Frequently Asked Questions

The exchange child attends the local school (or follows home education, where the host family does) on whichever leg of the exchange they are on. School arrangements are confirmed individually for each family and destination as part of preparation. Ask us about your specific case.

This is a genuine, practical constraint. English state schools can only authorise term-time absence in limited circumstances, and unauthorised absence can lead to a penalty notice. Families should raise a 6-month exchange with their child’s headteacher as early as possible, and weigh this prolonged absence against the shorter 1–3 month options.

Home education removes the term-time absence question entirely, since there is no school timetable to work around. EFI already works comfortably with home-educating host families in the UK. See our dedicated home education page for more.

Plan 6–12 months ahead. Exchanges begin in August/September or February/March. Exchanges generally follow on from a preparation meeting the preceding season, so the earlier you start the more flexibility you will have.

The Schengen 90/180-day rule means a visa-free stay cannot cover a full 6 months, so a long-stay visa is generally required, plus a designated responsible adult recognised by the destination school. We work through the specifics with every family well before departure.

This depends on the route. An independent-school stay may use the visitor route for a short-term stay, whilst school-sponsored study uses the Child Student route with its own sponsor duties and host-family eligibility rules. Either way, UK private fostering notification still applies. Full detail is on our Safeguarding page.

In England, a child under 16 cared for by a non-relative for 28 or more consecutive days is legally in a private fostering arrangement, which the host family must notify to their local authority. Almost every EFI UK placement meets this. This does not mean that parental responsibility is transferred. See our Safeguarding page for the full, careful explanation.

The UK's association to Erasmus+ was announced on 15 April 2026. At this stage it is a positive signal for future school-linked mobility funding and partnerships rather than a funding source that individual families can access today. We are tracking the UK National Agency's guidance and will update this advice when more information is available.

This is a deliberate restriction. Frequent contact home is the single biggest cause of homesickness undermining an exchange. The rule protects the child's own experience. Friendly parent-to-parent contact (emails, photos etc.) is, however, very much encouraged. EFI will assist with arranging a happy balance both in advance of exchange and during our wellbeing checks.

Every family is interviewed by EFI team members and visited at home by a Local Representative before a preparation weekend. A match is proposed once both sides are ready, and both families must accept it. A specific destination or partner family is never guaranteed, and flexibility on the exchange country improves matching speed.

Contact your Local Representative straight away. Ourt 24/7 emergency support line exists precisely for this. Concerns are taken seriously and acted on. Please see our Safeguarding page for how to raise a concern.