14 and want to go on exchange for 3-5 months next year

Question

I am 14 and want to go on exchange for 3-5 months next year

i have a B average in school and am mature for my age.i live in australia. i want to do this for personal experience and to meet new people and learn a new language. i want to know things like how much does it cost?, can a exchange student live with my family?, what included with the cost?, whats the best program to go with?, what about the language barriers? and how can i learn a totally new language like swedish or turkish or german etc etc? is the any possibilitys of going to a private school instead of a public because i would like to experience a new school scean kinda thing as i have been in a public school for my schooling life. also if u have any personal experience that would be appreciated and or could you recommend a country that you think would be good i have a country in mind but i want to see other views.and anything else you can tell me.

thank you all so much

Answer 1

There are several different exchange programs, Including AFS and the Rotary.  Most require you to be 15 or 16 before you travel. (a junior in high school... 6th form)

I can't advise you on cost, it's been 25 years since I traveled, but I will say that you will have an experience that will be with you for the rest of your life!  I still correspond with my host family.   I would strongly suggest that you consider going for an entire year... 6 months is just too short, and 3 doesn't even give you a chance to get your bearings.

HAVE FUN!

Answer 2

Definitely go with AFS, they have 60 years of experience in international exchanges and a great support system. And don't just go for a semester (3-5 months) go the full year! So many exchange students will tell you how a semester is not nearly long enough. The cost depends on what country you're looking at going to, you say that you want to possibly learn Swedish, Turkish or German so here are the prices for a full year:

Sweden- 11,950

Turkey- 11,750

Germany- 12,750

It's pretty expensive but completely worth it! You can apply for scholarships, fundraise, or get a temporary job to help pay for it.

The language barrier can be hard, AFS doesn't require you to know the language of your host country but it is very helpful. I suggest signing up for a language course (if there is one offered in your area) and this will give you a basic knowledge of the language.

AFS usually places students in public schools because of private schools costs but if you really want to attend a private school there's a possibility that it could be arranged but I'm not quite sure.

Picking the country to go to can be hard but it sounds like you want to learn a new language so don't go to an English speaking one. Asian countries, Turkey, and Hungary would probably give you the most "culture shock". But European countries would also be very different from Australia. I suggest researching countries that you're interested in and write down the pros and cons and compare them. The only personal experience I can give you is that I go to Germany every other summer to visit family and I really love it there, the architecture is fantastic, they have great public transportation, and the people are all so nice there.

If you want an exchange student to live with your family all you have to do is fill out a host family application! From there AFS volunteers try their best to match interests between the student and family applications and then your family will be given three applications of students that they can chose to host.

Good Luck!