Many individuals and families interested in hosting a foreign exchange student have questions about the host family approval process. This process involves a series of checks that ensure our host family applicants meet not only the requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of State but also the additional quality-assurance…
We sat down with Michael, an American student who studied abroad in Germany, to learn more about the program and the lasting effect it has on a participant’s life. Watch the interview to learn more! We invite you to read more about our Travel & Study abroad programs. To find…
One of the biggest misconceptions about hosting an exchange student is that you have to have kids of your own and a spouse or partner in order to become a host family. This isn’t the case! The truth is, you can be single, married, have kids or no kids, be…
ISE has grown from a small nonprofit exchange program in 1982 to one of the leading sponsors of J-1 cultural exchange programs in the industry, facilitating programs for over 2,500 exchange students every year. With such rapid growth, we faced the challenge of providing comprehensive training to each new field…
With exchange students and host families around the world eagerly awaiting their opportunity to experience cultural exchange, we decided to catch up with one of our incoming students and host families to get a glimpse of how they’re preparing for next year’s program and how virtual connections have already helped…
As lockdowns were enacted, and national borders closed due to COVID-19, exchange students were faced with a daunting task: getting home. There have been countless stories of host families and field staff members going above and beyond to make sure the exchange students were safe. In San Francisco, host father…
With the spread of the Coronavirus and the COVID-19 outbreak, it can be tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the incredible people working to make a difference. That’s where the Vest Family comes in. When Haskell and Kelly Vest signed up to host an…
Lou’s adventure started in August of 2019, when she left France and headed for the United States. She was nervous at first, but knew this was an amazing opportunity that she would never forget. Her destination was a small town in Illinois called Bunker Hill. She was welcomed there by…
During these troubling times of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more states are telling people to stay home and only go out if it is an emergency. This will help “flatten the curve” and hopefully bring an end to this sooner rather than later. With that being said, all this…
It’s a very emotional time for many of our program participants around the world. Given the current Coronavirus pandemic, many students, host families, and friends are having to say goodbye much sooner than expected. While ISE hasn’t mandated any students to return home, many have decided that it would be…