Information on being a Host Family

Responsibilities
of a
Host Family

To open your home to a student from another country.

To accept the UNITED STUDIES representative into your home for your family's orientation in preparing for the student to arrive, and then after the students arrives, to allow UNITED STUDIES to evaluate the student's adjustment to the family and his/her new surroundings.

To provide adequate room for personal belongings. A separate room is not required, provided the student has their own bed and there is sufficient room for storage of personal belongings and some privacy.

To include your new son or daughter in family activities as a member of your family. The student may be given certain responsibilities such as taking care of his/her room and sharing duties with other family members.

To be sensitive to your student's needs and feelings as he or she adjusts to a new, exciting and sometimes lonely and frightening experience of living in a new country.

To be aware of your students financial position. The student will bring money with him/her for personal expenses and will need help in opening a bank account in his/her own name.

To make a genuine effort to provide an environment in which your student can learn as much as possible about the U.S.A.

Responsibilities of UNITED STUDIES and the Student's Natural Family

To provide airfare from the student's home country to the United States and return.

To supply the student with spending money for personal needs.

To provide medical insurance coverage for the student.

How UNITED STUDIES Students are Selected

UNITED STUDIES works with partner organizations in various countries who recruit and screen top high school students each year. The students are selected based on their academic abilities and are tested for English proficiency. Students are then interviewed in English and their native language. Once the students have successfully passed the testing, they attend an orientation in their home country before coming to the United States. The orientation provides them with a basic knowledge of the United States along with program policies.

Would Your Family Make
a Good
UNITED STUDIES
Host Family?

UNITED STUDIES looks for a family with a genuine interest in people of other cultures, their language and customs, and a desire to build a new and lasting friendship with a new son or daughter.

The UNITED STUDIES staff looks for a family which is flexible, has open communication and has the desire to include a new son or daughter into their family. Size, wealth or age of the family members are not the most important ingredients.

Exchange students have been happily placed in many family situations. Families with small children, no children, even one-parent families have successfully hosted a student in the past, with the same goals: To experience a new culture and develop a lasting friendship with a new son or daughter, with hopes that they can contribute to world peace for a better tomorrow.

If your family is interested in becoming a host family, you should complete the on-line mini-application. After the application has been received you will be contacted by a UNITED STUDIES representative who will provide you with more information and give you a broader understanding of what the UNITED STUDIES program offers to you as a host family and the exchange student.