Every year, families just like yours open their homes to international teens and create life-changing experiences for everyone involved. When you host with Oui-Connect, you’re not just providing a place to stay, you’re welcoming a young person into your daily life, your routines, your traditions, and your world.
Students from France, Spain, Italy, Denmark or Germany, come to live with you, share meals with you, laugh with you, and experience what real American family life feels like. Through this full-immersion approach, they improve their English naturally and you get to see your own culture through fresh eyes.
A Simple, Meaningful Summer Experience
Our short-term summer homestay program gives you the chance to host for just a few weeks.
Your student will live with you as a true member of your family joining in your activities, conversations, outings, and everyday moments. There’s no school during this program; instead, students learn by living daily life right alongside you.
Whether you’re cooking dinner together, going to the beach, running errands, or simply enjoying a relaxed evening at home, everything becomes an opportunity for cultural exchange.
Open your home, open your heart.
Prefer a Program with Daily Classes?
If you’re looking for a hosting opportunity that includes English lessons and a school component, you may enjoy our Hosting School Program, which blends homestay life with ESL classes and high-school shadowing.
WHO CAN HOST?
Host families come from all walks of life. families with young kids, teens, empty nesters, and everyone in between. What matters most is open-mindedness, warmth, and a willingness to share daily life. Hosts provide a bed, meals, and the welcoming environment that makes the immersion meaningful. While many of our host families are in California, we are excited to now welcome families from across the United States.
Families of all types can host!
Whether you’re a couple, a family with children, or a single adult, hosting is about curiosity, kindness, and the desire to share American culture. Empty nesters make great host families!
Why Do Families Choose to Host?
1. Hosting Is FUN!
Welcoming a young student brings joy, curiosity, and fresh energy into the home. Everyday moments meals, activities, conversations become more meaningful when shared with someone from another country.
2. A Proud American Tradition.
In the United States, hosting exchange students is rooted in volunteerism and cultural generosity. Families take pride in opening their homes and sharing their way of life.
3. Cultural Discovery Goes Both Ways.
Hosts enjoy sharing meals, customs, local traditions, and favorite activities. Whether it’s a simple family dinner, a bike ride, or celebrating the Fourth of July, everything becomes a unique cultural experience.
4. A Mutual Commitment.
Host families give their time, care, and experience, and in return, students commit to participating, showing interest, engaging in family life, and making real efforts to communicate and connect. These shared experiences often lead to deep, lasting friendships.
5. Earn Community Service Hours.
Teens living at home can earn up to 45 hours of community service for hosting an international student and it gives families a great preview of what a future study-abroad experience could look like.
Want to Help a Teenager Fulfill Their Dream and Build Lifelong Friendships?
The Hosting Experience
Selection of Students
Our students are ages 13 to 17 and are carefully screened for motivation, maturity, adaptability, and enthusiasm for learning about the American culture. They are fully insured and come with their own pocket money for personal outings and expenses (mall, movies, parks, activities, etc.). Each student also provides a motivation letter that host families may read.
Daily Life as a Host Family
For 2 to 4 weeks, your family will host a high-school-aged student from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, or Thailand. You’ll share meals, local adventures, weekend plans, and everyday routines. It’s these simple moments that make the biggest impact from board games to cooking together. Hosting often brings a refreshing diversity to the household, and many families develop friendships that last a lifetime.
The Oui-Connect Difference: Direct Contact & Personalized Support
Oui-Connect manages all the technical aspects of immersion: administration, travel, authorization, insurance, and host-family coordination. Because we are a smaller organization with on-site coordinators, we maintain personal and consistent communication with each host family. Our team is available to support you throughout the entire experience.
If any issue arises, we address it quickly and professionally. including relocating a student if necessary. Our goal is for every host family to have a positive and rewarding experience. We encourage families to contact us with any concerns so we can help right away.
Need more informations about us ?
Our Commitment to You
Excursion and Farewell:
In some cases, some students will participate in 3 excursions. Oui-Connect will take them during the weekdays to visit LA , universal studios and whale watching. Host families with children are warmly invited to join these excursions if they wish, making the experience even more memorable for everyone.
We also will organize a Farewell party for the students, and your family is encouraged to come. The Farewell BBQ is often one of the highlights of the entire summer. It’s a special moment for everyone to reflect on their journey, celebrate the friendships created, share memories, and admire the students’ progress in English.
How to Apply: Hosting Made Simple
- STEP 1: Complete the online host family application below.
- STEP 2: A local coordinator will schedule a required home visit/interview.
- STEP 3: You select your international student!
Before approval: All families are visited by a Oui-Connect Coordinator. Host families must provide a clean, comfortable bed, meals at home, and genuine family interaction. A small stipend is available to help offset the cost of hosting.
Summer Dates – 2026
> June 26 to July 17
> July 18 to August 8
Additional à-la-carte individual immersion dates are available from June through August for families who need more flexible scheduling.
FAQ
What Does hosting a foreign exchange student mean?
It means you and your family (or a family abroad) would welcome a young teenager from another country in their home. They would be part of the family and speak the country language while also learning the way of life and culture. Many programs are usually for a semester or school year. At Oui-Connect we specialize in short stays during the summer and some groups in the fall and spring.
What are the benefits of being a host family?
Many families report that, through hosting, they grow closer as a family as they participate in fun activities together and communicate better. Most host families and students stay in touch well after their stay and even visit each other later on. American teenagers that are host brothers or sisters, will receive 45 community service hours for promoting international understanding through cultural and linguistic exchange.
Are the students insured?
YES! All participants in Oui-Connect Homestay Programs are required to carry medical and liability insurance through Oui-Connect and travel with an insurance ID card.
Will my student speak English?
All students will have studied English at school for several years. However, their level of English will vary. Part of the fun of hosting is learning new ways to communicate.
Who will cover the students expenses while on the program?
All of our students are required to have enough money to cover their personal expenses. You are not expected to pay for their stay. The student is part of your family during their visit but should be expected to pay for extra activities and restaurants unless you discuss it with them beforehand.
Are host families paid?
All of our host families are volunteers, but we do offer a stipend (per student hosted) to offset some of the cost while hosting.
How many students can I host at a time?
You can host up to three students as long as they are all from different nationalities.
Can I contact my student(s) before they arrive?
YES! Once you are officially matched with your student(s), you will receive their preferred contact information, email, Skype name, etc. We encourage ALL families to reach out to their student(s) prior to arrival. Describe your home, your family, even your pets! It’s a great way to heighten your cultural experience and ease the transition for you and the students coming to the US.
Can students share a bedroom?
YES! Students can share a bedroom with other students or host family siblings of the same gender.
I don't have any children at home. Can I still be a host family?
Of course! Our host families come in all shapes and sizes: single-parent households, empty-nesters, families with small children or with teenagers. However, it is preferable to have someone around the house to encourage communication in English. In this case, hosting two students is recommended but not necessary.
Can I take my exchange student on our family trip?
Yes. Many of our host families go on trips while their exchange student is with them and take them with the family.
We do not allow trips that are out of the country like Mexico, Canada, or others
Can I pick my student?
Yes! Host families are fully involved in selecting their student(s) by reviewing student profiles. We want you to find students that best match your family hobbies and lifestyle.
What will the students be doing during their stay? Do I need to plan activities for them?
The international students chose this program for the experience of learning while living the life of an American family. They decided to learn the informal way: not in a classroom and learning to adapt to a different environment. Host families should continue with their regular life and include their student in it. It is a good time to share our beautiful surroundings with the student(s). It can be as easy as a trip to the beach or a visit to the mall. The Oui-Connect team will host a farewell Party and 3 excursions.
Which kind of support is available to the host family?
Our organization is very small and personal. Our team will assist you along the way, from choosing a student to preparing for their arrival, and organizing activities. You will receive detailed information with a toll-free emergency telephone number and we will have someone available 24/7 for any emergencies, concerns, or questions that may arise.