BECOMING A VOLUNTEER HOST FAMILY
Making a Difference – One Placement and One Family at a Time!
Open your heart and home to an international high school student! We are looking for families just like yours who are willing to open up their heart and home to one of our students. Our families are interested in other cultures and youth and want the experience of a lifetime!
As a host family, you will become part of the worldwide FTW family, a leader in student exchange programs. Your generous hospitality, understanding, and enthusiasm form the foundation of our programs. You will build friendships and relationships with students and families around the world. By hosting an international student you are providing an opportunity for community and school outreach and can impact the lives of those around you. 
FTW places students with volunteer host families in the United States who provide students with a caring and safe home environment. Host families are able to experience firsthand the joy of exchanging cultures. FTW host families open up their hearts and learn that youth from all around the world have many of the same qualities and interests as American youth. They treat our students like one of their own children. You will be providing your family with an experience and education that you could never get from a book. The student and family are quickly immersed into cultural exchange, and you are constantly seeing our country and world through different eyes.
top What is a normal host family?
A host family comes in many different shapes and sizes. There isn't a "normal" host family, as we have many different types of families, including single host mothers or fathers with or without children at home, older couples with no children at home, and families with children in the home. All meet the minimum standard requirements, and must be able to provide a loving home and meals. Our students come to the U.S. with their own insurance and personal spending money
We want our families to treat our students as they would one of their own children. These students become like one of your own and it will be something that you enjoy doing year after year.FTW offers:
- Training and orientation sessions
- Thorough screening of host families, including in-home interviews and background checks.
- Continuous support and assistance from our full time staff and Community Representatives in your area. Our Community Representatives (CR) will be there to help you along the way as you welcome one of our students coming this year. Your CR will help you select a student who will fit in with your family, and who has some of the same interests and hobbies as your family.
- Thoroughly screened students who speak English and meet the requirements of the program that will ensure success for the family and student
- Host families have the opportunity to learn about other cultures without leaving home
- Insurance coverage for each student
top FTW students are:
- Between the ages of 15 and 18
- Thorough screening of host families, including in-home interviews and background checks.
- Outstanding leaders in their school and community
- Able to speak, read, and write in English
- Excited for the opportunity to share in American culture!
Our overseas clients send their students through Face the World Foundation because of the professional, positive, and personable staff that we have and the commitment and dedication that Face the World is known for around the world.
We offer a caring and supportive environment for our families and students and work very hard to provide a successful program for all. We are looking forward to working with you and welcoming you to the Face the World Family
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How do you apply to be a host family?
Face the World is looking for stable and nurturing host families. We have representatives throughout the U.S. and will arrange an interview with a Community Representative in your area. Single parents with children and elderly couples are welcome to apply. Please complete the survey form below and you may have a new face in your family! When you are finished, click the "Submit" button at the bottom to send us your form. Please contact us by email if you have additional questions.
All across the world, Face The World students are eagerly awaiting their host family placement. Contact us today and begin the adventure of a lifetime!
top FAQ and Concerns about Hosting:
- 1. Does it cost anything to host a student?
Face the World is a non-profit organization. You do not pay us anything. However, you will
have the expense of food and housing, just as you would for your own teenager. You are not
responsible for the student's medical, school or other incidental expenses.
- 2. Do I get paid to host?
Not in terms of money, but rather in values and knowledge. Hosting a student will allow your family
to visit a foreign country without leaving your home! A $50 per month charitable tax deduction
can be claimed for your participation in the program
- 3. What does Face The World look for in a host family?
Our host families come in all shapes and sizes: they can be single, retired, empty-nesters, or
childless. A family must have the emotional and financial stability to sustain a student for a
year. They should have a desire to learn about other cultures and the willingness to share their
life with a person from another culture. Host families are expected to include their student in
all host family activities, including chores.
- 4. I don’t have any children at home. Can I still host?
There is no typical host family. Students are interested in a wide range of hosting situations.
Some students who come from large families would like to experience being the only child in a family.
- 5. Can young children benefit from hosting?
Many of the students accepted into the program indicate an interest in being placed in families with
small children. As for your own children, their facility for learning a language is never greater
than when they are young. Similarly, their interest, curiosity and acceptance of people different
from themselves is strongest at a young age. They will look up to the exchange student and in turn
the exchange student feels special.
- 6. I think my house may be too small. Does a student need his own room?
Program participants are prepared to share a bedroom with a child of the same gender. The only
requirements are that the exchange student must be provided with his or her own bed, and that the
host sibling sharing the room be within 5 years of the student’s age. We have found that a student
who shares a room with a host sibling often makes the transition from exchange student to family
member more quickly.
- 7. Since my spouse and I both work, we wouldn’t be home to entertain the student. Wouldn’t this be a problem?
The typical American family where the husband works and the wife stays home is becoming a relic of a
bygone era. In most of our two-parent families, both parents work. We are not looking for families to
entertain our students. We are looking for families who will share an exchange of ideas, lifestyles,
and love with a child from another culture. With his/her participation in the local high school, the
student will quickly develop a circle of friends and should not be dependent on the family for entertainment.
- 8. Do students have insurance?
All students are covered by a comprehensive health and liability policy while on the Face The World program.
- 9. What does the student expect?
The student expects to be welcomed into a warm and loving home. Flexibility, a sense of humor and the
ability to help a young person adapt to a new family and lifestyle are also important qualities that
students hope their family will have.
- 10. How well will my student speak English
The English level of your student will depend upon a number of factors including the length of time the
language has been studied, the environment in which the student received the instruction, the student’s
native language, and many other factors. Our academic programs require the students to demonstrate a
level of fluency that will allow them to function in an American high school shortly after arrival.
Occasionally, a student may seem to have poor English skills upon arrival, but there is usually a noted
improvement after a few days of adapting to the new environment
- 11. Who makes arrangements with the high school?
Your community representative will contact the local high school to obtain their approval of the student’s
enrollment. The family should help the student register for classes once he or she has arrived
- 12. Can we host more than one student?
Yes, as long as the two students are from different countries and speak different native languages. This
is an ideal situation for empty-nesters, as each student has the other.
- 13. What happens if my family and the student don’t get along?
Each family and student is assigned a community representative who will work with them during the program.
This person is prepared to assist you with any problems that might arise. In the event of a serious
problem or conflict of personalities, Face the World will remove the student for evaluation to determine
whether the student should be replaced or returned to his or her home country.
- 14. Can I choose the student I would like to have stay with us?
Yes! Based on a review of the information you provide to us, and a review of the student files available for
the upcoming year, your local representative will present to you several files for your consideration. You
will ultimately select the student you would like to host.
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