All official representatives of the exchange program are constantly monitored. Supervision is carried out by CSIET (The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel). Founded in 1982, this organization to this day develops requirements and standards, carefully monitors their implementation, and acts as a coordinator.
So what does the program “Academic Year Abroad” mean? The program involves studying for a year in an ordinary secondary school abroad on par with peers. Its participant chooses subjects to study, like other students, and takes part in all school activities on equal terms. The child lives with a family. He or she fully immerses in the life of the family, becomes its member, participates in all events and trips. Families are carefully selected by the host organization. Usually, children are taken in by families whose own child is also leaving under such a program to another country, or families whose children have already grown up and who lack communication.
Each child is assigned a local program coordinator, who throughout the entire study period provides assistance to the student, monitors his or her academic performance, advises on all issues, and is the necessary link between the host family, the program participant, the Ukrainian family, and the program organizer.
To get into a foreign school for a year, you need to meet the program requirements. Only high school students—from 14 to 17 years old—can participate in school exchanges. A sufficient level of foreign language knowledge is an indispensable condition. Testing conducted by a local agency determines whether your level meets the requirements. The testing consists of a written assignment and a conversation in a foreign language. Results are announced immediately. The results of psychological testing are very important—the program is quite long, and it is important to understand whether the child can adapt to new living conditions, how sociable he or she is, and whether he or she is ready to make independent decisions.
In addition, you need to gather a solid package of documents on the basis of which a host family will be selected. First, you need to fill out a rather extensive questionnaire. In it, the student writes about himself or herself, his or her interests, plans for the future, and why he or she wants to participate in this program. It is also necessary to prepare a photo album (6–8 pictures) for the host family. This will help them form an impression of the teenager. A transcript of academic performance for the current academic year and the previous two years is required from the school. Finally, a medical certificate is required, which should contain information about all past illnesses, vaccinations, operations, etc.
For a trip in September, documents are accepted from the beginning of December to the end of March (for Canada, until the end of February). For those who want to go for only six months, starting in January, the deadline for submitting documents is the end of October.
If the sent documents suit the host side, then the search for a family begins. And only after that, the search for a school. Some participants only learn at the very last moment, almost on the eve of departure, which city, which school, and which family they are going to. Fortunately, at the beginning of the program, already abroad, a general orientation seminar is held for better adaptation, and then everyone goes to their families, often located in a quiet province, but a civilized province. A feature of the program is that a specific city or region of the country cannot be guaranteed. This is explained by the fact that families accept children for free. Only the organization of the program is paid to the host side. Therefore, school exchange programs are known for their relative cheapness—from $4.700 to $6.700 per year. Moreover, the difference in cost between a year and a semester program is about $700. In addition, the phrase “school exchange” does not at all mean that a family sending its child abroad undertakes to receive a “foreign guest” within the walls of its own apartment for a year. The name only shows that this is not a one-way process. Your child, for example, goes to an American family, while some American student at the same time goes to a French family, a French student to an English family, and so on. As a rule, school exchange programs are supported by the state. Therefore, a visa is refused only in the case of flagrant violations.
“Academic Year” is a program that allows you to learn not only the language to perfection, but also the mentality of the nation, to see a different way of life, a different country. Often this program is chosen by parents who want their child to then continue education in another country. And this experience allows them to make a final decision on whether it is worth getting higher education abroad. It also brings up a child, teaches him or her independence, responsibility for his or her actions, and gives the opportunity to get to know oneself better. However loud it may sound, this year is the formation of the child's personality: he or she learns to make decisions in extreme situations, to act based on his or her own convictions.
Former program participants later adapt easily to new conditions, know how to set goals and achieve them. Most settle down very well in life. They are not afraid, but on the contrary, they strive to discover new things, not to rest on their laurels, and to move forward. For many, the “Academic Year Abroad” program is the foundation of future success.