Long Term Exchange

The Long Term Exchange Program allows students to live and go to school for a year in another country. Typically students will leave in July or August (sometimes as late as September depending on the country), and return home in May or June of the following year.

Qualifications for the Long-Term Exchange Program

Above average academic standing. Students do not have to be at the top of their class, but we do find that students who are in the upper third of their class have a better exchange experience.
Students should be good ambassadors for their town, for Rotary, and for their country. During their year abroad, they may be called upon to address many groups. They should possess a pleasant personality and have the ability to communicate with other people easily and to express themselves clearly.
Students should possess well-rounded personalities with an ability to think through their problems and the stresses of living in a foreign environment.
Students should have an inquiring mind and be actively interested in their own environment, in the world in general and in world problems.
Students should be active in their community through sports, hobbies, youth activities or church affairs. Successful students invariably are those who lead busy, active lives in their communities.
Students should be well-adjusted, particularly in their family relationships.
Students must be at least 15 years old and no older than 18 1⁄2 years old when they depart in August. Rotary encourages students to take their sophomore or junior year abroad. In this way, they return to their American high school for at least one year before graduating. However seniors may apply and defer college one year while they complete the exchange year.

Responsibilities of Outbound Long-Term Students

Students are expected to obey the laws of the host country at all times and accept the discipline of the host district, club, school and the host parents (if you don’t, your exchange will be terminated and you and your parents will bear any travel surcharges).
Students are required to enroll at a high school determined by the host club and to attend classes regularly and participate fully in all school activities.
Students may be required to address Rotary Clubs, other service organizations, youth groups and community groups during their stay in the host country and will, on their return to the United States, be expected to address similar groups on their experience as an exchange student.
During their stay abroad, students may be expected to attend the annual Rotary Conference in their host District as well as other official Rotary and Youth Exchange Program functions as directed by their host club.
Students are ambassadors for their home countries and must at all times behave in a manner which will reflect positively on their families, communities and countries.
Students must travel directly to the host countries and return directly to their home countries upon completion of their exchange period. Students are not allowed to stay in the host country after the termination of the exchange period.

A Cultural, not Academic, Exchange

The Rotary Youth Exchange is a Cultural Exchange. This means that the intent of the program is provide children with a operantly to immerse themselves in the cultural and lifestyles of another country. Participation in School is a large part of the life of young adults all over the world and an intricate part of any culture. Your child will be expected to attended school classes and participate in school functions. It is understood that exchange students, partantulauty in the first half of their exchange, may perform as well as other students in their grade level, and accommodations are made for this.

Because of the complexity of accreditation and internal transfers of school credit, Rotary does not, nor can not, guarantee that school work performed while abroad will be accepted for credit here in the US once they return. However Rotary does not prohibit individual students and their families on their own from attempting to have school work performed abroad accepted for credit by their home school districts.

Living Aboard

A Rotary Exchange Student is “hosted” by a Rotary District and Club in the country to which they are traveling. This District and Club takes responsibility for your child’s safety and wellbeing during their exchange. Your child will live in the home of a family who is been vetted and approved by Rotary International. These families are often (but not necessarily) members of a local Rotary club themselves, and/or have children in the Rotary Exchange Program. These families will provide your child with room and board during their stay.

Your child will have between 2 and 4 “Host Families” during their exchange. Having multiple host families is intended to give the student a wide cross section of experiences as individual families are different even within a community.

Rotary Exchange students are provided a small stipend (typically the equivalent of $100 USD per month) by the hosting Rotary Club to help offset small expenses.

Financial Obligations

The parents of an Outbound Exchange Student are required to undertake the following financial obligations:

The cost of transportation of the student to and from the host country (Airfare), which can vary by country. Students are required to have an “open-return” ticket (Called “Y” class in the airline industry) because the exact date of their return is not known and because the student may have to return early.
A contingency/emergency fund of a set amount. This fund must be replenished should it become low. This is set by the host district but ranges on the order of $200-$400 US dollars.
All clothing needs of the student while abroad.
Medical and hospital insurance.
Language training. Some countries require students to go to language school and charge extra for this.
Application fee
Passport and visa fees
Any money the family wishes to provide their child for souvenirs or extra items while abroad.
Many Rotary Districts provide optional trips to see more of the country or region where your child will be living.
Typical total cost for exchange is between $6,000 and $8,000.
Room, board and tuition is all covered under a scholarship valued at $24,000 by the host Rotary club.

The Support Network

The Rotary Youth Exchange support network is one of the most well developed and knowledgeable networks of any youth exchange program. Each district that exchanges, worldwide, meets rigid criteria set by Rotary International that ensure the safety of your child.

In the US, the initial point of contact is the local club, through that club’s youth exchange committee or chairperson, depending on the size. Above the local club, there is a district committee of volunteers who work to make the program successful.

The structure in the host country may vary, but generally speaking, your child will be in close contact with a youth exchange officer who liaisons with a colleague our district. Your child will also be in contact with a club chairperson at the local level who will ensure their day to day needs are provided for.

Safety

This is an extremely important question. For students: will I be safe? For parents: will my child be safe? What procedures are in place to prevent problems?

Political Unrest or Natural Disasters First of all, Rotary International truly is one of the most well recognized and highly regarded service clubs in the world. Further, Rotary Youth Exchange is among the best youth exchange programs available. Your or your child’s safety is among our absolute top concerns.

Within our district, we have a committee of about 15 very dedicated individuals who oversee activities related to one to three specific countries. They become very close with their counterparts overseas, and remain in touch with them throughout the year. Their counterparts actually live in the same Rotary district as you or your child will be living. There is no better source for direct, feet-on-the-ground information about the political, economic, or environmental situation in the host country.

Further, should a problem develop, Rotary has an enormous network of 1.5MM Rotarians around the world. These are generally business and community leaders, many of them with high connections. You can be sure that, should any political situation or natural disaster occur, there are people within the country who can get you or your child to safety quickly.

Physical, emotional or sexual abuse In November, 2002, the Board of Directors of Rotary International adopted the following Statement of Conduct for Working with Youth:

Rotary International is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all participants in Rotary activities. It is the duty of all Rotarians, Rotarians’ spouses, partners, and other volunteers to safeguard to the best of their ability the welfare of and to prevent the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of children and young people with whom they come into contact.”

Rotary’s recommended structure includes a same-sex counsellor who lives in the community where you or your child lives, a chairperson above that individual, a non-Rotarian school official, a non-Rotarian and non-school contact within the community, a district-wide country coordinator, and a similar structure here at home. While every country does not work exactly the same way, you can be assured that a structure does exist with multiple contacts to ensure an open channel of communication.

Conclusion Our students’ safety is a top priority of ours. We believe our structure, system and procedures provide the best framework to protect our students, so that they may grow and develop into the outstanding young men and women that they will become.

Timeline

If you are interested in becoming a Long Term Rotary Exchange Student, here is a general guide for the timeline. Because the exchange happens in 2 calendrical years, we refer to them by the years they in which they occur, for example, the 2014-2015 exchange year is different from the 2015-2016 exchange year.

The first official step is for the students and their family to complete an application. This application must be made online. It’s a lengthy application and requires information from various sources such as your family physician and child’s teachers, so it may take several days to complete. Applications are due November 1 for an exchange that will start in the following July or August.

During the Application process you will be asked for your preference as to which countries you would like to exchange in. Rotary makes every effort to accommodate students requests for countries, but because the exact number of openings for a particular country is outside of our control (the number is set by the US Department of State) but we cannot guarantee that you will receive the country of your choice.

After the application has been received, it will be reviewed by the “Outbound” Chair of the Rotary District 6780 Youth Exchange Committee. The Chairperson may contact you for clarification or additional information.

The next official step will be a formal interview between your child, your family, and theRotary District 6780 Youth Exchange Committee. These interviews are scheduled after all applications have been processed, but typically happen in Early December. Your child’s acceptance into the program will be determined shortly after this interview.

For students who have applied or been accepted, Rotary provides an optional retreat weekend in Early December. While this event is primarily focused on Inbound Exchange Students who have come to the US from abroad. Outbound exchange students are invited to attend this event to get exposure to the program and other students.

Once your child has been accepted into the program, there are several things that must happen in order for exchange to go forward.

First, country determination happens in sometime in February. By the end of February you should know which country your child is going to. Once the country has been established, the process of obtaining a VISA can begin. As you may know, a VISA is the official permission by a country for a foreign person to visit. All Rotary Exchange Students travel under what is collectively known as “Student” VISAs. Because every country is different, the process and requirements of obtaining a VISA varies from country to country. Depending on the country, obtaining your child’s VISA may be the most complex part of this process. Don’t Panic, Rotary International has over 75 years of experience in navigating these processes and we have partnered with internal travel experts to make this as easy as it can be made. Some countries require extensive personal information from families before granting a VISA, some countries require an “in person” visit with a consular official before a VISA is granted, and some requirements may seen odd to Americans (for example, some countries require that a child have their biological father be available to represent the child in the event of trouble because biological mothers cannot represent a child in court). However, Rotary and our partners will be with your for every step of the VISA process.

There are three mandatory group orientations that your child must attend. The first one is held on a Saturday in mid-March in Asheville NC at the campus of AB Technical College. The second orientation is in mid-April and usually takes place at Pellissippi State in Knoxville. The third, largest, orientation is over a weekend in Westerville, OH at campus of Otterbein University and is in early July.

As stated, your child will depart for their exchange country in late July or August, and return in May or June the following year.