Opportunities From: HandsOn Twin Cities

international Experience (iE), with US Department of State support, is planning to welcome exchange students to the US for the 2020-21 school year.  We continue to monitor recommendations from the CDC, WHO and Department of State, and will adjust our program as necessary, always acting with student and host family health in mind.  Reaching out for more info or even registering on our website does NOT obligate you to host if your family should reconsider later this summer.

So now that all of my disclaimers are out of the way... let's jump in to what we're looking for! 

A volunteer host family fills the place of a parent during a student's exchange year/semester abroad.  We're looking for families/adults/empty nesters/single adults/parents with toddlers/parents with teens (there are LOTS of types of families!) who will provide a safe & caring home environment, basic room & board (3 meals/day and a permanent bed - can share a room with a host sibling of the same gender within 3 years of age), and reasonable transportation (to & from team practices, rides to the mall, pick-ups from a friend's house, etc).

We have a vetting process for host families to ensure the safety of all - including an online application (www.ie-usa.org), a criminal background check (for any family member 18+ living at home full time) and in-home interview.  We also call references as provided in the application.  Students go through a similar vetting process, and also need teacher's recommendations and a English proficiency exam.  iE requires a minimum English language score in order to gain admittance into the program.

Students come with a willingness and openness to learn - about a new culture, a new high school, a new family, a new city/state - and also to share about their country and way of life.  Host families can gain a relationship that can truly last a lifetime.

We're excited to have several students already enrolled for 2020-21 at Hopkins HS, are working with Champlin Park HS for enrollment, and have also placed at Elk River HS, St Paul Central HS, Park Center HS among others in the Twin Cities area.  We have several Local Coordinators within these communities who would love to help you with this experience!

Reach out today for more information or just to have a conversation about what hosting could look like for your family.  Call/text Regional Director Judy at 920-241-3878 or email j.hintz@international-experience.net.  If hosting isn't right for you but you know someone who would make a PERFECT host family, make a referral on our website and earn $200!  https://www.ie-usa.org/make-a-referral/host-family-referral-200/

Share your culture while learning the culture of an international exchange student - without leaving your home!  I am looking for volunteer host families for the following high school exchange students (August 2020 - June 2021).

Marcel (male, 16, from Germany #42506) is interested in sports (Golf, Skiing), likes video games, enjoys babysitting (recently completed an internship in a Kindergarten) and spending time with his younger brothers, and likes pets.  He also likes to cook and bake. Marcel requested placement in the Midwest - somewhere like WI!

Emilia (female, 16, from Germany #44153) likes horses (and really, all pets), playing tennis, spending time with Church activities and reading.  She does follow a vegetarian diet.

Jule (female, 15, from Germany #42513) likes tennis, fencing, skiing and photography.  She is very organized and works on managing her schoolwork and schedule very independently.  She would love to become a part of her host family and experience everyday life in America.

Host families provide three meals per day, reasonable transportation, and a bed, plus a willingness to share your culture, while learning about the culture of your exchange student.

Students have their own health insurance and spending money. They are excited for the chance to spend a year as an American high school student!! PM for more info, call 920-241-3878 or email me at j.hintz@international-experience.net.

International Experience (iE) is in need of volunteer host families for exchange students arriving this fall.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking… how on earth could our family decide to host an overseas student at a time like this?!   Well, iE will not bring students into an unsafe situation. We always follow the guidelines of the Department of State, so if they feel it is unsafe then the students won't come. These students are also not set to arrive until August, and it would be nice if our lives looked different then than they do now. 

Student exchanges became popular after World War II, and are intended to increase the participants' understanding and tolerance of other cultures, as well as improving their language skills and broadening their social horizons. Student exchanges also increased further after the end of the Cold War.  It is safe to say that the global COVID-19 pandemic is another experience showing we are all people, no matter what country or location we call home.

I'm happy to chat, so please ask me any questions you'd like.  Contact me via phone/text at 920-241-3878 or email j.hintz@international-experience.net.