About us

EF has been working with students worldwide for over 40 years, and has had a presence in New Zealand since 1988, when we started our first exchange program here. Our team of dedicated volunteers, local coordinators, and staff has helped over 4000 students from nearly 30 countries participate in international exchange programs. Our tradition of excellence, combined with our unparalleled support on the local and national levels, has made us the largest facilitator of high school year programs for exchange students coming into New Zealand.

Our mission

EF Foundation for Foreign Study is a worldwide, non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging cultural awareness through international education and exchange. Today EF Foundation reaches over oceans and across borders to teenagers around the world, providing semester and year-long high school placements in nine countries. With the support of host families, high schools and EF Foundation representatives on five continents, we open the world for today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders.  

A Local Organization with Global Reach

We are committed to making international exchange benefit everyone. We work hard to get students ready for their transition into New Zealand life, and at the same time give our coordinators and host families the tools to be prepared and confident hosts. Our community-based focus with international reach sets EF Foundation apart. We are:

• Local. EF Foundation’s greatest assets live and work right in your community. Local coordinators find caring host families, match students and families, develop relationships with high schools, and team with a regional coordinator to provide assistance and guidance all year long.
• National. Our Auckland office manages each local support team, providing extensive training and 24/7 support. EF Foundation is designated by the New Zealand Government as an Approved Exchange Program Organization. We have been facilitating exchange in New Zealand for nearly 20 years, and bring more students to the country each year than any other program.
• Global. We have partner offices around the world. These international ties allow us to coordinate every aspect of the exchange experience, from the selection of students within their own countries to their placement here in New Zealand.

Affiliations and Credentials

EF Foundation is an established organization with extensive ties to the volunteer and international education communities worldwide. We have relationships with the following:

• NZCIE: New Zealand Council for International Exchange. EF Foundation is a member of the NZCIE, an organization that works to support, protect and grow International Exchange in New Zealand.
• New Zealand Ministry of Education. Through the approval of the Code of Practice for International Students, EF Foundation is supported by the Ministry in bringing students into New Zealand to spend a year abroad as a member of a local high school.
• New Zealand Immigration Service. As a government-approved exchange organization, EF Foundation is granted visa eligibility certificates to approved students who desire to spend an academic year or semester in New Zealand.

In addition to New Zealand, EF Foundation is officially recognized as an approved exchange program in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States, Germany, France, Costa Rica, and Ireland.