Our History
International Experience is a non-profit student exchange organization founded in 2002. iE is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 program sponsoring organization and is accredited by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) for its J-1 and F-1 programs. IE places high school students from around the world in carefully vetted host families while attending local private or public high schools for one or two semesters.
Our Team
The iE-USA team consists of more than 230 employees and local coordinators in communities throughout the USA. This dedicated group represents a wealth of experience working with youth from around the world. In addition to their experience, most of the members on our team have been the parent of a child who went on exchange, a host parent for an exchange student who came to the USA, or they were an exchange student themselves. As an organization, we highly value this loyal team. We are dedicated to providing them the training, resources and support necessary for iE to maintain its high standards.
This isn’t just a job, it’s our passion!
Our Commitment to You
iE has earned the reputation for achieving high standards, providing individual care and for placing every student every year! Through our continuous growth, we have remained committed to maintaining sensible staff-to-exchange student ratios to ensure we provide the best support and guidance to our students, host families and schools.
What We Believe
- Young people are our future. Broadening and opening their minds at an age when they are developing their identity helps them to become well-rounded intellectually and allows them to base their own life philosophy on firsthand experience and knowledge.
- Stereotypes and prejudices can be lessened, and often erased, after sharing a year in another culture. The student and family are able to look beyond physical appearances, language, and cultural differences.
- Host families benefit from having a new member of their family who can bring another culture into their home, breaking down the barriers that often lead to misunderstanding. Often, relationships are formed that last a lifetime.
- Host families enjoy sharing their culture, beliefs, and lifestyle with their international students. Through sharing their culture, host families gain a renewed appreciation of their own culture when looking at it with a new set of eyes.
- Schools benefit by including students with different cultural norms in their general population. U.S. students and international students often build long-lasting friendships that have a positive impact on their lives.