Students on the NW Services program are between the ages of 15 to 18 years of age. NW Services student exchange programs combine direct interviews as well as contracting with independent organizations overseas who recruit, interview and screen potential student candidates for participation on the NW Services program. All foreign exchange students must be recommended by Principals and Teachers in their local schools overseas before they are accepted for the Program.

Only those students who can evidence academic interest and achievement, exemplary character, curiosity, adaptability, and good command of the English language are acceptable. Each student must satisfactorily complete a personal interview by qualified representatives of NW Services. The interviewers’ written evaluation becomes a part of the student’s complete dossier.

NW Services is built with three levels of management – National Headquarters, Program Manager and Area Coordinators who are assigned geographically to various demographic areas who work in the local community with the families and schools. Area Coordinators are responsible for interviewing prospective host families, matching up the family's interests with those of available foreign exchange students, providing pre-arrival orientation to the host family and post-arrival orientation to the students and families on the program, maintaining contact with the students and host families and schools, supervising the students throughout the duration of the program, arranging gatherings and short excursions for the students under their care, and providing the first level of counseling for the students and host families should any difficulties arise.

The NW Services National Office maintains communication with the overseas partner organizations that manage the relationship with the natural families and recruit and screen students for the NW Services program. The National Office works closely with the United States Department of State to provide Visa documents for the incoming students, and manage the private sector J1 Secondary Exchange Visitor program for the United States Department of State.

Monthly newsletters with updates on activities, featured students and general exchange information are provide to all the families and students as well. Prior to their acceptance for placement, each exchange student and their natural family undergo an intensive orientation, discussing the difficulties of being so far from home, the rules of limited communication, travel restrictions and expectations of the students while in the United States. Foreign exchange students and their parents sign a contract agreeing to abide the laws of the United States and their new host families. Students and their natural families are grounded in the rules of the U.S. State Department’s J1 visa program and requirements to participate in the program.  

The Exchange Students also have complete medical coverage for the entire duration of their stay in the United States. The Exchange Student’s natural parents provide a monthly allowance to cover the cost of school supplies, yearbooks, photos, bus fare movies, etc. while the American Host Families are only responsible for room and board. American Host Families are recruited year-round. Before the new school year begins, NW Services believes that it is important to find qualified host families as early as possible so that correspondence can begin that much sooner between the host family and student.

Experience has proven that this correspondence helps to eliminate many false expectations and to build friendship, trust and understanding. After the beginning of the new school year, NW Services continues to recruit qualified host families should circumstances require the student to relocate. Each prospective American Host Family is personally interviewed by a local Northwest Services Representative. The prospective Host Family then completes a detailed Host Family Application covering the family’s background, interests, and hobbies and this includes two to three personal references that can attest to the quality of the family and their ability to provide a good environment for the arriving exchange student. All adult members of the host family household are also required to undergo a criminal background check as part of the screening process.

Prior to their departure for the United States, Exchange Students and their natural parents are required to attend an intensive Orientation Meeting where program requirements and rules are discussed in detail. Within 48 hours of arrival of the Exchange Students they will be contacted by a NW Services Representative. Whenever possible a NW Services Representative will be at the airport along with the Host Families to meet the students and to help with any missing or lost baggage problems and provide any support that the host parents may need. Depending on their flights, students may or may not go through customs at the Airport the host family picks them up at. NW Services Representatives can often help ease the confusion of this process.

Within a few weeks of their arrival, Exchange Students and their host families are required to attend a comprehensive Orientation Meeting. This is broken into two sections, one for the parents and one for the students. When possible, these are held in groups within a few miles of several families to provide a greater sense of community for the students and the host families. NW Services has found from experience that a much richer orientation occurs with the chemistry of many students and host families, with questions and discussion flowing more freely. It also helps the students to see that the rules are applied to all incoming exchange students, and that they are not being singled out unfairly. At this time students and Host Families are once more informed about the rules of behavior and official restrictions under which the NW Services Program functions. At this meeting Exchange Students meet privately with their Community Representative to become better acquainted. Every Student and Host Family is furnished with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the NW Services Community Representative, information about the appropriate NW Services Area Coordinator Office, the NW Services National Office and the official United States Department of State, Washington, D.C. and the 24 hours hotline answering service at the NW Services National Office.

Following this orientation, approximately three - four weeks after the students arrive, the Community Representative will once again contact each student and Host Family to confirm that everything working smoothly. Host families and students are encouraged to contact their NW Services Representative with any questions or concerns that they have – it is the responsibility of the NW Services Representative to help with the transition and to help build the foundation for a great stay for both the student and the host family.

Once school is underway, the NW Services Representative will have at least monthly communication with the Host Family and Exchange Student to check on progress, offer any counseling needed and monitor school performance. Often times, the NW Services Representative will call the school directly as well. During the school year the NW Services Representative will several get-togethers, encouraging the students and host families to interact. In the greater San Francisco Bay Area, NW Services offers several field trips through World Peace Exchange, where the students pay a very nominal amount of money and go to places like Disneyland, Yosemite, and Hawaii – Students for these trips are selected based on their overall performance in the program – students that are not getting passing grades are automatically disqualified. The heart of the NW Services Peace Program stresses family living as the core learning experience —offering students from foreign lands the chance to share in other cultures through personal involvement in the homes, schools and communities of their host country. Start the wonderful world of cultural exchange - contact NW-Services and have one of our representatives answer all your questions and show you some of our available students