Any foreign exchange students around here?

[Brazen]

Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.

Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?

Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.

If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm

Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.

[garbon]

Garbon, usually though that is because they exchange between rotary club memebers. So that you get kids whose parents are members sent over to other rotary members.. I'm not sure they are open to non members

V

No as Meri said that's not the case. I had been considering going and I had only tenuous associations. (Did go to a Rotary luncheon once as I was in name a member of their high school group and went as attendee and then counselor to their leadership training camp - though that was later.)

[garbon]

Thanks, garbon. No Rotary groups in our area, but there are other options. They do seem to be much more highly competitive, but worth giving it a shot.

Yeah, I'd guess there are a lot of other groups that do similar things and though difficult, worth a try.

/I forget exactly where you live but Illinois seems littered with chapters, including around the university.

[merithyn]

Thanks, garbon. No Rotary groups in our area, but there are other options. They do seem to be much more highly competitive, but worth giving it a shot.

Yeah, I'd guess there are a lot of other groups that do similar things and though difficult, worth a try.

/I forget exactly where you live but Illinois seems littered with chapters, including around the university.

I just found a Champaign one. Took some time, but I found it. May not be as competitive as I thought, since each chapter handles their own, so it will depend on how many kids from a given area apply. Applications are due next month, however, so we'll have to get going on it.

[Iormlund]

Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.

My school had a similar thing going in England. My sister spent some time with a local family somewhere in St. Albans.

The one thing I remember from those English kids was that they were all fucking each other senseless by the time they were like 12 years old. Even the girls talked openly about how horny they were and what things they did. More shocking than arousing though. They were all ugly as sin.

[Ed Anger]

Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.

My school had a similar thing going in England. My sister spent some time with a local family somewhere in St. Albans.

The one thing I remember from those English kids was that they were all fucking each other senseless by the time they were like 12 years old. Even the girls talked openly about how horny they were and what things they did. More shocking than arousing though. They were all ugly as sin.

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[Josquius]

Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.

Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?

Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.

If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm

Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.

Erasmus is just for Europeans I believe.
I was actually looking into going to the University of Illinois for my exchange but it would have cost me a shit tonne vs. getting free money for going to Holland.

[Monoriu]

I don't understand why native English speakers need to learn another language.  All non-English speakers should learn English, and that's good enough. 

[Valdemar]

No as Meri said that's not the case. I had been considering going and I had only tenuous associations. (Did go to a Rotary luncheon once as I was in name a member of their high school group and went as attendee and then counselor to their leadership training camp - though that was later.)

OK, back in the day it was restricted to members, or at least they got preferential treatment. Ofc that is more than twenty years ago 

V

[The Larch]

Erasmus is just for Europeans I believe.

It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.

[Josquius]

Erasmus is just for Europeans I believe.

It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.

They have to be at a European university though right? Or are some non-Europe universities in it now?

[The Larch]

Erasmus is just for Europeans I believe.

It's for any regular university student of the participating countries. I've known Argentinians doing it.

They have to be at a European university though right? Or are some non-Europe universities in it now?

Depends on how you count Turkey. :p

AFAIK it's EU countries, candidate countries and EFTA countries. For everywhere else there's a separate program called Erasmus Mundus, but I don't have the slightest idea about how that works.

[Zanza]

Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.

I am pretty sure you have to be 18 to sell alcohol though.

[The Brain]

I don't understand why native English speakers need to learn another language.  All non-English speakers should learn English, and that's good enough.

But then we wouldn't get to listen to native English speakers horribly butchering foreign tongues, like they invariably do.

[Martinus]

Pretty much everyone who studied a language at school did an exchange programme when we were about 15 and it was organised through the school. There were "twin" schools in France and Germany we had an ongoing relationship with.

Why does it cost so much? Surely the idea is you just pay the air fare and put up the German exchange student while his parents look after your son?

Is he old enough to hold down a part-time job? Legal drinking age in Germany is 16 so he could work in a bar, semi-traditional for Americans in Europe.

If he waits until he's university age, he can go through the Erasmus exchange scheme. http://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus.htm

Until then a full year isn't necessary - he could just spend the long summer holiday out there. I learnt a lot French with just two weeks of immersion.

Agreed. The price quoted by Merri seems prohibitvely expensive.