School

• the student will attend the local high school in the area where they will be living. They will attend the school in exactly the same way as the British and Irish students
  
• schools usually only accept students from EU countries. Other nationalities may be accepted, and will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Due to new visa regulations non-EU applicants to the UK can currently only be accepted by Scottish schools. Non-EU applicants wishing to attend school in England, Wales or Ireland will be placed in private fee-paying schools only and will be liable for these costs
  
• there are 3 terms in the school year: Autumn, Spring and Summer. The school year starts at the beginning of September (mid-August in Scotland). There is a two-week holiday at Christmas, and usually two weeks at Easter. There is a one week holiday halfway through each term (two - three days in Ireland). The school year ends between the end of June and the middle of July
  
• students who do not enter end of year exams will go home when the exams start as normal lessons cease for this period. This can mean returning home in May rather than June or July. However, students should not book their return flight until a return date is given by the school - each school is different.
  
• the school day at most British and Irish schools starts at 9.00 am and finishes around 3.45 pm. Lessons are on Monday to Friday only
  
• school uniform is recommended in most schools and compulsory in others
  
• packed lunch is provided by the host family on school days
  
• books, other learning material, uniform, hot school lunches, general pocket money and transportation costs are at the student's expense

Area Representatives

• each student has an area representative allocated to them for the duration of their stay
  
• the area representative will arrange an individual meeting with each student on a regular basis and an orientation meeting at the start of the programme for all high school students in the area
  
• the student should turn to the area representative as the first point of contact in the case of any problems

Host Family

• our host families receive payment for board and lodgings
  
• our area representatives carefully select the host families. Host families are accepted on the basis of a careful procedure which, among other things, include an interview and a home visit
  
• the student will be a new member of the host family and is therefore required to participate fully in family life
  
• the student may have to share a room with a host sibling or another high school student. The student will have a quiet place in the house where they can study