S.C.C.E's international students
Change a student's life forever - Download a Host Family Application Form
Expand your family and bring another culture into your home in 2010
S.C.C.E. hopes you will join our global friendship network that - one step at a time - furthers understanding and demystifies cultural differences, making a more tolerant world for us all.
Host families are the beneficiaries of a unique experience that fosters global friendships and sharing of cultures.
S.C.C.E. has supported over 6,700 international students to come to Australia since its founding in 1983. These students have stayed with thousands of generous families who have demonstrated true Aussie spirit in volunteering to share our culture and country with a foreign friend.
While Australian students who go on exchange with S.C.C.E. are not obligated to host in return, many choose to ‘return the favour’, or host prior to their own exchange program departure to prepare themselves for their own experience.
In welcoming an international student into your home, you and your family will gain an international brother or sister, son or daughter, learn first-hand about another culture and teach our own culture and lifestyle. In addition, exchange students can help host families learn a second language, while Australian families help to encourage their student’s English skills.
S.C.C.E. supports students from the following countries for periods of three, five and ten months: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the USA.
To become part of our global friendship campaign, apply here.
Read about some of our happy host families and international students:
Ciao, Mosman!
Miss you, Miimi
Peninsula Play
So long, farewell, auf weidersehen
Ciao, Mosman!
For Tina Webb, hosting S.C.C.E. student Lisa Franceschini was an opportunity to improve her Italian language skills – and try her hand at some traditional cuisine.
“Unfortunately I left great big air bubbles in the ravioli so they exploded everywhere!” said Tina.
“Lisa was laughing so much because she has made ravioli with her ‘nonna’ since she was little and had never seen them explode before!”
Welcomed by voluntary host family Tina and John and their son Andrew, 21, Lisa found she quickly adjusted to her new Australian life in Mosman.
“Australian life is more relaxing, there is more time to ‘take it easy’,” said Lisa.
“I love living in Mosman and the different food here – my favourite is Vietnamese, I had never tried it before.”
About to return to her home in Reggio Emilia in Italy’s north, Lisa said she will find it difficult to leave her “second family.”
“I am so lucky to have lived with such a beautiful family,” she said.
“This experience has changed my life. I am different now – five months ago I was young and now I’m more mature and more independent.”
Tina agrees one of the most rewarding aspects of hosting Lisa has been watching her personal growth and encouraging her English skills.
“For the first two weeks we tried speaking Italian and had dictionaries in every room of the house!
“The improvement in being able to express herself so well in English has been exciting to see, and now we sit and philosophise and talk about very meaningful things.
“It has been such a wonderful experience – certainly more than I ever would have expected. The dynamics of our family have changed – Lisa is completely a part of us now.”
And yet despite her imminent departure, Lisa and Tina will not be separated long – Tina will visit Lisa and her family in April next year, where she will take local Italian lessons to sharpen her language skills.
“My family is very happy that Tina will visit us, because we are all family now,” said Lisa.
While hosting an exchange student was a first for the Webb’s, Lisa is not new to the experience – her sister had spent six months in Tasmania on exchange, and her family hosted a Swiss girl last year.
“My sister and a friend came to Australia on exchange and were really, really happy here and loved Australia. They told me I must go, and now I’m happy here too.
“Vegemite is the only thing I don’t like!” she laughs.
Tina recommends other families to consider hosting an international exchange student.
“I would definitely recommend others give hosting a go because it is so rewarding.
“When we all first met, Lisa put her hand out to shake hands but I felt an instant bond with her and I gave her a cuddle.
“We will miss her so much when she goes.”
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Miss you Miimi
Swapping her life in Finland for a new life in Seymour, S.C.C.E. student Miimi Jalo calls it “the best year of my life.”
“I really like Australian culture, and how friendly everyone is,” said Miimi, 17, who attended Seymour Technical High School.
“In Finland you wouldn’t really talk to someone you didn’t know, but here you can say hello to anyone.”
Returning to her home town of Espoo, near Helsinki at the end of November, Miimi is now preparing to farewell her Australian home-away-from-home.
“I will really miss my host family and my friends,” said Miimi.
“I will also miss the crazy weather – I haven’t missed Finnish saunas this year because the weather here is like a sauna!”
Miimi was welcomed upon her arrival in February by voluntary host family and Peter and Kathie Andriessen and their daughters Gillian, 9 and Angela, 8.
Kathie agrees with Miimi that is has been “a life-changing year”.
“Hosting Miimi has been the best thing we’ve ever done collectively as a family,” she said.
“It’s been an extremely positive experience – of course it’s an awesome responsibility to care for someone else’s child, but you just could not imagine the difference it has made to our lives.
“Miimi is just such a beautiful child, she has brought such happiness to us and our little girls.”
One of Peter’s favourite memories was a family holiday with Miimi along the Great Ocean Road.
“Miimi told us that in Finland the ocean has no surf, so watching Miimi for the first time in surf was a joy to behold, she was just ecstatic. We will always remember that.”
Peter said they had thought about hosting an exchange student for some time, and this year the timing was right.
“We had done a lot of work on the house and this year it was pretty much finished so we thought we’d give it a run,” he said.
“It has been such a positive experience – especially for our little girls who have now experienced another culture.”
Should other families try hosting an international exchange student?
“Definitely,” said Kathie.
“Miimi is just like a daughter to us, we will miss her so much.”
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Peninsula play
With a child overseas on an exchange program, it’s understandable that their families may want to take advantage of the newfound peace and quiet – but for the Lethlean family, it was the perfect opportunity to reciprocate by hosting a S.C.C.E. student of their own.
Irla Fock, 16, of Germany was welcomed by her voluntary Red Hill hosts, Mark and Stacey, and their daughters Hannah and Abby, who describe the experience as “fantastic for the whole family.”
“It has been such an enriching experience,” said Stacey Lethlean, whose eldest daughter Hannah is now on a S.C.C.E. program in Meppen, Germany.
“For us the experience really got the family out and about, showing off the Peninsula to Irla and all that we have here – the outdoors, the beaches and wildlife. Irla is from a city so now that she’s living in a semi-rural environment we really enjoyed sharing the outdoors with her.”
An athletic student, Irla enjoyed exploring the Peninsula and was eager to give some Australian sports a go.
“I learned to surf at Point Leo which was great fun, I loved it,” she said.
“I will really miss having a beach five minutes away – it’s five hours to get to the beach from my home in Germany, and it’s not even a good beach!”
Preparing herself to soon return home to Munster in Germany’s north-west, Irla will take with her memories of her five-month Peninsula seachange and the great Australian outdoors.
“On my second day here my host family and I walked into the bush to spot animals and we found heaps of kangaroos,” said Irla.
“It was so good to stand right in the middle of all of them – although they are a lot bigger than I thought they would be!
“Exchange has been a really good experience, and although sometimes it can be hard I’ve learned so much from it – I wasn’t shy when I arrived but now it’s easier to talk to new people and I’m more open to trying new things.”
Stacey agrees the challenges faced by students on exchange programs inevitably lead to positive personal development, in which the family shares.
“As the host family you get to see the students grow as individuals, achieve in challenged circumstances, firmly grasp the language, adapt to their new community and begin to find out who they are,” said Stacey.
“Irla fitted in with us beautifully. We have so many great memories, but above all we will always remember Irla’s excitement when we hit the beach. Even though she is sixteen, she runs out to the sand and does cartwheels, and that memory will stay with us.
“I really don’t see any downsides to hosting an exchange student. S.C.C.E. offer great support if you ever need it, although we never did. I would thoroughly recommend it to other families.”
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So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen
There probably aren’t many eight-year-old German girls who would want a toy kangaroo above a traditional teddy bear, but Hannah Kraus has never looked back.
Since receiving her unique toy eight Christmases ago, Hannah has longed to live in Australia – a dream that was realised when she became a S.C.C.E. student and was welcomed by voluntary host parents Wyett and Lisa of Yinnar South.
Hannah, now 16, still finds it hard to believe she has seen real kangaroos almost every day of her five-month exchange program.
“I love this area and having so much space around me. I am always seeing kangaroos, koalas and wombats, my friends back home are so jealous!” said Hannah, who usually lives in Bensberg, a city of about 100,000 people in Germany’s central west near Cologne.
Hannah says she instantly embraced her new community, finding her Australian home-away-from-home comparatively much less crowded.
“I really like running, and in Germany I always have to stop to talk to people I see along the way, but here sometimes the only things I see are kangaroos, it’s great!” she said.
Despite snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef and exploring the Great Ocean Road, Hannah’s favourite Australian memory is camping with her host parents.
“I’ve had so many fantastic experiences here, but most of all I really enjoyed riding our horses to our campsite in Middle Creek. I just loved it.”
Hannah says she has had only one disappointment.
“I’m not really a big fan of Vegemite, actually I would probably only eat it as a last resort!” she laughs.
Since her arrival Hannah has attended Kurnai College at Churchill, where she particularly enjoys art classes with Mr David Shields, who describes her as “a perfect art student”.
“Kurnai’s College’s staff and students will miss Hannah’s positive attitude, her hard work and her good nature around the school. We all want to wish her the best in her life back home,” he said.
Thinking about her return to Germany next week, Hannah said she will miss “living as an Australian”.
“I would love to stay here longer. I will miss my host family and all my friends so much. Australians are so friendly and easy-going,” she said.
“And I will miss Aussie barbeques, and seeing kangaroos every day – all the things that are now normal for me.”
Would Hannah recommend others to try student exchange?
“Definitely! Student exchange allows you to learn a new language, try something totally different, and to ‘get out of your comfort zone,” Hannah said, smiling at using a new English expression she has learned.
“I’ve tried so many new things, met so many wonderful people and now I have a second family in Australia.”
And while Vegemite will not be Hannah’s suitcase, other Australian treats will be.
“My friend taught me how to suck Milo through a Tim Tam biscuit, it’s the best! I’m definitely taking both back to Germany with me.”
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