Foreign Exchange Visits

Risk averse? Your head sounds a tad twatty. There is far less risk now than in the past. It's much easier for kids to contact teachers or family in case of issues. And they're teenagers, not tiny children. And it's France/Germany, not a war zone.

That's really sad but i guess explains why so many children over here go on trips to the uk but exchanges are uncommon.

Our school does not do exchanges, but they do a language trip where the kids stay in a hostel and go out and about, visiting sites, shopping in groups of 3 or 4, a day in a local school etc... DD(12) loved it...

I'm very jealous of all these schools still offering exchanges. I teach MFL and our Head is too risk-averse to allow them.

I did two when I was at school and had an amazing experience both times.

Not too many sparkling as with any luck the school will have organised quite a bit.

Ours went like this:

Day 1: student arrived mid afternoon.
Day 2 : students taken on a trip.
Day 3 : students went into school with our DC (a special timetable had been arranged).
Day 4: weekend. We waffled in the morning (walked the dog, played PS3, ate brunch). Then in the afternoon I took them out to a climbing wall.
Day 4: weekend. We went to a football match. Then back home for a raost dinner and a marathon Monopoly session.
Day 5: school arranged a trip for French students and our DC.
Day 6: free day. We took our student to The London Eye, The London Dungeons and shopping.
Day 7 : he went home.

Well Iguess you could end up with a very quiet one.

We have been lucky, both times.

That said, it pays (big time) to organise and plan. Hopefully school will arrange lots of activities to keep everyone busy and for the remaining time just do as much stuff as you can so there is limited time just smiling politely at one another.

I also adviced my two that when they went to France they should occassionally make themselves scarse, particularly if conversation is flagging, by popping up to their room for a breather.

I did one and really hated it. The girl I exchanged with went to bed at 8.30 every night and we didn't do anything in the evenings. I also just didn't like her.

It is nice to know they are still going on. My old school, now DS1's school doesn't seem to do them any more which is a real shame. The chance to taste real French (or other nationality) life at a relatively low cost.

Both my DC have done exchanges and they have been fab.

Very well organised. Excellent price.

Lovely laid back kids staying here, both my DC treated wonderfully by their French families.

Not only was it a good opportunity to speak the language, but moreover it opened everyone's eyes as to just how different life is just afew short hours away.

Very worth it. I did an exchange with a boy and popped my cherry and it gave me a life long love of France and French. I left the UK as soon as I could and still live in France now, with a French DH and DC. Which might put you off. I learned so much during those two weeks and other than language skills it stopped me being a fussy eater, made me much more independent and, I think in the long run a better person. It's so good for teens to leave their comfort zone and open up to other cultures. Don't worry about the small room.

Errol I think your DD is at the same school I was. Don't worry reading my post, mine was organised via a teacher but wasn't the official school French exchange. She will be much better supervised than I was :o

My exchange family had a small house and my French counterpart slept on a camp bed and I had her room. Agree that they will need their own room but don't worry about en suites and all that. They are just average French people like you and any of us really. Some will be better off than others. In my day they seemed to try and match you both in personality and also background. Both my father and the French father were postmen so none of us were expecting anything grand.

If your school is practised at exchanges, it may be brilliant. DSS2 did an exchange to Canada and one to Spain with his school and loved both of them - but they were both hyper well-organised, had been going on for years etc.

Sorry cross posted with your second post there.

I wasn't at all confident and was very shy as a teenager but I coped OK. I suppose it was easier for me as I did the trip to France after they did the trip over here, the first time I did it. I knew the girl I was exchanging with.

You might get a surly teenager but on the other hand you might get one who is lovely. I am still sort of friends with my French penfriend (as they were back then) to this day, 35 years later. We correspond and play FB games on Facebook a bit. We went to each others weddings too 20+ yrs ago. On the whole, whilst I think I have the longest running relationship with my French friend, nobody I knew had a bad experience.

Don't forget they shouldn't be total strangers. You are supposed to strike up a relationship with the other child before you meet. That must be so much easier with FB, email etc than it was in our day when it took a week for an airmail letter to get from here to France.

Both DC went on school exchanges to South Africa - by themselves - and had the most amazing 6 weeks. Of course, there weren't the language issues, but they had to adapt to different cultures and get to know new people.

I knew that DS would cope, even if he didn't enjoy it - although he did. DD I was a little more unsure of, and yet she got far more out of the experience, and it really grew her confidence. She also made some wonderful friends.

They were both 16.

DD is going on a German exchange next month - she seems to be looking forward to it, I must admit I'm not really looking forward to having the partner back next Spring - but at least this way round hopefully DD will find out what the kid likes to eat etc.

I think it'll probably be very good for DD though.