What we do

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.

How Does High School Student Exchange Work?

One word sums up the success of EF Foundation’s high school student exchange program in New Zealand: volunteers. When families, communities and schools agree to host international visitors, student exchange flourishes.

As an Exchange Program Sponsor, EF Foundation takes care of all of the logistical aspects of the students’ experience: selecting and preparing qualified students, booking flights, proofing insurance coverage, and facilitating the student visa process.

It’s our Regional and International Exchange Coordinators, however, who make exchange happen in their communities. They find qualified host families in their regions and secure enrollments for our students in local high schools. Thanks to their hard work, our exchange students have families and schools eager to welcome them when they arrive.

Once students arrive, EF Foundation works with its local counterparts to make sure everyone involved in the exchange has a successful year using our unique network of support. When students return from their exchange experiences with a new perspective on the world—and host families have scrapbooks filled with precious memories—the work of student exchange has been accomplished!

Why is High School Student Exchange Important?

While sharing New Zealand is fun and rewarding in its own right, student exchange is about more than just ‘right now.’ It is a vital part of public diplomacy, as personal connections formed in adolescence make exchange students ambassadors for New Zealand throughout their lives. Not only do students spread the good word about New Zealand abroad, they often remain friends for life!