Current EPCs’ Frequently Asked Questions
Personnel Matters
As an EPC, am I a staff member of ERDT/SHARE!? No. SHARE!
EPCs are independent contractors and are issued a 1099 at the end of each calendar
year. EPCs receive a Placement Documentation Fee of $200 for each student that they
place after all required paperwork is submitted. After the students arrive EPCs
are further compensated monthly on a per-student basis.
How do I find out about incentives (monthly rewards, placement goal
awards, incentive trips)? Make sure you’re receiving our weekly e-memo!
It contains all of the updated information on incentives from the National Office.
If you aren’t receiving the e-memo, check with your Team Leader.
How do I know, or prove, that I am working with a reputable organization?
Check out the webpage Why Choose SHARE!?
for more information on why we are among the most respected organizations in the
exchange industry.
Training
I’ve lost one of my handbooks and need it to complete one of my tasks
as an EPC. Can I get another copy? Sure! Just visit our EPC login section
(you’ll need the password listed in the weekly e-memo) and download another copy.
Host Family Recruitment
I forgot - what do I do if I have a family interested in hosting
a student? First, explain a little bit about the program – the age of
the students, that they live with volunteer families, when they arrive, how long
they stay, etc. Ask how they heard about SHARE! Take down the person’s name, address,
phone number and email address (don’t assume that they’ll contact you again). Then,
ask about their family particulars and preferences – gender, country, pets, interests,
diet, religious attendance, etc. Finally, let them know that they will receive an
email with details about the SHARE! program, instructions on how to complete their
host family application, and 4-5 students for them to review. Let them know to call
you back as soon as they’ve reviewed the information. Once you hang up, call your
Team Leader immediately so that he/she can assist you in sending the email.
I was contacted by a school sports coach who wants to host a student
athlete. May I find a student who excels at that sport to place in that family?
No. This is strictly against the rules of CSIET, the governing body of exchange
student programs. It is probably also against your state and/or local high school
athletic association’s rules. For this reason, school coaches are not allowed to
host students who play their sport.
Before The Students Arrive
Which orientations are mandatory for me to conduct? When should I
do them? The U.S. Department of State requires that you conduct a pre-arrival
orientation for all host families, a post-arrival orientation for all host families
and students, and a pre-departure orientation for all host families and students.
Orientation materials can be found in the Quick-Start Handbook #2: Arrivals & Orientations.
You will need to complete orientation sign-in sheets for each orientation.
What is in each packet?
Host Family Placement Packet: ERDT Brochure; Darkness
2 Light 7 Steps to Protecting our Children; SHARE! Host Family & Student
Workbook, SHARE! Host Family Handbook, letter to host families from U.S. Dept. of
State, U.S. CultureGram
Student Welcome Packet: 5 Simple Steps on the Path
to a Greener Future; 5 Steps for Recognizing, Preventing and Reporting Sexual
Abuse; Good Advice from Former Students; Welcome to the United States;
Say What: A Guide to American Idioms; The Exchange Visitor Program Welcome
Brochure (pub. U.S. Dept. of State); letter to students from U.S. Dept.
of State; SHARE! Student Handbook; U.S. CultureGram
High School Packet: ERDT Brochure; Current CSIET
Certificate; ERDT’s listing in the CSIET advisory list; CSIET Model School Policy;
Darkness 2 Light 7 Steps to Protecting our Children; ERDT Fact Sheet; SHARE!
Standards of Conduct; Blank High School Authorization Form
Student Monitoring, Relocation, Problem Solving and Discipline
One (or more!) of my students is homesick. How can I help them?
Make contact with the student - either by the phone or in person - and allow them
to talk about how they are feeling. Avoid the immediate temptation to react, offer
advice, debate or shallowly sympathize... just listen. Let them know that their
feelings are normal. Come up with a plan, together, for how they can get through
this rough time. Remind them that while a little contact with home can be helpful,
too much could make them more homesick. Let your Team Leader know that you've had
this conversation, so that they can let the National Office know, who in turn can
notify the overseas agent and thus, the student's natural parents.
What are the most effective ways for me to find replacement host
families? In many cases, finding a replacement host family can be easier
than finding a first host family, as the student has already become known in the
community. Be sure to:
- Get on the phone! Call all past prospective host families in the student’s school
district
- Ask your Team Leader if he/she will send an email to families in the area.
- Ask the student for the names and phone numbers of several friends from school.
Contact the parents of each of these friends to let them know that we are looking
for a host family for this student (the exchange student may tell his/her friends
that he/she will need a new host family, but it is the responsibility of the EPC
to contact the parents of the friends).
- Contact the school counselor. Tell the counselor about the situation and ask if
he/she would be willing to hand out flyers at school (School counselors have often
been willing to put a flyer in each teacher’s box – then the teacher will announce
it in class.
Should students be kept in the same high school when they are moved?
In most cases, it is best for students to stay in the high school when they are
moved to a new host family. Transferring schools creates additional stress in a
situation that is likely already stressful. In some cases, it may not be possible
to keep the student in the same school - for example, if a host family is unable
to be found in the same school district. You may also find that a previous host
family doesn't want the student to stay in the same school, particularly if their
own child attends the school. In cases like this, explain that while their feelings
are valid, it is important for the student to stay in the same academic environment.
Remind them that if the student is reported to be gossiping about the first family,
they will be put on probation.
School
What are the academic standards that SHARE! students are held to?
Students must maintain a “C” (2.0) average, with no failing grades (F’s). If you
receive a report that a student is not following this rule, contact your Team Leader
to have the student put on probation.
Does the school need to allow the student to graduate / get a diploma
/ play sports? No. Students are told that they must accept the school’s
decision with regards to diplomas, graduation, and playing sports. If your student
is lobbying the school to change this decision, contact your Team Leader to let
him/her know, and conduct a Problem Resolution with the student and school.
How much contact am I required to have with the school?
You are required to contact the school 4 times a year to conduct Monthly Progress
Reports. If the school tells you that they do not have time for these 4 phone calls,
please discuss it with your Team Leader so that you can meet your reporting requirements
those months.
I was contacted by a school because one of the students’ applications
is missing some academic transcript paperwork or medical paperwork. In
some instances, paperwork may have not been uploaded to the student's online application.
Contact your Team Leader to get copies of this paperwork. If you cannot reach the
EPC and need the paperwork urgently, you may contact the SHARE!
National Office.
Do exchange students need to be enrolled in a specific grade level?
Italian, Serbian and Montenegrin students must be enrolled as seniors. (This is
stated on the "High School Authorization To Enroll" form.) All other students may
be enrolled in any grade level. Some schools enroll students in the same grade level
as their U.S. classmates of the same age; other schools enroll all exchange students
as seniors, for example, so that they may experience senior-year festivities. Aside
from Italian, Serbian and Montenegrin students, SHARE! students are expected to
accept their assigned grade level without complaint.
Are there any class requirements for exchange students?
SHARE! prefers that students take American History and/or English, and that at least
2/3 of their classes be academic in nature. Many students have specific classes
that they must take to meet academic requirements in their home country. It is the
student's responsibility to enroll in these classes while in the U.S.; however,
if your school does not offer the required classes, the student must choose other
classes.
Health, Safety and Cultural Adjustment
Culture shock... what should I expect? How can I help students deal
with it? Remember – culture shock is the normal reaction to the stress
& confusion of trying to adapt to living in a foreign culture. SHARE! provides students
with a guide that explains some of the stages of cultural adjustment and helps them
to recognize and react to these stages. Download “’Why Do I Feel Like This?’
All About The Adjustment Cycle: A Guide For Students.” If a student reports
depression, major mood swings or thoughts of suicide, contact your Team Leader immediately.
Some of my student’s cultural “norms,” (for example, hygiene, dress,
behavior, or communication style) makes people here uncomfortable. Since
the student is really doing nothing wrong, how do I deal with this? The purpose
of the SHARE! program is to teach students how people in the U.S. live, and how
they can adapt to that way of living. Approach the issue with honesty and explain
to the student that in order to get a better feeling for U.S. culture, they should
adapt to these standards of U.S. culture. And remember, humor can help smooth over
what could be a difficult conversation! If the behavior does not change and/or threatens
the student’s relationship with the school or host family, conduct a Problem Resolution
and contact your Team Leader.
What should I do if a student or host family comes to me with evidence
or an allegation of sexual abuse? Regardless of whether you have confirmed
that the allegation is true (which is not your job), immediately locate the student
and remove them from the situation - whether it be the host family's home, a class
at school, a friend's home, etc. While you are picking the student up, contact your
Team Leader to let them know. If you are unable to immediately remove the student,
contact your Team Leader so that they may make arrangements to remove the student.
Once the student is with you, explain why you removed them from the situation. Allow
them to speak without asking them leading questions. Remain in constant contact
with your Team Leader for further instructions.
Rules
Can students get a cell phone? They may get a cell phone,
but may not enter into a contract. They may get a prepaid phone. The host family
may allow the student to borrow a phone if they wish, but the student is responsible
for any extra costs that are incurred (text messages, overages, data plans, roaming
or international charges). If the host family does not have a landline, they must
provide the student with a cell phone at their own expense, to be used for emergencies.
Can I confiscate a student’s laptop or cell phone? Yes.
First, contact your Team Leader to let him/her know. Remember that a student must
have a phone at home for emergencies. If the family does not have a landline and
has not provided the student with a phone, you may not confiscate the student’s
phone.
Travel
May a student’s family / friends / boyfriend / girlfriend come visit
them in the U.S.? Students are not permitted to have visitors – or travel
to meet up with family or family friends - for the first 6 months of their program.
After 6 months, students may request to have family or friends visit. Students are
never permitted to have visitors under 25 (unless the visitor’s parent is present),
or stay anywhere overnight without someone 25 or over. Single-semester students
may not have visitors during the program. Students may travel with family or family
friends after the program with permission; however they may not return to the host
family’s home.
What is required for a student to travel to another country, such
as Canada, Mexico or their home country, then return to the U.S.? For
travel outside of the US, including cruises and travel to Canada and Mexico, the
student must send his or her DS-2019 form (which is inserted into the student’s
passport) into the ERDT National Office for a signature, well in advance of the
trip. This is the only way the student will be allowed back into the USA, as his
or her visa is for a single entry into the US. Contact your Exchange Program Coordinator
for detailed instructions. Students should contact the consulate of the country
they are visiting (contact information can be found online) to determine visa and
entry requirements for citizens of the student’s home country. If students travel
overseas after the program, they must take all belongings with them and return directly
to their home country (SHARE! will not sign DS-2019 forms for students to re-enter
the U.S. after their departure from the host family’s home).
Misc.
Does a host family get anything for referring a new family?
We will mail a $100 AMEX gift card to someone if they refer a new family through
the website. This means that if they have referred someone to you in the past, they
cannot come back and re-refer them through the website. We check every referral
to see if the referred family is already in ZAPP or our database. If they are, we
email the referring party to let them know that their referral was not eligible
for the $100. Furthermore, if a referrer types into the comments section that "the
family has already been in contact with an EPC," we will automatically reject them
for the referral bonus. (So...if a family comes to you with a referral, inform them
that if they want to get the $100 referral bonus, they must enter the family through
the website before you contact the family.)
Can I SHARE! pictures of the cool things my kids are doing?
Yes! Visit our Facebook page (click on the button below) and upload them, or email
them to info.erdtshare.org.
What are some ways to make this job fun for me, the EPC?
Plan a trip or activity with your students! It could be as small as a weekend picnic,
or as big as a spring break cruise to Mexico! The bigger the activity, the more
pre-planning it will take. Also, be sure that you have permission from your Team
Leader and are familiar with all of the Student Travel Guidelines (see top of page).
Your students will appreciate the chance to spend time with you and with the other
students.
Can one of my host families send their child to another country on
an exchange program? Due to low interest, SHARE! does not have an outbound
high school program. We do have an excellent volunteer program, called Volunteer
Ventures, that provides people 18 and over with volunteer opportunities abroad.
Contact us for more information about this program.
