Education, Travel & Culture

I cannot recommend this agency for hosting exchange students. I signed up to be a welcome family for the 2024 year, and was informed by the regional manager that he would be with us for 4-6 weeks before moving to his permanent host parents. However, he stayed with us from August 25th, 2024, to February 2nd, 2025, which was the first of many misleading statements made by the agency.

I was told that the student I would be hosting had already been accepted into the local high school, but I soon found out that accepted and enrolled are not the same thing. The coordinator I spoke with initially was not aware of this distinction, and I was left to navigate the school district's enrollment process on my own. The agency charges a significant amount of money to the parents of the exchange student. You would assume there would be more support but there was very little support provided during the enrollment process.

Once the student arrived, it took about two weeks to get him into his classes. I was referred to the local area coordinator, who informed me that the agency had lied about previously placing students at the specific high school near my home. The school is known to be average, but the students are typically not motivated. I was not made aware of this fact, and my biggest concern was placing a student at that school. Unfortunately, we had to move the student because he was so unhappy in his school.

At the start of my host parenting journey, the local coordinator and I got along well. However, this changed in early October when the monthly home visits stopped, and communication became scarce. I was told that home visits were required monthly by state regulation, but the last visit in November was just the coordinator picking up the student for an event and dropping him off. There were no home visits in December or January.

Another issue we had was the inaccuracy of the student's application. Based on the application, we thought we would have a lot in common. However, as we got to know our student, we found that he had misrepresented himself and put things that made him sound appealing to a host family. His hobbies included watching movies and photography, but in fact, he hated movies and did not like photography. He was also allergic to dogs, which I made clear on my application as I have four dogs.

The regional manager called me and spoke to me about these issues, including the fact that the student did not seem interested in going on outings with us. She apologized and said that our student was a "potato" because he was so boring. I was shocked that anyone would speak about a child in their care in such a way.

It seems that this organization does not care about the students and passes the blame game to everyone else. There were several times I had to ask for status updates on the student's new home, and when a new home was finally found, we were told not to say anything to him about moving. He was only informed on Thursday night that he was moving on Sunday. He didn't even have the opportunity to say goodbye to some of his friends and teachers. It broke my heart, as I had grown attached to him and tried to make him a part of our family. We still speak every week to this day, and I am glad to have met and hosted such a wonderful young man.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this agency for hosting exchange students. The lack of support, misleading statements, and inaccurate applications are unacceptable. Additionally, the way the organization speaks about the students in their care is concerning. I hope that other families considering hosting an exchange student will consider this review and choose a more reliable and supportive agency.

Dear Potential Host Families,
We hosted a student through ETC. Thankfully, it was only for a semester. Our biggest complaint about the program was the inaccuracy of the student's application. Based on our student's application, we thought we would have a lot in common. As we got to know our student, we found that the student had completely misrepresented themselves. We had absolutely nothing in common with the student, and the student had zero interest in being part of our life. The application was basically a fictionalized account of what an American family might want to hear they are getting. We were just room and board for the student's American adventure.

Our second issue with the program, was our student was on a financial scholarship. Neither the organization nor we were told this. Basically, the student had very little money. The student's parents told the student not to spend the money in the account. Luckily, we did consider the student to be part of the family, so we were fine with paying the student's way. But it would have been nice to have this information disclosed to host families beforehand; not everyone is in a position to foot the bill.

For the amount of money being charged to these exchange families, there seems to be very little actual support. There was no help or direction provided when registering our student for school. There was also little support upon the student's arrival. Our coordinator was out of town, and was then mostly unavailable for the first month, while they tried to place students who were still waiting for homes. Staff members are very pleasant. They do their visits, and they write their reports, but basically, families are on their own to figure things out.

Host families need to also know that they are taking on a lot of liability when hosting these students. And even though students have their own insurance, you are acting as their guardian. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING that might hold you financially responsible - especially medical! You will be held liable for these expenses if you sign anything! However, how do you get care for a minor without first signing a consent to treat form? But if you sign the consent form to treat a minor, you automatically become the guarantor of the bill - it is a conundrum.

We felt a bit hoodwinked by the organization and our student, but that is probably on us, as we tend to take people at their word. We decided to make the best of our semester and give our student the best experience possible. Our student seemed to have a great time, but we would never consider doing this again.

I love my exchange student son with all my heart. But I will never again volunteer for ETC. The organization takes advantage of host families, provides them no support, treats them with disrespect, with the kids the ultimate victims of their unethical practices.

ETC says the organization is a non-profit, but according to their website charges up to $20K to families in other countries for the opportunity to study abroad. ETC employs a lot of people in the role of student support, but provides zero assistance to host families, leaving students at times in crisis situations. I experienced problems with the organization from day one.

ETC asked me to host a wonderful young man from Spain. I agreed on a temporary basis, for I had major surgery scheduled 6 weeks after his arrival. The local field manager agreed to start the search for his permanent placement immediately. Turns out she never looked for another family for him.

The local coordinator was even worse. She was very inflexible with her availability, never arrived on time, overstepped boundaries over and over again. I drew the line when she told my son confidential information I clearly asked her not to at a party he attended. He came home devastated, and I had to deal with the fall-out.

I asked for another local coordinator (the ONLY person in this process who has supported me and my son, thank God for her) as a condition for the young man to continue to live with me. The field manager hadn’t found him a permanent family anyways despite our agreement.

My surgery was a nightmare, with various complications and a prolonged recovery. My home became a difficult place for everyone involved. I reached out to ETC for support, but again, received none (except from that one local coordinator.)

4 days before Christmas, host families received an email from a student support coordinator. It’s now 4 months into the school year and this is the first time we have heard from this woman. She sent us advice on how to deal with the holiday blues. 4 days before Christmas was way too late for that! I asked to speak with her, and she replied with her availability for one day the following week between certain hours. What? Host families must be available 24-7 for their kids, but paid support positions don’t?

I asked then to speak with the organization’s President about all the problems I had experienced. I was denied and rerouted back to the local field manager. She was part of the problems! The organization passed me off from one person to another, and I still have not spoken to anyone in administration, despite my repeated attempts. 2nd in command female administrator called and left me a message a few days into the new year 2023, nearly 2 weeks after my first request to speak with the President. I left her a message the following day in early January. I still haven’t heard back, almost 6 weeks later.

So where am I now? It’s mid-February and the only son I have ever known has gone to live with another family. I am glad he has a new family, but I left with a broken heart, while ETC earned thousands of dollars off of me and the student. This organization is a disgrace, taking advantage of people’s hearts and goodwill to earn a buck.

We have been blessed to host 10 students in our home through ETC. ETC leads the industry in trained professional staff and coordinators who are there every step of the way during a hosting year. We now have children all over the world and have even been lucky enough to go and visit some of them and meet their families. We can't wait to welcome our next student into our home and we do so without any reservation as ETC is the BEST organization that offers training, support and fun along the journey to their students, host families and staff.

I've found the joy of hosting exchange students through ETC! I have found a passion for helping these students and become a Local Coordinator to spread the joy of hosting exchange students with others in my community.

I have been a local coordinator with ETC for 10 months now and the satisfaction I get from knowing that I'm making a difference is a understatement. I've always had a passion for children and helping them succeed, whether it was volunteering with the Special Olympics or volunteering in my church's children's department. ETC has been the perfect organization that allows me to continue doing what I love, helping children succeed. ETC provided me with all the training, support and made sure I was a valuable part of the team. ETC has exceed my expectations and I'm proud to say I'm a member of the ETC family! I look forward to many years to come!

My family welcomed our first exchange student 5 years ago, and had such an amazing experience, that we have continued to host an exchange student (or 2) each year. We have international family in Norway, Germany, Thailand, Italy, Spain and South Korea. Not only have we been able to share our amazing country with our students, but we have been able to learn about and visit their home countries as well! The support of ETC's amazing Local Coordinators and Management has been wonderful, and they are always there if we need support. In addition, our Field Managers and Local Coordinators plan and organize great student events, and create a wonderful host family/student community. If you are considering hosting an exchange student, I highly recommend ETC!

I am a local Coordinator and a host mom with ETC. As a job, being a Local Coordinator is very satisfying because it’s all about relationship building and being connected to enjoyable people. It’s flexible, challenging, and fun. As a host mom, I get to enjoy a teen from another country, and our family learns so much as well. We all support each other, and aim to make dreams come true.

I have worked for ETC for a year now and I'm so thankful to find such a supportive, encouraging place. The training is all super helpful, I felt confident to do my job well. A year later, I've met so many on our national team, creating lifelong friendships with host families and students and found a great organization that works around my family life. I love supporting our host families and walking along side our students as they fulfill their lifelong dreams. This is the best job!

Working with ETC as a local coordinator and as a host family has been an amazing experience. We have loved bringing the world into our home and family to teach our children about other countries. Etc has done an amazing job making sure the process of applying to be a host family, support while students are here and then preparing everyone for students to return home was easy and everyone felt cared for.

Working for ETC has brought me so much joy, amazing friendships and some of the best memories. Truly an amazing place to work!

I have been working as a Local Coordinator for ETC since January and love every minute of it. I have been able to work with wonderful students and host families that truley love helping students have a wonderful experience in the United States of America. It has opened my eyes to different cultures from around the world. ETC allows foriegn exchange students a time of their life and I have throughly enjoyed meeting the students and listening to their stories. I look forward to meeting many more students in the future.

It is truly a blessing to be a part of the ETC family. I have placed many students with amazing host families and overseen them during their time here in America. It is so exciting to see how much they grow and change during their time with their American family and friends. ETC has been very supportive and provided in-depth training that helps us feel ready and able to support our students and families throughout the whole process and their time together. I have been able to build great friendships with some amazing people that I would never have met if it wasn't for ETC.

My wife and I have had 2 students so far since learning about ETC (plus one other who only stayed a couple of weeks and the process was just as great). I love the way that the local coordinators are involved with hosting parties, visiting homes of the students, and the overall availability of things to do for students and their American families. I will always consider our boys as our sons and our daughter has added brothers :)

I have been blessed in so many ways to be part of the ETC family. Not only by working with such a great organization but also hosting our German son! ETC puts its students and host families first. The standard they hold themselves to is incredible! ETC truly cares for every person that touches the organization in some way from their local coordinators, students, host families, schools and employees.

They are one of the best!

ETC strives to place their students with the right family in order to ensure the best experience for everyone

This is my third time hosting a student, and my family and I loves it. It is a fun experience to get to know other cultures from different countries.

We have been fortunate to host several students from around the world. These children have enlightened us not only to our culture but thier cultures through our similarities and differences we have grown as a family in a global community. Many of our students(extended families) keep us involved in their lives through social media and our children have grown up with a global family.

My family has hosted 8 students through ETC and we have LOVED every aspect of our hosting experiences. Our "students" have become our family, we have made friends with other host families and the staff at ETC is amazing! ETC's students and families are thoroughly vetted and they strive to make the perfect match for students and families. We now have children all over the world!

I started as a local coordinator with ETC. After seeing the amazing experiences that other host families were having, we decided to host a student ourselves. We had the BEST experience hosting a girl from Germany. It went so well, that we have stayed connected and her and her entire family are coming to the USA to visit us. I have been with ETC for 3 years now and love every aspect of the job; from the community formed with other local coordinators, staff and admin, as well as the relationships and connections made with host families and students I work with. ETC is such a positive environment that genuinely cares about the experience it's workers, host families and students have.

Through ETC I have been able to work with many wonderful students from around the globe and meet host families as well. it's an amazing program that helps teens live out their dream of coming to the U.S. It is a privilege to work for this great organization and help it's awesome cause.

I have had the privilege to meet some of the fine students from around the world who have come to my area with ETC. The students are the best - intelligent, warm, friendly and fun loving. They are good ambassadors for their countries and a joy to spend time with.

Although I’ve been with ETC for less than one year, it hasn’t been difficult for me to recognize how lucky I am to be part of this amazing team. The purpose of our organization is truly remarkable. We live in such a wonderful country, and being part of a team that offers others the opportunity to visit our great country is extremely fulfilling.