I'm looking for opinions on: Exchange students

[Xroads]

Dd1 has asked to do this it's Germany/ England.

I just wondered what your experiences are, good points about doing it/ bad points, what is expected etc

My main worries are I don't know the people dd1 will stay with, what if the student that comes here misbehaves/ leads dd1 astray, cost, activities/ things I will be expected to provide, space in our home, lack of privacy..........

TIA

Mine have done nine exchanges between them ... costs a fortune, no privacy, no control when they are away (mine wandered around Munich in the middle of the night at 15) ... however, v. good for learning language and independence. Some good, some bad. Depends on how much trouble the school puts in to matching them. I did several myself and although I am glad it is behind me with my DSs, I'm glad they did it.

Mine are too young for exchange yet, but I did a few when I was a teenager. I am spanish, and I did student exchange with France and the USA. And I loved it. I still have contact with my American exchange (almost 25years ago).Well she wasn't my exchange student, but she had someone else from my school, but we became very good friends when they came to Spain, and I visited her house and she has been at mine several times. I don't know how my mum felt when I went, but I know for sure, if my DDs want to do it with the school, I will let them do it, as I had wonderful experiences and I would recommend it.

There are lots of different ways of doing this - what is it she's got planned ?

Some schools take a whole group from school and they do most of the activities together with a class / group from a German school. They stay with hosts, but see teachers and other pupils in the day. Advantages you are happier as there is a 'safety net' there in the country, with her. Disadvantages they don't actually speak that much German, as they are with their English friends for the majority of the time. When they come here, again, you don't have much responsibility as all tours etc are organised by the school.

Others go more independently, which leaves you a tiny bit more vulnerable in the tiny and unlikely possibility of it not being a nice home, but does really emerge you in the language, and can make a massive difference to your language learning.

When I was a teenager, my sister and I flew to France to stay with 2 sisters who didn't want to travel alone for an exchange.... they knew someone who knew someone who asked my Mum I think. That was a great compromise as it meant we had each other for company. Only slight difficulty was the numbers of people to then take places when they were here (we didn't all fit in the car!). Of course, you'd have to find a family to do this with.

I think the exchange programme is fantastic. There's no better way than to learn a country's culture and language than to live with a family. We've hosted foreign students for years, and our kids have gone abroad and it works really well.
HOWEVER you have to be the kind of family who is prepared to treat other chdren like your own, and not mind having strangers in the house. (remember, they are only strangers until you get to know them).
If it goes wrong, and you and the other child don't get on, it's only for a couple if weeks.

Thanks everyone, I'll give it some thought, her grandparents have said they will help us host.