Our program

Immigration rules and visa matters are very complex and the exact circumstances for any one visit will be determined by a number of factors. The host country, the duration of the visit, the visitor’s qualifications, age and experience and the host circumstances are just some of the factors involved. Visa regulations can impose restrictions in certain cases, but IIP can inform interested parties of the options available in every case. Please do not hesitate to contact us for details pertinent to your circumstances.

All candidates undergo a screening process which assesses their educational and professional background, program motivation, personality, adaptability and English communicative ability. Our assessment criteria is based on over 30 years experience placing people in cross-cultural exchanges. We aim to make each placement a unique, tailored experience for both visitor and host, so our focus is very much on matching people for the greatest possible benefit all round. To this end, we encourage interested hosts to share their ideas and discuss the possibilities in depth with IIP as no two placements will ever be exactly alike.

A key concept of the program is facilitating a fully rounded cultural experience. The aim, therefore, is to have the visitor stay with a family, or families, connected to the host school community. The visitor will pay a contribution to the family to defray related expenses. Since the visitor is a volunteer who largely self-funds the visit and makes a valuable contribution to the school, we ask hosts to accept that the visitor pay only a minimum fee to cover costs. In addition, the host family can also gain reward and enrichment through the home stay experience by having the visitor involved in family life. If a suitable host family cannot be found, it may be possible to arrange alternative accommodation, such as a house share, dormitory or similar. For more detailed information about homestay expenses and benefits, please refer to program documentation specific to your country (documents can be found here). Alternatively, please contact IIP with any questions you may have, or suggestions for accommodation arrangements.

In almost all cases, visitors pursue their own activities at this time and will not require support from the school or host family. Many take the opportunity to travel or study during extended school breaks. Our program policy is that all arrangemnets for such periods are the responsibility of the visitor. If however, the school or community is interested in having the visitor involved in activities, such as summer camps or similar, many visitors do appreciate the opportunity to broaden their experience further. Please let us know if you have ideas for such opportunities.

Visitors carry personal insurance for injury, sickness and liability including: death or disability due to injury, death due to illness, medical expenses due to injury, medical expenses due to illness, liability (personal and property), household goods & personal belongings and rescuer’s expenses.

Documentation will vary according to circumstances, particularly where a certain type of visa is required. However, as a first step, IIP asks interested hosts to complete a Host Application Form (found here). Following this, once a suitable candidate has been introduced and accepted by a school, IIP will coordinate the necessary paperwork as appropriate. In the majority of cases, the host will be asked to prepare a Letter of Invitation to finalize and confirm the conditions of the placement. IIP will supply templates and guidance for any letters to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. Where the host requires specific documentation in order to accept and approve a placement, such as a police background check, certificates of qualification or insurance, etc., IIP can endeavour to source this. Please let us know if you have such requirements.

Please see our program guides for more details.