Teacher FAQ

As a nonprofit, all of our programs provide ways to meet our mission. The majority of ISE travel programs include a family stay, which allows participants to experience first-hand another culture and way of life. The family stay is a unique opportunity to use and develop language skills and cultural competency. It also provides an immersion experience that complements the travel itinerary.

Students and teachers/leaders are expected to speak the forei`gn language during the entire program. This provides invaluable practice of language skills learned in the classroom in real-life situations with native speakers.

To prepare for this, ISE provides dynamic preparatory educational materials in the target language to prepare each student for his/her travel abroad. ISE also sponsors an annual Teacher Workshop for traveling teachers to help them prepare for this experience. ISE maintains a large financial aid fund to help low-income students. ISE also provides awards and other grants to teachers, schools and world language departments.

ISE is a financially sound nonprofit so teacher and administrators can feel confident selecting ISE.

Over the past few months, ISE has fielded questions regarding stakeholder concern about poorly managed travel companies/organizations that have closed leaving travelers with no way to recoup their financial payments.  We at ISE are proud of our fiscal responsibility, our reserves maintained to support us in lean times, and our commitment to reasonable pricing while ensuring we meet our educational mission.  As a stakeholder, you can view our yearly 990 or request a copy of our most recent audit.  Also feel free to contact our Executive Director if you have additional questions.

Cultural Immersion Abroad Programs (CIAP)

• Published programs: World language students in middle and senior high school; world language teachers and adults fluent in the target language.
  • For Spring Programs: students must be in second semester of level 2 at time of travel.
  • For Summer Programs: students must have completed at least level 2 at time of travel.
• Custom programs: generally anyone who wishes to travel. The organizing teacher/group leader determines eligibility for his/her group. If the custom program includes an ISE family stay, language ability may be required. Please discuss this with the ISE coordinator for your program.

US Hosting Program (USHP):Families of all types can host.

• Primary language spoken in the host family home is English with a commitment to speak English at home as much as possible.
• Host family must provide the student with a bed of his/her own.
• Student can share a room with a child of the same gender and approximate age, or have a single bedroom.
• Host family may be responsible for transporting the student to classes or activities, depending on what program they participate in.
• Host family is responsible for providing meals

Our programs are designed to provide a language and cultural immersion experience. To this end, the group leaders and guides carry out daily activities in the target language, and the volunteer host families are instructed to speak to ISE participants in their native language. A minimal level of language skills is required for the participant to fully partake in these activities and interactions.

For participants who do not speak the target language, ISE offers custom programs but that are tailored to the needs of the group.

ISE programs are designed for world language teachers and their students with specific educational goals in mind. All participants on our published programs are expected to speak the target language while traveling in order to fully realize the goal of linguistic and cultural immersion. For this reason, family members and children who do not speak the target language are not eligible for travel on our published programs. They are welcome to visit you during the family stay (additional costs will apply).

For participants who do not speak the target language, ISE offers custom programs but that are tailored to the needs of the group.

Understandably, parents of ISE students want to be assured that care and consideration are given to the process of finding suitable host families.

In each community where we have family stays, ISE has a local placement coordinator. This person is most often a teacher or someone else in the community who has access to local schools. S/he establishes contact through schools (language and social studies departments) and announces the opportunity to host a foreign teenager. In the great majority of the cases our coordinators have been doing this work for a number of years.

It is significant to note that our host families are volunteers. This is an important distinction from typical room-and-board arrangements whereby some companies literally hire families to host two, three or more for pay. Since they are NOT paid, the primary incentive is a genuine desire to host a foreign student and to share a cross-cultural experience. (In some countries, a small stipend to cover food expenses is provided to families.) Families who host must complete an application form in which they provide references and information about themselves. The local coordinator reviews each application and decides on the suitability of each family.

The main criteria for hosting are that the family has the means to host (provision of room and lodging; the student will always have his/her own bed if not room) and a strong interest in hosting. They are expected to provide a safe and caring environment for the duration of the stay. The foreign student is to be treated as a member of the family, subject to the normal rules of the household. Most of the time group activities are not conducted during the family stay. This allows for maximum opportunity to become integrated into the everyday life of the family in an immersion setting.

Host families are expected to comply with the norms of the program. At the same time, students/participants are expected to do their part to make the home stay a success: practicing daily courtesies, demonstrating interest in things new and different, engaging in conversation, not retreating to the privacy of his/her room, not unfairly comparing the host family with the family back home or with other host families.

While no one can offer absolute guarantees about an experience as personal and subjective as this one, we have considerable confidence in our local placement coordinators. We rely on the good will of all families and on honest full disclosure from their application form. The overwhelming majority of our students continue to rate their home stays positively.

The welfare of the student is always of paramount importance to us. If there is cause to move the student to a different host family, this will be done with the knowledge of the group leader. Prior to the group’s departure, ISE will communicate to the group leader the following information about the host families: name, address, telephone and/or cell phone number, occupations of the parents, and the number of boys and girls and their respective ages. In this way, the two students can start to communicate, usually by email.

Yes! Depending on the length of your private family stay arrangements, we can either include it in a published program or tailor a custom program around your family stay.

Maybe! While ISE cannot guarantee a host family for every teacher, we certainly make every effort to accommodate requests by teachers to stay with a host family instead of in a hotel during the family stay.

Simply, ISE’s high expectations for the behavior of the students on our programs help us maintain the integrity and educational quality of our programs. ISE expects students and teachers to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to being a good ambassador. Students and teachers who cannot follow the Code of Conduct should not travel with ISE.

Group leaders determine the consequences for discipline issues while abroad. The decision to send a student home is made by the group leaders (teachers) and supported by ISE. A problem student is returned to the U.S. at the parents’ expense. By signing the program application, parents/guardians agree to bear the cost of all expenses related to a student’s return to the U.S. and acknowledge that they forfeit all monies paid. Group leaders should be aware that travel logistics for sending home a participant can be very expensive and difficult to execute on short-notice, particularly during popular travel times (holidays, spring and summer vacation). Group leaders may need to consider alternative disciplinary measures abroad.

Limited insurance for minor illness or accidents and trip cancellation insurance is provided for all ISE participants. Students will receive a claim form to carry with them on the program. Coverage details can be found in the summary of insurance benefits. ISE recommends that each traveler’s own comprehensive medical insurance be up to date and include coverage for the destination country. Individuals may want to purchase additional trip cancellation and or medical insurance coverage if they wish to have more coverage than our insurance policy currently allows.

Note: Pre-existing conditions, mental illness and pregnancy are not covered.

Coverage against catastrophic monetary loss due to unpredictable world events is provided by ISE’s Cancellation Protection Plan.

ISE is protected by a multi-million-dollar liability policy for its operations. Teachers who travel as leaders are automatically covered under ISE’s liability policy. A school or district may be added as an additional named insured for a small fee. Please contact your ISE coordinator for more details.

Yes! ISE meets its mission by providing financial aid to qualified students. Learn more here.

The application can be downloaded from this website and you can learn more here. A complete application must be submitted to ISE by November 30 (postmark applies).

Currently, ISE does not offer college credit for our programs. Our Director of Education, Tanya Gajewski is developing relationships with colleges and universities so that we are able to offer this option in the near future!

ISE meets its mission by supporting teachers in a number of ways including classroom grants, the World Language Department grant, and our ISE “Language Matters” Award. Learn more here!

ISE meets its mission is by supporting students in ways such as the Alumnus Scholarship Award, Most Valuable Traveler Award, Best “Dear Family” Letter and Best Photo Awards. Learn more here!

Yes. Paying participants who have traveled with ISE before receive a $200 "Alumnus Credit" on subsequent programs.

Yes. Family members receive a $100 "Family Member Credit" when more than one member travels as a paying participant in the same year or in subsequent years.

No. While ISE travel programs are educational in nature, the program fee pays for actual travel arrangements and are not tax deductible.

The deposit must be made by check, cashier’s check or money order. For the deposit, please collect payments with the applications and send them to ISE in one package. Both deposit check and application are required for registration on a program.

Checks or money orders must be payable to ISE and include the participant's name, school and destination country in the memo. ISE cannot accept postdated checks. All postdated checks will be returned immediately.

Subsequent payments may be made online with a credit card. Please advise parents of this option.

Once your group is registered you will be able to view your group status online and view student balances. Many parents will pay online with a credit card, so you may not receive payments from every student; you can see online which students have paid with a credit card.

All of ISE’s deadlines are postmark deadlines. If you collect payments, please do so in advance of the postmark deadline.

Yes! ISE can accept credit card and debit card payments made online after the initial deposit has been made by check. Click here to make a payment.

In addition to the base price, you will see one or more of these charges on your final bill:

All groups, custom and published:

• Fuel Surcharge - determined by the airline, this is a pass-through expense. ISE charges you exactly what the airline charges for the fuel surcharge at the time of purchase.

In addition, published programs may also have:

• Weekend charge – if your group departs or returns on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
• Small Group Supplement– if your combined group does not meet the minimum number required.

You may also see charges that pertain to additional excursions or activities specific to your child’s itinerary. Please ask the coordinator for details.

ISE charges fees for: returned checks ($40), re-enrollment ($100), late or missing payments ($40), late registration ($40), late materials ($40). See ISE’s fee schedule.

“Voluntary cancellations” must be submitted in writing (email is acceptable) by the participant or participant’s parent/guardian directly to ISE, clearly indicating the participant's name, school, and destination country. ISE cannot accept voluntary cancellations made by phone or requested by the teacher for the student. Cancellations can be emailed to the Registrar: courtney@isemn.org.

No. Students and/or parents must notify ISE in writing. ISE will not accept notification of cancellation verbally, or from teachers/leaders, unless the reason for cancellation is for disciplinary issues.

ISE allows “involuntary cancellations” by the teacher/leader if the student fails to abide by the standards set by the teacher and/or school, or if the student/parent does not disclose a significant medical condition that may affect the student’s travel experience. Normal cancellation fees will be assessed. Please call your ISE program coordinator to discuss this in more detail.

ISE reserves the right to cancel a participant for lack of payment, for failure to abide by the standards set by the teacher and/or school, or if the student/parent does not disclose a significant medical condition that may affect the student’s travel experience. In both cases the normal cancellation fees will be assessed.

Please see our cancellation schedule.

Please allow 6-12 weeks for processing cancellations. If payments were made with credit card, refunds will be processed 60 days after the last charge was made. ISE issues refunds in the form of a check. Insurance claims may take longer as they are paid by our insurance carrier, not ISE.

Published Programs: the costs of 1 leader are shared by 8 students and built into the student price. If a leader on a published program has fewer than 8 students, ISE calculates a pro-rated price based on the number of students. Example: 6 students would entail a pro-rata of 2/8 of the total program price.

Custom Programs: often the leader costs are completely covered by the students. The organizing teacher decides how many leaders will travel.

Published Programs:

If you travel with a minimum of 8 students (per leader), the following program costs are covered: airfare, transportation, hotel accommodations, breakfast, included meals per itinerary.

You will also receive:

• An entry fee allowance to cover leader and student entrance fees and public transit
• A leader stipend to offset costs such as meals and incidentals ( you may wish to budget more personal funds for this if traveling with fewer than 8 students)

If you have fewer than 8 students (per leader) a leader price will be pro-rated based on the total student cost for your program. For example, a teacher traveling with 6 students would have a pro-rated price of 2/8 of the final student price. Leaders who have a pro-rated price may make payments online with a credit card; full payment is due at the same time as the students’ final payment.

If you choose to travel on your own when not on-call during the family stay, your personal travel costs would be your responsibility.

If you choose to depart earlier or return later than the group, the additional costs are up to you.

Custom Programs:

The organizing teacher/group leader creates an itinerary with the ISE coordinator and can determine what leader costs to include. Custom programs often also include:

• A leader stipend to offset costs such as meals and incidentals
• An entry fee allowance to cover leader and student entrance fees and public transit
• A meal allowance if the group leaders wish to help students budget money for meals not included in the itinerary

If you choose to travel on your own when not on-call during the family stay, your personal travel costs are your responsibility.

If you choose to depart earlier or return later than the group, the additional costs are your responsibility.

Leaders are accommodated in twin/double rooms while traveling and during the family stay. Single room accommodations cost more. Single room supplements vary by destination and itinerary. Please contact your ISE coordinator for more details.

Yes, a participant may request an early departure or late return on their program. Eligibility for this depends on the airline’s group contract stipulations. Learn more here.

In most cases, the group tickets that ISE purchases are eligible to earn miles. However, there are certain types of tickets that are not eligible and ISE does not guarantee frequent flier mile eligibility. Participants should present their frequent flier program number at the time of check in to determine if their ticket will earn miles or not.

Yes, however ISE strongly discourages this. ISE arranges group travel; when individuals book their own air arrangements, it disrupts the group travel arrangements and can be challenging for both the group leader(s) and the participant. Using frequent flier miles, or purchasing an individual ticket, entails an air record separate from the rest of the group. A separate, individual ticket can potentially leave a participant traveling alone. Furthermore, ISE insurance coverage is not effective while a participant is traveling separately from the group. If a participant is not using any or all of the ISE provided flights, a parent/guardian must sign a release form provided by ISE. If a teacher/leader decides that the group must book air travel together through ISE, ISE will support the teacher’s decision.

Participants who wish to arrange their own air must inform ISE when they register. They may deduct $600 (Europe/Peru) or $400 (Costa Rica/Ecuador/Mexico/Panama/Puerto Rico) from their program price. No credit is possible for partially flown itineraries or one way tickets. ISE and the group leader cannot be responsible for the participant in any way, and insurance coverage is not effective, while the participant is traveling separately from the group. If a participant is not using any or all of the ISE provided flights, a parent/guardian must sign a release form provided by ISE.