Short-Term Guidelines

A. The structure and administration of the organization is clearly defined.

B. The organization has the personnel needed to administer its programs effectively

1. 1. The organization is accountable for the full scope of the programs it administers, including actions taken and representations made by its agents, and maintains responsibility for its students both within the United States and abroad.
   2. The organization maintains direct, hands-on control of the placement and supervision of inbound students and the hiring, firing, and remuneration of local representatives.  It may not enter into a relationship with another entity that appears to exercise such control.

C. The organization is organized under the laws of one of the 50 states of the United States or the District of Columbia.

D. The organization demonstrates success in international educational travel through at least one full year since its incorporation.

B.    The organization has sufficient financial backing to protect all monies paid by participants and to ensure fulfillment of all responsibilities to participants.

C.    The organization has an independent Certified Public Accountant annually prepare an audited or review financial statement.

A. The organization’s promotional materials should professionally, ethically, and accurately reflect its purposes, activities, and sponsorship.

B. The organization cannot publicize the need for host families via any public media with announcements, notices, advertisements, etc., that:

• a. identify photos of individual students and include an appeal for an immediate family.
• b. imply in any way that a student will be denied participation if a host family is not found immediately
• c. appeal to public pity or guilt
• d. are not sufficiently in advance of the student’s arrival
  • Following are guidelines for public media advertisements:
  • CSIET has found the following words or phrases to be unacceptable: Urgently Needed, Don’t let me be homeless, This is an emergency…
  • CSIET has found the following words or phrases to be acceptable: Open your hearts and homes, Host a foreign Exchange Student…
  • It is possible to use a picture of a student, a first name, age, country of origin, and a composite or generic listing of interests in an advertisement in order to demonstrate the personal nature of the program and the types of interests that students have.  It does not identify that specific student as needing a home, nor should it refer to a student’s athletic ability or accomplishments.  Written waivers should be obtained for the use of any student photographs.

C. The organization should not promote or recruit for its programs in any way that compromises the privacy, safety or security of participants, families or schools.  Specifically, programs should not include personal student data or contact information (including address, phone or email addresses) on websites or other promotional materials.

D. All promotional materials/activities distinguish the program and the sponsoring organization from others operating under:

• a. affiliated or related corporate structures
• b. the same or similar names or symbols.

E. The organization should fully disclose all fees, including school tuition, host family reimbursements, and other required or optional costs to prospective students and their natural families before enrollment.  (If host families provide room and board gratis to the students, publicity should state that fees cover “selection and placement in host families” and not imply in any way that the fees paid by the students cover “room and board.”)

F. Neither the organization nor its agents should promote its programs as providing opportunities for school athletic participation, high school graduation, driver’s education instruction, household domestic service, child care, employment, or other activities that might compromise the student, program, or school.  Guideline 4F strongly discourages the organization and its agents (this includes foreign partners) from promoting its programs as providing any of the aforementioned activities.  The word “promote” as it is used in Guideline 4F includes any specific focus on or prominence of pictures and/or text depicting these activities.  No prominent pictures and/or text will be considered to be in compliance.)

G. The organization should not state or imply in its promotional materials/activities that persons who are compensated other than out-of-pocket expenses are volunteers.

1.    selects host families on the basis of criteria appropriate to the program
2.    personally interviews all prospective host families in their home
3.    matches students and host families on the basis of criteria appropriate to the program
4.    provides suitable orientation and training to the host family.  (CSIET suggests that host family orientations include information on family life, customs, religion, and mores of the student’s native country, and information on potential problems in hosting exchange students and suggestions on how to cope with such problems.)

B. For programs that include accommodations other than a homestay, the organization:

1.     arranges accommodations on the basis of criteria appropriate to the program
2.     ensures the suitability of the accommodations with respect to location, cleanliness, safety, nutrition, and supervision
3.     confirms the accommodations sufficiently in advance of the student’s departure from home.

C. For programs that include short-term attendance at a U.S. high school, the organization shall secure written acceptance from the school principal or other designated responsible school administrator prior to the exchange student’s departure from his or her home country.

D. Organizations do not knowingly be place students based on athletic abilities, whether initiated by a student, a natural or host family, a school or any other interested party.

B.    Local representatives of the organization maintain regular personal contact with students and host families.  (Contact should take place with students at least once every other week in “total immersion programs.” For programs with teaching or other activities, it is expected that contact is more frequent.  An English-speaking chaperone is present on all planned group activities.) 

C.    The organization notifies the student, host family, and/or other supervisor of accommodations regarding the travel itinerary in advance of the student’s departure from the home country.

D.    The organization provides appropriate support services to assist with program-related needs and problems (for example, counseling services, medical care, language problems, changes in host family, emergencies).

E.     The organization maintains an effective system of screening, selecting, training, and supervising program representatives and group leaders.

F.     The organization provides students with the host family’s name, address, and telephone (or similar contact information if placement is in other than a household); the program leader’s name, address, and telephone; the address and telephone of the organization’s national office; and relevant emergency telephone numbers.

G.    When classroom learning is a part of the short-term program experience, the organization has a curriculum or education plan in place for the teacher to follow.

H.    The organization provides an opportunity to the student, host family, and the program escorts or chaperoned to participate in a post-exchange evaluation.

I.        The organization has in place adequate plans and procedures for dealing with emergency situations that may arise during the program.

J.        The organization responds in a timely and appropriate fashion to complaints received from students, families, schools or others concerned with the program and its quality.

a.     Protects students for the duration of their program
b.     Provides for the return of the student to his/her home in the event of serious illness, accident, or death during the program.

B.    The organization provides students, host families, and appropriate supervisor(s) with detailed printed information regarding the terms and limits of insurance coverage and procedures for filing a claim.

C.    Compensated officials and employees of the organization should not receive compensation from the sale of insurance to its participants.

A. The organization complies with all appropriate government regulations regarding international exchange or any other activity under its auspices.