Academic Year/Semester Program
What is it all about? It's the sharing of cultures between an international youngster and your family: customs, friendship, personalities, even the food and holidays traditional to each; it's about bringing the world together.
How does it work? Basically, a personally interviewed international high school student becomes a part of your family for one academic year (10 months) or semester (5 months) while attending a local high school as a full time student. The student comes with his/her own spending money, round trip airplane ticket, and full medical insurance. Your family simply provides him/her with room and board, and the support of a loving family environment.
Selection
Why do these kids want to come to the U.S.? Although these global youths want to become proficient in the English language because of its increasing importance in today's "borderless" world, they ultimately share the same reasons why you want to become a host family: the interest in expanding their horizons; the desire to learn about another culture while sharing their own and a different of way of life. All of these intercultural aspects make for an unforgettable life experience.
How are the kids selected to come? All FLAG students are personally interviewed and screened by our overseas representatives according to FLAG's preestablished selection criteria. The students' personality, maturity level, English skills, social references, and academic background are closely evaluated. Then, the complete portfolio on each of the selected students is sent to FLAG's Central Office in the U.S. for final review and approval. Since FLAG has a strict limit on the total number of students sponsored per year, we choose our students from a large pool of applications, and are, therefore, highly selective regarding qualifications.