The English-Speaking Union Secondary School Exchange SECONDARY SCHOOL EXCHANGE HANDBOOK CONTENTS SECTION I GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION PAGE A. School Membership 1. Participation 3 2. Requirements for Membership 3 3. Annual Dues 3 B. Authorization to Issue I-20 Forms 4 C. ESU Branches 4 SECTION II PROGRAM FOR U.S. STUDENTS A. Information for Potential Applicants 5 B. Application Procedure for Students 5 C. School Screening of Potential Applicants 1. Eligibility 5 2. Financial Responsibility 5 D. Application Procedure for Schools 1. Collection 6 2. Deadlines 6 E. Selection of Applicants 6 F. Travel and Other Information 6 SECTION III PROGRAM FOR BRITISH STUDENTS A. Terminology 7 B. Selection of Applicants 7 C. Travel Arrangements 7 D. Financial Provisions 7 E. Insurance Coverage 8 F. Immigration Regulations 1. Employment 8 2. Departure from the U.S. 8 - 1 - PAGE G. Vacations 8 H. Evaluations 8 I. College Counseling 9 SECTION IV Helpful Information for Day Schools when Searching for Host Families 9-10 APPENDICES I. Calendar for Application and Notification 11 II. General Information Sheet and Guide to Program Costs 12-14 III. List of Regional Interviewing Chairs 15-16 IV. List of Participating Schools 17-21 V. Sample I.R.S. Form for Host Families 22 VI. S.S.E. Committee Members 23 - 2 - THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION SECONDARY SCHOOL EXCHANGE HANDBOOK SECTION I GENERAL INFORMATION A. School Membership 1. Participation Independent schools wishing to participate in the exchange are asked to write to the Secondary School Exchange Committee member of their region, or to the International Programs Department of The English- Speaking Union of the United States, 144 East 39th Street, New York, NY 10016 or [email protected]. 2. Requirements for Membership Each participating boarding school will provide tuition, board, normal fees and all required expenses per term (or one third of the year) for one British student or Argentine student selected by the Committees of the ESU at the following specified intervals unless exempted by the U.S. Committee. a. Single-sex schools, day and/or boarding, with an enrollment in grades 9-12 of 200 or more, are expected to offer a scholarship annually. Those with an enrollment below 200 may elect to offer a scholarship in alternate years. Those with an enrollment of more than 400 are expected to offer two scholarships annually. b. Coeducational schools*, day and/or boarding, with an enrollment of 400 or more in grades 9-12, are expected to offer two scholarships annually, one to a boy and one to a girl. Those with an enrollment below that figure are expected to offer one scholarship annually, to be alternated between boys and girls. Those with an enrollment below 200 may elect to offer a scholarship in alternate years to be alternated between boys and girls. c. Each participating day school will provide tuition, normal fees and all required expenses for one British student selected by the ESU Committees according to the schedule given above for boarding schools. In addition, day schools will arrange for their British or Argentine student to live with a host family. Schools are expected to offer the required number of places, however, as the pool of applicants fluctuates, there will not always be a sufficient number of applications to fill all openings with qualified candidates. * Coordinate schools having a single board of trustees are regarded for this purpose as coeducational; those having separate boards of trustees are regarded as two single-sex schools. 3. Annual Dues Each participating school will pay membership dues of $250 annually which will be held by the English- Speaking Union in the Secondary School Exchange Fund. The Fund pays the ESU annually an amount agreed upon between the Committee and the ESU as a contribution toward administrative expenses and also bears certain direct costs of the program such as the expenses of the printing and mailing of UK and US student application, acceptance and placement forms, arrangements for the arrival of British students, orientation and departure of American students, communicating with the United Kingdom, etc. Other charges against the Fund, may also be made at the discretion of the Committee. - 3 - B. Authorization to Issue I-1O Forms As of February 15, 2003, all schools must complete I-20's online through SEVIS (Student Exchange Visitor Information System). (School must be registered prior to February 15, 2003 with SEVIS to issue I-20's). The SEVIS procedure is a step-by-step process which is self-explanatory online. It is important to print the 1-20 and send it to the student as he/she will need a printed and signed I-20 to take to the American Embassy. Questions of a complex nature relating to foreign student policy issues of any sort may be directed to the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA); telephone: (202) 737-3699. C. ESU Branches Member schools are encouraged to form a relationship with a local ESU branch, which may be able to contribute to the hosting experience with hospitality, social activities, etc. Following is a list of the ESU Branches around the country. This vibrant volunteer community plans membership events, coordinates local high school Shakespeare Competitions, scholarship programs and hosts visiting speakers and educators. Go to www.esuus.org to find the contact information of the ESU Branch closest to you. Branches of the English-Speaking Union of the United States Alabama Florida Kentucky Missouri Ohio Tennessee Birmingham Central Florida Louisville Kansas City Cincinnati Memphis (Winter Park) St. Louis Cleveland Nashville Ft. Lauderdale Columbus Arizona Jacksonville Louisiana New Jersey Toledo Texas Phoenix Miami Monroe Monmouth County Austin Tucson Naples New Orleans Princeton Oklahoma Dallas Palm Beach Shreveport Oklahoma City Fort Worth California Tulsa Houston Desert Georgia Massachusetts New York (Palm Springs) Atlanta Boston Albany Area Oregon Virginia Los Angeles Savannah New York City Portland Charlottesville San Diego Niagara Frontier Lexington San Francisco Hawaii Michigan (Buffalo) Pennsylvania Richmond Honolulu Detroit Rochester Central Pennsylvania Southwestern Colorado Syracuse Philadelphia Denver Illinois Chicago North Carolina Connecticut Michigan Charlotte Rhode Island Washington Greenwich Detroit Colonial Newport Seattle Greensboro Providence Indiana Missippi Research Triangle Indianapolis Jackson Salisbury South Carolina Charleston District of Columbia Columbia Washington Sandhills/Pinehurst - 4 - SECTION II PROGRAM FOR U.S. STUDENTS A. Information for Potential Applicants Please refer to the general information pages located in Appendix II. Each school receives a supply of these materials in the fall and is asked to give copies to the parents of students who complete applications. It is essential to provide both parents and students with the Guide to Program Costs. In addition, schools are encouraged to refer interested students to school alumni who have participated in the SSE program. B. Application Procedure for Students 1. Students obtain application forms from their school or they can be downloaded from ESU's website: www. esuus.org. The application consists of four parts: one is completed by the student, one by the student's parents, one by the student's doctor and one by the school. The completed form must be accompanied by a check for the application fee ($100). 2. The student gives the parts of the application for which he/she is responsible, plus a check for the application fee to the school SSE coordinator. C. School Screening of Applicants 1. Eligibility The program is designed to provide the opportunity for American students to spend a post-high school graduate year in a British school. Applicants need not be U.S. citizens. However, command of the English language is necessary and the student must have been at the school for a minimum of one year prior to application. Each participating school will be entitled to nominate up to five candidates for scholarships at British schools every year. It is expected that schools will not permit students to apply unless they are satisfied that they are well qualified for a scholarship and prepared for the kind of experience offered by the exchange. The program is not intended to serve therapeutic ends. The experience is a demanding and challenging one, and requires a great deal of the participants. They are expected to work hard and also play a full part in the extracurricular life of their school. It is not recommended for the timorous, the introverted, the lazy or the escapist. 2. Financial Responsibility Schools are asked to attempt to determine whether or not parents of applicants will assume responsibility for the cost of the year. From time to time, after they have been selected, students will announce that they are solely responsible for the cost of the year. Such students usually fail to stay for the full year on the grounds that they have run out of money or leave sizable debts. This can unnecessarily damage the relationship the ESU has developed with the host schools and jeopardize the availability of this opportunity for future students. - 5 - D. Application Procedure for Schools 1. Collection The school is responsible for collecting the four parts of the application, ensuring that all parts of the application are complete, making 2 copies of the entire application, collecting the application fee and completing the checklist. 2. Deadlines Applications should be sent with the application fees and checklists to the appropriate Regional Interviewing Chair in early December. Please refer to the Calendar of Application and Notification and the List of Regional Interviewing Chairs in the Appendices. E. Selection of Applicants 1. The ESU-US notifies schools in February of those applicants recommended to the UK or Argentina as Finalists and those named as Alternates. Please advise Alternate candidates that they may indeed receive an award, either by the withdrawal of a Finalist or because additional school places become available.