Hosting a student

So you have decided to take a student! Great decision!

The next step for the club is to contact the RYE Chair and advise that you are willing to host.  If you have a country preference, or a gender preference that is OK; just let them know.

As the host club, you accept the inbound student before the student even leaves home. The Club is charged with finding a Counsellor and 3-4 different sets of host parents, each one hosting the student for 3-4 months.

Once a suitable candidate has been found, you will be sent the student’s full application form to review.

Review and complete the application

The full application is available for you to distribute to the host families. However, the next step in the process is for your club to complete Section F of the form –  Host Club, District, & School Endorsements. This includes:

• Your Club number
• An agreed monthly allowance (we suggest around NZD120)
• The arrival airport
• The date of arrival (approx 17 January or 17 July)
• The Club President details
• Club Youth Exchange Officer
• The Host Club Counsellor
• The first host
• School details (as much as you can).

Once this is done, print two copies. It is Important that these forms get signed in blue.  Include a legible school stamp and obtain a signature from the school.

Once this signing is completed, please get the forms to the Youth Exchange Chair as soon as possible.  Once they get there, and signed, the paperwork can head overseas and the exchange start.  They have to get a Visa and plane tickets, so time is of the essence.

Financials

There is a financial commitment on the club of between $2,000 and $3,000 which is broken down as follows:

• $650 plus GST to the RYE Committee for administration, orientations, etc,
• $120 (estimate) per month ‘pocket money’ to the student
• the cost of providing a meal for the student at each club meeting they attend.
   

Prepare the club members

We are  very happy to come and talk to the club, especially if you have not hosted for a while.  It is nice to get a buy in from other club members and all adds to the success of the Exchange.

The Hosts and Counsellor need to complete the police vetting process and some training.

Vetting process

The police vetting process can take around three weeks, so it is best to get started on that with plenty of time in hand.

Host and counsellor training

The training session should occur at least a month before your student is due to arrive. The training is a two-hour session at a time to suit everyone where the team go over the Rotary International requirements, the RYE requirements and will inform you what activities the District will do with the students during the year.

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