Host a foreign high school student and enjoy an international experience… at your place !
Since the creation of our long-stay program in France, many host families have participated in our school programs in France.
In fact, their common goal is to share their daily life with a young foreign high school student interested in French culture and language.
For the host family, it’s a commitment that has been carefully thought through by all the members of the family. It’s a real project that will have a positive impact on the extended family.
The family opens its home and sees in this welcome an opportunity to open up to the world and the assurance of a rich human experience.
Why host a foreign high school student ?
First and foremost, hosting a foreigner is a way of traveling! By sharing many moments with your guest, you’ll get to know their country better and share your cultures.
For you and your family, from the youngest to the oldest, hosting a foreign high school student is an excellent way to develop curiosity and understanding towards the world around us.
A strong bond of complicity is forged over the stay, and this bond lasts over time.
Introducing the Exchange Student program
The CEI welcomes foreign high school students aged 15 to 18 from all over the world. They are Colombian, Australian, German, Japanese
These curious high school students came to share the daily life of a volunteer French host family, while studying at the nearest collège or lycée.
They came with the aim of gaining an additional linguistic advantage : mastery of the French language. But not only that: they also seek to discover a different way of life, foster their understanding of a new culture and forge new human relationships.
Who are those young people who’ve come to learn French?
We receive applications from these young foreigners via our partner organizations around the world, with whom our association is in regular contact. Each teenager fills out a complete application form, and is selected on the basis of motivation, maturity, personality, adaptability and French language skills.
Applications are then reviewed by the CEI for final admission to the program.
Before their departure, selected participants attend an orientation meeting designed to familiarize them with France (customs, explanation of the school system, etc.). The aim is to prepare them and help them overcome any culture shock that may happen, far from their parents and far from their usual living environment.
A successful host is a family who regrets the departure of their guest, a young person delighted with his experience, an unforgettable memory for everyone !
A young German girl testifies
“The first thing I saw when I arrived in France was a small group of girls when I got off the train. They were my host family. I thought I was very lucky, because they made me feel at home right from the start. I had three foster sisters and it was a nice change from Germany because I’m an only child. I found that my French family had a lot in common with my German family. I took part in family life like everyone else. The real big change is school. The days are long! But during my stay I met some wonderful friends who helped me a lot, until one day someone said to me: Oh really? You’re not French? But you don’t have an accent at all! From that day on, I said to myself: that’s it, I’m French !
Joséphine Gottschalk
You can become a host family for a foreign high school student
There’s no such thing as a typical or perfect family profile. Single-parent families, blended families, retired families, living in the city or the country, with or without children… All these families can welcome a young foreigner for several months.
Host families are selected throughout the year. When selecting a family, the CEI makes sure that the conditions are right and that the decision to take in a family is a shared one.
During the stay, each teenager lives under the legal responsability of the CEI.
However, our association leaves it up to each family to manage day-to-day authorizations, prohibitions and anything else they deem necessary for the well-being of the stay. Each teenager must follow the rules of his or her host family and the program rules established by the CEI.
The teenager will be considered a real member of your family, with rights and duties. The young foreigner’s student investment should enable him or her to build relationships with their new environment.
A family testifies
We were very enthusiastic about opening our home. We saw the CEI advert in our newspaper and got in touch with the local representative, who visited us. We fell in love with James, a young Australian. Throughout his stay, we went from surprise to discovery, and these cultural differences enriched our whole family. James adapted to our way of life with great enthusiasm, and we were eager to show him our region and culture. We introduced him to typical French dishes. Eating snails or “raw” oysters was a real gastronomic challenge for him! Little by little, he found his place and became a full member of the family. He made enormous progress in French, and we didn’t hesitate to correct his mistakes. I remember one day, when he wanted to help me, he said: “I’ll light the fire in the fireplace! We had an unforgettable time, and we’ll be seeing him in kangaroo country very soon!
Simon de Saumur family
You can also read Pierrick’s testimonial and that of the Dubois family on our blog!
Fill in the contact form
If you are interested in becoming a host family, please contact the CEI on +33.2.99.20.06.13 or fill in the contact form.
