A desire to learn about what separates us culturally, as well as to celebrate all that we share in common as people, lies at the heart of SHARE!’s mission.
As an Exchange Program Coach (EPC), you will have the important task of locating enthusiastic and nurturing families ready to welcome a visiting student into their home.
SHARE! takes great pride in achieving a degree of compatibility between host family and student, and YOUR role in this process is what can make the difference in the experience for both.
Fill out an Exchange Program Coach Application, including a reference check and criminal background check.
The Team Leader for your area will contact you to discuss the position, conduct an informal interview, and sign an Independent Contractor Agreement.
You will receive training from your Team Leader on all aspects of being an EPC, such as finding families, providing orientations and monitoring students.
Get started finding wonderful families for teens that will be arriving for the next school semester.
Prepare for the arrival of the fantastic group of students that have YOU to thank for matching them with their host families!
Educational Resource Development Trust (ERDT), a nonprofit educational foundation, was established in 1974 and has, since its inception, been successfully involved in working with international students — both individually and in groups — for short-term and long-term educational and home stay programs. In the 1970s, ERDT was primarily involved in administering scholarships for employees of foreign government agencies and multinational corporations for study at U.S. colleges and universities.
In 1980, ERDT was designated by the United States Information Agency (now part of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs) to sponsor a Teenager High School Exchange Program — our SHARE! High School Exchange Program. ERDT/SHARE! now places more than 700 international students a year with American host families while they attend local high schools. ERDT also organizes various Special Programs, including short-term home stays and outbound programs for Americans.
The goal of ERDT is to provide opportunities for people of different cultures to come together to learn about other points of view and ways of life. We at ERDT believe that cross-cultural understanding is fundamental to developing mutual respect and tolerance between Americans and people from around the world. Our programs provide cultural experiences that foster good will, tolerance, and understanding through a positive people-to-people experience.
The world can fit through your doorway. Opening your home and SHARE!ing your family life with a high school student from one of over 30 countries will not only energize everyone in your family, but create a positive and meaningful experience that will endure long after your guest has departed.
The Work and Travel Program brings young adults 18 and older to live and work in American communities. Gainful seasonal employment, in addition to the necessary immigration work papers and insurance, is secured for each student. Participants have the opportunity to develop working relationships with Americans, enjoy the experienced support of the ERDT National Office, and earn an income during their stay. www.erdtworkandtravel.org
SHARE! offers the opportunity to live and work in an agricultural environment to qualified international visitors between the ages of 16 and 30. We warmly welcome farming and ranching families to open their homes to those who have shown a real desire for hands-on involvement and who can make a commitment to put in a 4 to 6 hour work day, 5 days a week. http://erdtenvision.org
During summers and vacation periods, your family can host a student who is part of a group with a pre-arranged schedule of classes and activities. Your local SHARE! representative coordinates the overall schedule. Typically, students maintain a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekday routine, which may include language improvement courses and various cultural activities. Families can even have the opportunity to host students from several different countries over the course of the year. http://erdtenvision.org
This program is for families who are interested in hosting visitors between the ages of 15 and 30 during different times of the year. They generally stay for a period of 2-6 weeks. The main focus here is a genuine cultural exchange and a large degree of family interaction. http://erdtenvision.org
SHARE! was the first exchange program to partner with Darkness to Light. Darkness to Light’s programs raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. SHARE! coordinators receive regular, instructor-led training via Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children curriculum, which is a evidence-based adult-focused child sexual abuse prevention training program.
SHARE! Exchange Program Coach are committed to proving that communication is the key to global understanding and peace between nations. As an EPC, you are an ambassador of SHARE! in your community, and a spokesperson for student exchange in your town, as you liaison with schools, host families and community groups.
Coaches help match host families with students, communicate with local schools to make preparations for the student's arrival, conduct pre- and post-arrival orientations for host families and students, and meet regularly with both students and families, providing guidance and support to help insure that the experience is going as smoothly as possible.
Your SHARE! Team Leader and the SHARE! National Office will provide you with resources, materials and training for every step of the process, throughout the year. You're never left out on your own!
The job requires a unique blend of dedication, awareness, energy, problem solving skills and a commitment to achieving the goals SHARE! has so successfully pursued over the course of its history. If you've never worked with teenagers, then you will come to understand the importance of patience and listening in counseling these young adults. Humor and good organizational skills will likewise serve you well.
SHARE! EPCs are independent contractors and will be issued a 1099 at the end of each calendar year. For each student that they place in a host family and high school, EPCs receive $650-$1300 (depending on the length of the student's stay, and the number of students they place) over the course of the year or semester.
Rewards are an ongoing and exciting component of teamwork at SHARE! We conduct games and contests and reward EPCs for personal goal achievements and other objectives via cash awards, points, gifts, gift certificates and other fun and innovative incentives. Learn more about team incentives via the weekly newsletter and e-memo sent to all SHARE! EPCs.
Our SHARE! Incentive Trips, are 5-day, 4-night overseas adventures that EPCs earn by placing students with host families! Recent trips have included Germany, France, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Belgium, Turkey, Ecuador, Thailand, Czech
Republic and Austria.
Yes! Your Exchange Program Coach (EPC) will visit you in your home to explain the hosting experience and to answer any questions that you may have. He/she will also provide you with a pre-arrival orientation and post-arrival orientation, where you will receive information and materials that provide more details about the intercultural experience of hosting. You’ll also receive a Host Family Packet from the SHARE! National Office, which contains information about insurance coverage, policies, rules and regulations and a SHARE! Host Family Handbook.
Your local Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) has been trained to be sensitive to both the needs of the host family and student. The EPC will provide pre- and post- arrival orientations, will conduct Monthly Progress Reports, and is always available to answer questions and offer support. In the event your Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) is not available, the SHARE! office staff may always be reached by email or phone. If our office is closed and you have an emergency, our phone system will patch you through to a 24 hour mobile phone carried by staff.
The exchange students who participate in the SHARE! High School Exchange Program expect to be treated as a member of your family. The international students are as diverse as the families who host them. Some are outgoing and gregarious; others are quiet and shy. Your exchange student will expect you to communicate with him/her about your values, and will also expect you to listen when he/she tells you about the way of life of his/her country.
Yes. Your student is expected to behave as a member of your family and follow all of the rules and expectations of your household. The SHARE! Host Family Handbook contains information about communicating rules and regulations to your exchange student. You should be honest and open about your household rules. Remember, your student is not merely a guest, but a new member of your family! SHARE! also has specific rules that students must follow, a signed copy of which can be found in the students’ applications.
All exchange students are required to bring or receive from home $200-$300 per month to cover personal expenses, such as school supplies, clothing, snacks outside of the home and entertainment, etc. Host families are expected to provide only room and board (meals) for the student.
Yes. Many SHARE! families do not have enough bedrooms in their home to accommodate an exchange student with a private bedroom. We require only that your student share a room with a child of the same gender, be given his or her own bed, space for his or her belongings and a place to study. Consideration should be given to the fact that your student will be attending high school and will be required to study and do homework.
Yes. Your exchange student is covered with medical/accident insurance and carries an insurance card. Emergency dental treatment is covered for relief of pain or when damage to the teeth is caused by an accident. You will receive insurance information and claim forms prior to the arrival of your student.
No. ERDT/SHARE! is the legal sponsor for the student. As the legal sponsor, ERDT/SHARE! issues the documents necessary for the student to obtain a J1 Exchange Visitor visa to enter the United States and to participate in the SHARE! High School Exchange Program. ERDT/SHARE! remains legally responsible for the student for the duration of the program. The host family does, however, have permission to obtain medical treatment from a licensed physician for the student when necessary, as a medical release signed by the biological parents is included in the student’s application.
Yes. Your exchange student should be invited to attend your place of worship. If your exchange student is of a different religion, but is interested in attending your church, temple, or synagogue to learn more about this aspect of our culture, they should be welcomed and encouraged. However, attendance of religious services should not be forced upon the student. Arrangements should be made to allow the exchange student to attend the church of his/her choice if so desired.
Perhaps. This type of placement is called a "self-placement" or "direct placement." The following U.S. State Department regulations apply for self-placements (and all exchange student placements on a J-1 visa):
Students may not be hosted by a relative.
Students may not be matched with a host family based on their abilities in a certain sport. (Students who excel in a certain sport may not be hosted by that sport's coach).
English must be the primary language spoken in the host family's home.
Students may not have previously come to the U.S. on a J-1 visa.
A local high school (public or private) must agree to enroll the student.
Students must be between the age of 15 and 18 1/2 upon arrival.
If you meet these criteria, please contact the SHARE! National Office to find out if SHARE! has an overseas partner in the student's country of origin, and an Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC) who lives near your family. The host family must pass background checks, reference checks, and a home visit and interview by the Exchange Program Coordinator, prior to the student's flight being booked.
If you do not meet these criteria, please contact us for a referral to an F1 visa program.
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