To wonder why the school exchange visit is so expensive?

[DonaldMcDonald]

DC has come home with a letter offering an exchange visit.

DC will spend a week living with a host family, and attending other school. One teacher is travelling out with the group to assist handover at the airport, but then they became the other school's responsibility.

Exchange student will return a couple of months later, and spend a week with us, attending school with my dc.

Why on earth is this costing £400?!

Who is making the profit? There are no board/lodging costs, host families pick that up, no teacher is staying in either country, host teachers are looking after students. Flights can currently be picked up for £24 return from our local airport to the other country.

Let's say it costs £100 to fly out, can anyone explain where the other £300 is going?

I suspect the cost of coach will be more than £100 but I'm guessing some of the other cost will be insurance!

There is no coach - we are to take to the airport in home country, and host families at both ends are to collect from airport.

£300 insurance?!? It's gone barmy!

Will they not be doing trips while they are there?

Insurance? I have no idea tbh. Raise it with the school,seems steep to me.
I did an exchange when I was about 15. My parents were in the process of splitting up & money was tight. The French girl literally paid for nothing,not a bus fare or Mcdonalds. I knew money was tight & felt uncomfortable asking my mum & so used my allowance/birthday savings to fund her. In fairness,the French family did pay for me whilst I stayed but it wasn't ever clear if this was what was normal or not. She came here first. That may up the cost a bit.

No trips either side, they are just attending school.

Icelolly I had thought that that was what happened that the host family picked up the tab for all whilst having the visitor. But for that I was expecting a cost effective price of the trip. Not an extortionate price for the trip, plus picking up the tab.

I would say day trips whilst they are there. I doubt the school can subsidise the cost at all either. They will also maybe need a coach for trips whilst they are there? At the very least they will need public transport money to go on their trips.

Sorry, that serves me right for wandering off before I post Seems a shame they aren't going on any trips though - how are they getting a feel for the culture?

School meals? That's the only other thing I can think of. Not £300 worth though!

Ah, is the school facilitating it or is a third party doing so? It's unusual not to have the teacher go so have the school signed up to some kind of organising company to take the stress/cost away and pass the latter onto the parents?

Interesting point - no mention of 3rd party, but maybe we are paying for their services.

I will ask the school for a breakdown of costs. They love parents like me

My daughter had a whole programme of activities to do , as well as attending the school (they didn't go every day). So it was the coast of coach journeys and the activities, as well as the flight and insurance.
£400 is a bit steep...it was £200 (+) for a week in the Aveyron area, flying from Leeds with Ryanair. 3 adults went and stayed with 25 children. Everyone stayed with a host family including the adults. Host families effectively pay for the children whilst they are in their care.

that was this year, by the way!

£200ish would be what I would have thought.

I went on an exchange for 2 weeks to Germany in 1982......cost about £200 then!

I very much doubt even with Lyingair you can get very far for £100.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask for a cost breakdown. Last year my DD went on a school trip that cost EUR 475 from Mon-Fri with no flight, just train travel. I thought it was very expensive and, with hindsight, I think we should have asked the school for a cost breakdown.

Just because you can pick up cheap flights, does not mean that the school will have been able to secure cheap tickets for a large group booking. I woud have thought the cost of lights will be well over £100.

You also have to remember that you are paying for the teachers flight and accommodation if a teacher from your school is going to be staying in the country while they are there, which I would hope they would be. Insurance will be a big cost too.

Do you think the host school will recieve any money for providing extras for them? Won't the host family recieve anything at all for food?

Highly unlikely that a group booking can get easyjet type fares. The teacher who is away will have to be covered by a supply teacher - colleagues are not supposed to cover for pre-known absence and that may have to come out the trip budget. Last time I was involved in that kind of thing cover was £170 day and that was about 10 years ago. There will be insurance costs and trips planned while they are there to local sites, themeparks etc also have to be factored in.

Sounds exceptionally steep if no teachers are accompanying the trip and no trips out are planned. It would be a wasted opportunity if there are no trips planned. Ours last year was around £270 for one week - bus to the airport, RyanAir flights (great when it came to packing as DD couldn't take "everything" with her), a coach for the transfer the other end and some day trips.

Went on a German exchange in 1978. Cost about £50. We went for three weeks in the school holidays, so no costs for supply teachers involved. Our journey was 24 hours long by train and the most tremendous fun.