
looking for families who will share an exchange
of ideas, lifestyles, and love with a child
from another culture. With the participation
in the local high school, the student will quickly
develop a circle of friends and should not be
dependent on the family for entertainment.
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- "How
well will my student speak English?"
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The English level of your student will depend
upon a number of factors including the length
of time the language has been studied, the environment
in which the student received the instruction,
the student's home country, and many other factors.
Our academic programs require the students to
demonstrate a level of fluency that will allow
them to function in an American high school
shortly after arrival.
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- "Can
we host more than one student?"
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The governmental regulations under which our
academic programs operate preclude a family
from hosting more than one exchange student
at a time unless a compelling reason is presented.
In cases where an exception is made, the two
students must be from different countries and
speak different native languages.
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- "What
happens if my family and the student don't get
along?"
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Each family and student is assigned an Area
Representative who will work with them during
the program. This person is prepared to assist
you with any problems that might arise. In the
event of a serious problem, or conflict of personalities,
P.I.E.-USA will remove the student for evaluation
to determine whether the student should be replaced
or returned to his home country.
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- "Can
I choose the student I would like to have stay
with us?"
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Yes. Based on a review of the information you
provide to us, and a review of the student files
available for the upcoming year, your Area Representative
will present to you several files for your consideration.
You will ultimately select the student you would
like to host.
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- "What
are my responsibilities as a host parent?"
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We do not ask our host families to become legal
guardians for the exchange students. This responsibility
rests with our program. All we ask of our host
families is to care for the students as they
would their own children. This means that the
families are expected to provide a clean living
environment, good nourishment and love. The
students will provide their own spending money
for expenses incurred outside of the home; P.I.E.-USA
will provide full medical and accident insurance
coverage for each student.
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- "Are
your host families paid?"
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No. Families who host for P.I.E.-USA are entitled
to take a $ 50.00 per month charitable contribution
deduction from their itemized tax returns for
hosting (our program will send the appropriate
supporting documentation at the end of each
tax year), but as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization
designated by the United States Department of
State, P.I.E.-USA does not provide any direct
compensation for hosting.
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- "What
will my student do during the day?"
-
All students on academic programs will attend
the local high school nearest their families
on a full-time basis.
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- "How
can I get more information about hosting a P.I.E.-USA
student?"
- Complete
our on-line, pre-application
- Call
us toll free at 1-888-PIE-USA1 (1-888-743-8721)
- Send
an e-mail to info@pieusa.org
- Write
to us at: 8880 Rio San Diego, Suite 1045, San Diego, CA 92108 USA
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Pacific Intercultural Exchange-USA is pleased
to be a participant in several scholarship programs
which provide financial assistance to deserving
students.
For the seventh consecutive year, P.I.E.-USA
was identified by the United States Department
of State as one an elite group of organizations
chosen to administer the placement and care
for 1,100+ scholarship students from the New
Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet
Union. These students were selected from more
than 50,000 applicants to receive full scholarship
funding for their academic year exchanges under
the sponsorship of the Future Leaders Exchange
(FLEX) program. Championed by former Senator
Bill Bradley, the FLEX program was established
to promote respect for cultural diversity, friendship
between the United States and the NIS, and opportunities
for personal development through international
host family living. For more details about the
FLEX Program, visit their Web Site at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/citizens/students/eurasia/Flex.htm
In cooperation with partner organizations in Brazil,
Germany, and Mexico, P.I.E.-USA has also made
available scholarship opportunities to students
from those countries.
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Pre-Application
To Become A U.S. Host Family
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