What awesome families do you know?

Recommend a great family to us, and if they host an exchange student, we'll thank you with a $300 referral fee!

Help us build new connections by referring a new Host Family today. We are looking for caring families who want the life-changing experience of opening their home to a foreign exchange student!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HOST FAMILY

The role of a host family is to provide room & board and a nurturing home environment to their exchange student. Students live as a member of the family--not a guest or boarder--and participate in family activities, help with chores, and follow host family rules. Exchange students must have their own bed, but may share a bedroom with a teenage host sibling.

Host families can be married or single, with or without kids in the home, young or experienced. Our students thrive in cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural areas. If you know a family that you feel would be a good place for an international teen, we'd love to talk with them!

The rewards of hosting are many--Families share their American culture and learn about their student's culture--all while building life-long friendships.

Refer a host family

Having Alice with us has been an incredible adventure. Our family has grown closer and our hearts have grown bigger having another teenager in the house. We have gone on adventures and made memories that will last a lifetime.

It truly feels like she has always been a part of our family and I can’t imagine our days without her. Alice is a treasured daughter and sister and when she returns to Japan she will take a piece of our hearts with her. Hosting Alice is the best decision we’ve ever made.

April Davis Host parents in Salem, Oregon

OUR STUDENTS

ICES works with overseas partner agencies who screen students and prepare them for their exchange experience. Our partners recruit only those students who they feel will be excellent candidates for the program. We continue the screening process to ensure they have a genuine interest in becoming an exchange student. Here are some of the things we screen for:

Academics: A minimum of a C average in all courses taken over the past three years and a teacher’s recommendation.
English Language Skills: Students must demonstrate acceptable scores on a standardized English test.
Personality: A personal essay written by the student to describe their personality, hobbies and home life.
Attitude: The ability to deal with the inevitable challenges of adapting to another culture and communicating in a foreign language.
Intellectual Curiosity: An open mind toward learning the ins and outs of another culture, such as its social customs, as well as concrete experiences such as food and fun.

Refer a host family

“I’ve discovered a new world that has changed since that Saturday I landed at the airport. A new family, friends, food, and thousands of new experiences that together made an incredible experience for me. My time isn’t finished as yet, I still have things to do – more travel basketball, Spring Break, trips with my soccer team, when someone asks, “Where in the world is Guillem?” The answer could depend on what my Mom says – she lets us go everywhere!”

Guillem ICES student from Spain Living with the Beckles family in Norcross, Georgia

What awesome families do you know?

Help us build new connections by referring a new Host Family today. We are looking for caring families who want the life-changing experience of opening their home to a foreign exchange student!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HOST FAMILY

OUR STUDENTS

Refer a new Host Family and receive a $300 referral fee!