No it is not necessary to be able to speak the language, not even basic knowledge is required. Most children who participate in the immersive exchange neither speak the language nor do they understand anything. However, this situation changes very quickly after a few days, as they repeat the same vocabulary in recurring daily situations over a period of days and months.

Experience shows that this is the amount of time needed to achieve the best results in terms of integrating into the new culture and making progress with learning the language. The first weeks are dedicated to adjusting to the new environment, after a few weeks the child has acclimatised, understands more and feels comfortable expressing her/himself. Generally, after the first 3 months, the child has completed the phase of discovery and integration in their new environment. From that time onwards, he/she feels comfortable and can enjoy communicating in the new language. It would be a shame to stop at a point where they have just begun to benefit from their previous efforts of learning the new language

Experience shows that during the exchange, misunderstandings or other difficulties can arise between the families and/or children. Therefore it is an advantage for all involved to be able to rely on a partner who can act as a mediator. The Amicitia Mundi partner provides support and advice to ensure a smooth continuation of the exchange. Amicitia Mundi fulfils these expectations and remain in close contact with the families and children before, during and after the exchange.

Amicitia Mundi cooperates with families who:

• Are available and have time to welcome a child

• Are prepared to treat a guest child as one of their own

• Caring, tolerant and open for new experiences

• Would like to invest in the education of their child

• Can accept, that their child will live with a host family with different routines and rules.

Being a good pupil is not a criteria or prerequisite for a successful exchange. The attitude and behaviour of the child is more important.

Yes, the child will be integrated at the appropriate level. However, it is mandatory that he/she is put in another class as the host child, to avoid that they are together 24/7. In our experience, no child has had to repeat a year as a result. He/she will return from their stay abroad with a school report, which certifies/proves their attendance during their absence.

Many families would like an exchange in an English speaking country. Unfortunately, there is currently not enough demand from these countries to fulfil all requests. We are working emphatically on expanding out networks in these countries, which entails extra expenses in finding new prospects.