How long do families host students?
ECI Group and Immersion Program students normally live with their host families for the duration of their 2-4 week program. Occasionally, our students stay with two different host families, experiencing two different ways of life. We happily arrange the best situation for both our students and our host families, and have great flexibility.

How old are the students?
ECI's European students range in age between 13 and 18 years, though generally they are between 15 and 17.

What kind of student will be staying with our family?
ECI students are carefully screened by our European staff. They are interviewed, and must submit a teacher recommendation to be awarded a spot on our programs. Teenagers are teenagers of course, but our students tend to be serious individuals with a high level of curiosity about the world.

Will my host student speak English?
Yes. English skills vary of course, but all students that travel with ECI are required to have at least two years of language experience. We tend to find that our European students have between 3 and 8 years of English experience. At the same time, language immersion is intense, and we ask all our families to be conscious that their host students are learning!

What do the students do when they are here?
ECI has both Group Program and Immersion Program students. We encourage our host families to think about what type of student would be the best fit in their home:

Hosting a Group Program student - If you’re a working family, hosting a student on a group trip may be the right choice for you. Students on group trips are entertained during the day by local leaders and chaperones, usually from 9 am – 5 pm.

As a host family for a student on a group tour, you would spend time with your student in the evenings and on the weekends. You would normally provide the student breakfast and dinner, and an occasional bag lunch (some students prefer to regularly take lunch with them each day, but many enjoy buying food at our daily destinations).

A day in the life of a Group Program student

Hosting an Immersion Program student - If you are a stay-at-home parent, self-employed, retired, or have a flexible schedule, you may be interested in hosting an immersion student. Immersion students spend the day with you, accompanying you and your family during daily activities.

Immersion students really want to experience what it is like to be a member of an American family and love to get involved in even the simplest activity like grocery shopping, errands, or even going to school or summer school with your children (the latter would need prior approval by the school; ECI is happy to assist in such planning).

Are host families paid to host?
ECI's San Francisco Bay Area Hosting Program is a volunteer activity. We have found that families who look to profit from hosting are not as likely to create the same supportive family environment for their host student. ECI has had tremendous success finding families like you who see hosting as an enriching opportunity for the whole family. Over the years, we've created a network of SF Bay Area families who enjoy hosting as a cultural exchange opportunity. Each year, hundreds of families participate in our volunteer program. That being said, we want to make sure that all families who wish to host are able to do so. If providing meals for your host student will put financial stress on your family, ECI is happy to step in with support.

Can my son or daughter participate in the group activities?
ECI invites you and your family and friends to join us on most of the group events, excursions, and bus tours depending on space available. The bus tours are free for you, and any entrance fees or tickets are reduced priced group tickets. Just let us know and we would love to have you join us!

What are the specific responsibilities of a Host Family?
First and foremost, host families are asked to truly welcome their student into their homes and lives. You are providing a home away from home, and receiving a cultural exchange in return! (Actually, we often find that our students are happier to help around the house than our host family teenagers!)

Other than welcoming your host student, by becoming a host family you are agreeing to the following logistic responsibilities:

1. Providing a private bed (either in a private room or a shared room with your child of the same gender)
2. Providing meals, including a bag lunch for Group students.
3. For Group students, providing or arranging transportation to / from your home to the designated meeting place each weekday.

What should I do with my Group student on the weekends or my Immersion student during their stay?
The sky's the limit! Any activity you would do with your family is a great chance for your student to learn and participate in American life. Nothing elaborate is required of you; many students love having 'down time' on the weekends to cook, see a movie, go swimming or take a bike ride. You may want to take your student shopping, for a hike, or on an excursion (Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Muir Woods have all been host family favorites). Students love seeing more of California, though such excursions are by no means necessary. ECI students know that when participating in such excursions, the are responsible for their own entrance fees or tickets, but we do ask that you let your student know of any costs in advance so that they are prepared. It's also a great idea to let ECI know of your thoughts regarding possible activities, so that we can place the best matched student with your family.

*Please note: if you do leave your home overnight with your student, you must inform ECI 24 hours in advance and provide a way to contact you.

What if my student gets sick or hurt?
All ECI students are fully insured for the duration of their stay in the U.S. Their insurance requires them to pay up front and bring home a receipt and statement of diagnosis for reimbursement. If the student were to have any trouble with this, ECI will step in to help. Prior to the start of the trip, ECI will provide you with the student's Medical Authorization form, signed by their parents.

In case of a medical emergency, please take care of your host student in the same manner you would take care of your own child, and contact ECI as soon as possible for support. In case of a non-emergency, please contact ECI prior to obtaining medical treatment.

You will receive emergency contact information for ECI prior to your student's arrival, and an ECI staff member is available 24 hours a day during the host stay.

What else do I need to know?
Of utmost importance in the household is the availability of a separate bed for your host student. He or she does not need a separate room, but a separate bed is mandatory. Unfortunately, we are not able to place students in homes where they would be sleeping on air mattresses or mattresses on the floor.

How do I become a Host Family?
Welcome to ECI's Host Program! We are delighted by your interest. The first step toward becoming a host family is to either fill out our Online Hosting Form or contact us at our main Berkeley office at 510.845.2230. An ECI staff member will contact you shortly, answer any questions you may have, and determine which program best fits your family. After that, we set up an in-person meeting where an ECI staff member will familiarize your family with logistics and you will fill out a more detailed application form. Throughout March and April (for our Summer Programs), ECI staff works dilligently to match students with families, and you receive your students details in the late spring / early summer.

What happens next?
Once ECI matches you with a student, we will contact you with details, and send you the student's pictures and the letter they have written to you! We are always flexible in this process, and happy to make adjustments as needed.

When you are officially matched, we ask that you write a brief email to your student, opening the cultural exchange! Students are always excited to learn about you prior to their arrival.

Families hosting Group students will receive group arrival information, an invitation to a Host Family Welcome party, emergency contact information, and an itinerary for the program.

Families hosting Immersion students will receive individual arrival information, details about other Immersion students in the area, emergency contact information, and direct confirmation from ECI's U.S. Director of Immersion.

We thank you for being a part of this amazing opportunity!

Once you have selected your student, ECI will ask you to write a letter of introduction that can be sent by mail or email. Students are excited and curious about their future host families. Writing a letter describing your community and family helps them envision their experience as an exchange student. Students love to see photos of your family, your pets, the bedroom where they will stay, or any other photos of interest.

If you did not receive a letter from your student initially, you will! This is always an exciting moment for the American host families in the approach to the student's arrival.

There will be a Host Family Orientation Meeting for all families hosting a Group Program student a few days prior to the students' arrival. This meeting almost always takes place in the program town (near your home). The Local Leader (and often the Host Family Coordinator) will conduct this meeting along with an ECI office representative. At this meeting, you will receive the latest trip itinerary and student Namelist (please note that you may receive the finalized versions when the students arrive). The final trip itinerary will be discussed, and you will have an opportunity to ask any questions about the trip and your imminent hosting experience! You may also sign up to participate in various activities and excursions that will take place during the program. We love it when host families and children join us on our excursions!

If you are hosting an Immersion Program student, an ECI representative will contact you prior to the student's arrival to answer any final questions and discuss the details of the student's stay with you. Students will also receive orientation materials and cultural information before leaving their home country.

Do I pick up / drop off my student at the airport?
All ECI students arrive into San Francisco International airport (SFO), and ECI is responsible for their transportation from SFO to you.

For Group students, ECI arranges transportation for the Group from SFO to a designated meeting place (usually a BART stop near your home).

For Immersion students, who have individualized travel plans, an ECI staff member meets each flight. However, many of our families prefer to meet and drop off their Immersion student.

Does hosting a student mean we send our child to study abroad?
ECI's programs differ from the old-school exchange student programs where families literally trade. Some families only host and others only send their students abroad with us. However, because ECI is a locally-based community, many of our families both host and send their students! Additionally, ECI offers a discount for host families on our outbound programs.

Click here to find out more about the programs we offer for U.S. middle and high school students.