How hosting works: a careful process, so every match is a good fit
Hosting is a big decision, and it deserves a thoughtful path. From your first conversation with Lisa to your student's last day of school, every step is designed around one thing: a safe, happy year for your family and your student.
From "we're curious" to "welcome home"
No pressure at any step — you can ask questions, take your time, and decide what's right for your family.
Connect with Lisa
Start with a no-obligation conversation. Lisa is ISE's Regional Manager based in Mount Pleasant — she'll answer your questions, explain what hosting really looks like day to day, and help you decide whether a semester or a full school year fits your family.
Free video chat or phone callApplication & screening
You complete the ISE host family application, provide personal references, and ISE runs a criminal background check on every household member over 18. A local representative also visits your home to confirm it meets program standards — a comfortable bedroom with a bed, storage, and an exit window. This screening protects students and families alike.
Typically completed in a few weeksBrowse & choose your student
This is the fun part. Once approved, you review student profiles with Lisa and choose the student who fits your family — matched on lifestyle, hobbies, interests, and family dynamics. You're never assigned a stranger; you pick the teen you're excited to welcome. Get a head start and meet the students and their countries now.
Your family, your choicePrepare & get oriented
Before arrival, Lisa coordinates school enrollment with your local district and walks your family through what to expect. Your student prepares on their end too — and most families start messaging or video chatting with their student before they ever board the plane, so arrival day feels like meeting a friend.
School enrollment handled locallyArrival & the year together
Your student lands, settles in, and starts school like any Michigan teen — classes, teams, clubs, homecoming. All year long, your local ISE representative checks in every month with both your family and your student to make sure everyone is doing well.
Monthly local check-insOngoing support, always
You are never on your own. ISE runs a 24-hour hotline for students and host families, a full-time program support department, and an online host family community. And if a placement genuinely isn't working, there is a clear process for finding the student a new host family — no one is ever stuck.
24-hour hotline, all yearThe safeguards behind every placement
Exchange isn't casual matchmaking. ISE operates under federal oversight and independent certification, with screening on both sides of every match.
Federally designated sponsor
ISE is designated by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor the J-1 high school exchange visitor program, and holds a full listing with CSIET, the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel.
Screened host families
Every host family passes an application review, personal references, a criminal background check on all household members over 18, and an in-home visit by a local representative before any student is placed.
Vetted students
ISE students are 15 to 18, come from more than 40 countries, and are accepted based on English ability, maturity, and readiness for an American school year. Each arrives with their own medical insurance and spending money.
A trained local representative
Your Area Representative lives in your community. They guide your application, help you choose your student, and stay personally involved with your family and your student for the entire program.
Check-ins all year long
Support doesn't end at arrival. Your representative checks in monthly with both host family and student throughout the program, and ISE's 24-hour hotline is available whenever something can't wait.
Clear standards & a safety net
Program rules cover housing, school attendance, and student conduct. If a placement isn't working despite everyone's best efforts, ISE's process moves the student to a new screened host family — protecting the student and the family.
Matched with care — and never stuck
How matching works
You tell Lisa what fits your household: a boy or a girl, a semester or a full school year, countries or languages you're drawn to, and the interests that matter around your dinner table — sports, music, faith, the outdoors, gaming, cooking. Then you review real student profiles together and choose the teen whose personality and interests genuinely click with your family. The match is yours to make, with Lisa's experience guiding it.
If it's not working
Most placements settle into a happy rhythm after the first adjustment weeks — but honesty matters more than marketing: sometimes a match isn't right. When that happens, you talk with your local representative first. They mediate, coach both sides through the rough patch, and give it a fair chance. If it still isn't working, ISE moves the student to a new screened host family. No family is obligated to push through a bad fit, and no student is ever left without a home.
What you provide, what they bring
Hosting is volunteer-based and simpler than most families expect. Here's the honest division of responsibilities.
Your family provides
- A bed of their own. A shared bedroom is fine — with a roommate of the same gender and similar age — as long as your student has their own bed and storage space.
- Meals at your table. Three meals a day, the same food your family eats. School lunch can be packed from home or bought with the student's own money.
- Everyday transportation. Rides to school and activities, the way you would for your own teenager.
- Genuine care. Include them in family life — game nights, chores, holidays, the works. They come to be part of a family, not a guest in a hotel.
Your student brings
- Their own medical insurance. Every ISE student arrives insured. Medical costs are the responsibility of the student's family or sponsoring agency — never yours.
- Their own spending money. Clothes, outings, phone, personal expenses — students cover their own.
- Working English. All ISE students speak English — it's part of how they're accepted into the program. Expect an accent and some funny mix-ups, not a language barrier.
- A real desire to belong. These teens chose this. They applied, prepared, and crossed an ocean to be part of an American family and school.
Process questions, honest answers
What does the background check involve?
ISE runs a criminal background check on every member of your household who is over 18 — not just the parents. Combined with personal references and the in-home visit by a local representative, it's a thorough look, and it's required before any student can be placed with you. Families consistently tell us they're glad the screening is this careful, because their student went through screening too.
How long does screening take?
It varies with scheduling, but most families move from application to approval within a few weeks. The main moving parts are the background check turnaround and finding a time for the home visit. Applying earlier in the year gives you the widest choice of students, so it's worth starting the conversation with Lisa sooner rather than later.
Can we get to know the student before they arrive?
Yes — and you should. You choose your student from real profiles that cover their background, interests, and a personal letter, and once you're matched, most families start messaging and video chatting with their student well before arrival day. By the time they land, you're greeting someone you already know.
How does school enrollment work?
Lisa coordinates directly with local Michigan schools to arrange your student's enrollment before arrival. Your student attends the same school your own kids would, as a regular full-time student — classes, sports eligibility rules, clubs, dances, all of it. You don't have to navigate the school district on your own. More on schools and communities on the hosting in Michigan page.
What does hosting cost?
Host families are volunteers — hosting is not a paid arrangement, and there's no fee to apply. Your real costs are a seat at the table and room in your home: meals, a bed, and everyday rides. Students bring their own insurance and their own spending money for personal expenses. Host families may also qualify for a tax deduction for hosting — ask your tax preparer about the current rules.
Have questions about the process?
Talk it through with Lisa first — no forms, no commitment, just real answers from the person who manages placements across Michigan.