How to do a Highschool  Exchange (Year with AFS)

Q&A about Highschool Years abroad in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and French and short video about my Highschool Year in Brazil.

A Highschool Exchange allows you to visit the school in another country and live with a host family. Not only does it open loads of new experiences for you, but also many opportunities to learn and grow. A Highschool Exchange is the best opportunity to get to know a country, immerse yourself in a completely foreign culture, and experience life differently at a young age. I did a Highschool Exchange Year with AFS in Brazil in 2014/2015. After that, I have had several other experiences abroad, such as volunteering, internships, and studies. I can say with certainty that during my Highschool Year abroad, I immersed myself the most in the culture and the country. That doesn’t mean that I learned less from the other experiences. Nevertheless, you will never again have the ease of "just" going to school without other responsibilities (such as work or good grades for university).

I think to answer this question you have to ask yourself first why you want to go on this Highschool Exchange abroad. Would you like to improve your English skills? Then the USA, Canada, or Great Britain would be an option. Would you like to go somewhere completely different and get to know the world of teenagers at the other end of the world? How about Brazil, Germany, India, or South Africa?

I chose Brazil back then because I wanted to experience the life of teenagers on the other end of the world and to this day it was the BEST decision of my life. I wouldn't be where I am now and I wouldn't have seen half as much of the world if I hadn't decided on Brazil back then. Was my time abroad sometimes difficult? Certainly. Did I ever have low phases and wanted to go home? Absolutely. But did I also have many unforgettable memories? For sure. And did I learn and grow so that I could become the person that I am right now? Definitely! Leaving for a place 10.000 km away from home, which is culturally unfamiliar and on a different continent is difficult. But courage always gets you rewarded. One of my mantras these days is that a person grows when leaving his or her comfort zone. I didn't know anything about the concept of the “comfort zone” back in 2014 and it wasn't until years later that I finally understood the entire process I went through. 

This question also depends a lot on your motives. I recommend a 3-month exchange if you don't want to miss a lot at school back home. But the 3-month stay gives you only a first insight into the host country. In fact, I have learned from my experience abroad that you only really feel "at home" in a country after 6-8 months (at least when you are that young). Therefore, I would personally advise against a 3-month or a 6-month program if there is no valid reason for it. Most of my friends who went for short programs would have liked to extend their stay afterward because they felt it was too short. I can confirm this experience too. My Highschool Year abroad really “started” after six months. That's why I recommend you take a full Highschool Exchange Year, even if you have to repeat one year in your own country because the year abroad won’t get recognized by the education system (as in my case).

There are two possibilities to organize a long-term Highschool Exchange: by yourself or with an organization. I would only recommend you organize it by yourself if you have trustworthy contacts in the country you want to go to (like family members) and if the process to get an education visa for this country is easy considering the passport that you hold. If one of these two things isn’t given, I would recommend you to go with an organization even if it's more expensive. There are numerous organizations worldwide that provide this kind of service – big and small ones, expensive and cheap ones. I personally went on the Highschool Exchange with AFS.

A Highschool Year abroad is usually very expensive if you go with an organization. The cost depends on the organization and also the country you want to go to. For example, it's usually more expensive to go to the USA than to go to Brazil. It's also usually more expensive to go with a smaller organization than a larger one. And from my experience, it gets more expensive as more you can “choose”. For example: If you can choose the region of the country or even the city or the school then it will be more expensive than if you can only choose the country. 

AFS is one of the two largest Highschool Exchange organizations in the world. You can do a Highschool Exchange to over 50 countries. Three programs are offered: 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month exchanges. You will be looked after by the organization before, during, and after your stay abroad. AFS will take care of finding a host family and a school for you abroad, buy your insurance and flight, and even help you with the visa process. On top of that, it's one of the least expensive organizations as most work is done by volunteers and there are also a lot of scholarships available.

Nevertheless, two things have to be considered. First, AFS works with a country priority system. You have to name between three and eight countries in your preference order but it's not guaranteed that you will get your top priority. You might get selected for your second or third or fourth choice (that’s why it’s also cheaper than other organizations where you can directly choose the country you want to stay in). I still encourage you to go abroad with AFS because I have had many friends who didn’t get their 1st country option and were so happy about that at the end of their year. Second, as already mentioned most work is done by volunteers that don’t get paid for visiting host families and schools or listening to your problems. That’s why sometimes small problems can take longer to get solved. Obviously, if there is a big problem, it will be solved immediately.

The application and preparation depend a lot on how AFS works in your country. In Germany, there is an online application on the website. After this, you will be invited to a selection weekend where you get to know other Hopees (Hopee = someone who is waiting for a placement abroad). At this seminar, we play games and there are one-to-one interviews. You definitely don't need to be afraid of it, it's all very easy. The trainers are volunteers and they just want to make sure that you have the desire to go on this Highschool Exchange Year and that it’s not "forced" by your parents. After the selection seminar, there will be an interview with your family at your place which is also very chill.

Then you can start your “big” application online. For this, you need a lot of documents, such as certificates, language skills, health information, etc. This application will be sent to the host country. While the host country is looking for a host family and school you will attend one or two “preparation seminars” in your home country. During these preparation seminars also held by volunteers, you will get to meet other Hopees, who want to go to many different countries. At the seminar, the volunteers will talk about topics like values, loneliness, homesickness, adaptation, culture shock, tolerance, cultural imprinting, communication etc. Everything is done through little games and stories that have a great learning effect. I can still remember almost all the games and I only really understood some of them after my year abroad.

The last “preparation seminar” is the "country-specific preparation". This is where all Hopees who will go to the same country or the same region come together. The rules and customs of the respective country/region are discussed at this seminar and you will meet volunteers who have already been there some years ago. They will tell you about their experiences and you can ask all the questions that you have.

Finally, you have to get your visa (if necessary) and pack your luggage (don’t take too much, you will buy so much that you will come back with two pieces of luggage at least).

Once you arrive in your host country AFS volunteers will pick you up at the airport and bring you to your host family. Some days later school should be starting. Then you can get to know your classmates, maybe try a new hobby, learn a new language and get familiar with the food and the costumes of the country. During the year abroad, AFS will provide you with a so-called “counselor” in the host country. He or she will look after you and will help you solve your problems. Usually, you meet the counselor once a month. Most of the time, you see each other more often and you even become friends. I am still in contact with my two supervisors (I changed city during the year) and even from my time as a volunteer in Germany, I have friends in Thailand, Indonesia, Chile, and Argentina that I counseled. You will also receive support from AFS in your home country if necessary.

AFS also organizes “intermediate seminars”. The number will depend on your host country. In Brazil, for example, we had three. The first seminar in the "Survival Camp". For this seminar, the volunteers will explain the basic rules of the country once again. Then there is an “Orientation Camp” after three months of arrival and a “Reflection Camp” about three months before departure. All AFS students from anywhere in your city or region meet at the camps. Games are played and various topics are discussed. While you write down your expectations at the first camp and maybe already some problems and solutions, you will reflect on your time at the last camp (What did you learn? What are you grateful for?)

In addition, AFS usually organizes small events in the city committee for all exchange students and their host families, such as Christmas parties, country presentations, film evenings, etc. The AFS community is great and you will see that many of your close friends during the Highschool Year abroad will be other exchange students from other countries.

After the Highschool Year abroad, AFS offers “return camps” where your whole experience is reflected again. As a “Returnee” (Returnee = someone who has just returned from the Exchange Year) you can join the AFS volunteer work for your own committee. Now, you are the one who organizes the seminars as a volunteer or who works as a counselor for students from abroad who are visiting your home country and their host families. In conclusion, I can only recommend you go on a Highschool Exchange Year if you have the opportunity. 

Check out how I spent my Highschool Exchange Year abroad in 2014, where I lived, what school was like and which are the memories that will always stay with me.