Student Links

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENT LINKS’s PROGRAMME

1. “STUDENT LINKS” is a hosting/exchange programme run by an association of Spanish “English as a Foreign Language” teachers in Spain (Madrid and Bilbao) who have been running the programme in the Manchester area for the last 31 years now.

2. OUR JOB: “Student Links” finds an “amigo” for each British host family’s child among their Spanish students considering their age, gender and interests so that they “jell” and become friends easily in the idea of enriching each other’s lives now and in the future.

We take particular care in matching both “buddies” and, as a result, our placements are very successful and we frequently have families who host the same child for several years, host families whose children get invited over to visit their “amigos”s in Spain.

3. HOST FAMILY ALLOWANCE: each British family receives an allowance of 800 pounds to cover what comes along with hosting (mainly food, weekend entertainment and showing them round) to make sure both “buddies” have an enriching full-of-fun experience.

4. SPARE ROOM IS NOT ESSENTIAL, but if sharing, it must be with the British buddy in a suitable bedroom.

5. GRATIFICATION FOR FINDING OTHER HOST FAMILIES: Every year, we have a number of enthusiastic actual and former families, teachers and collaborators who help us in the search of new great host families: you will receive 100,00 pounds per family you spot for us.

6. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FOR THE SPANISH STUDENT: Each British pupil mentors his/her “amigo” at school: the idea is that the Spanish student “just shadows” his/her “buddy” in class, so while the Spanish student undertake our programme in a very enthusiastic way, the British pupils happily become their mentors at school and help them around with pride.

7. APPLICATIONS:

A) If your school is one of our collaborating schools and you have heard about us from them, all you have to do is fill in our “Application Form” and we will get in touch with you to arrange a visit to yours.

Most families get a positive answer from us –providing they understand our student is supposed to be included in all family activities just as he/she were “a cousin of the family from abroad” and encouraged to communicate in English and only English-

B) If you have heard from us externally, please fill in the “Application Form” for us and, also, take to your school our “Presentation Letter for Schools” (see below, ready to print) to ask for permission for the Spanish child to attend along with your child.

If attending schools isn’t possible, a different arrangement will be made for our student, like attending a language school, having a work experience, etc… What is most important for us is finding the caring family to host them.

NOTE: when filling in the application form, please, don’t forget to write “N/A” in the boxes where the question doesn’t apply to you so that the system lets you continue. We nee information on the whole family but especially the children, and mainly the child who is going to be the “buddy”, all of which will allow us to find the right match for him or her.

8. TRIP TO SPAIN: Everything is planned for a succesful and gratifying experience and from the second year on, the British children are invited over to spend the last week in July at their amigo's for a great week of summer holiday in Spain at a very low cost which includes planes, assistance and insurance.

9. DONATION FOR THE SCHOOL: We are very gratefull to all the schools who take part in our programme every year, and as a sign of gratitute we give them a generous donation per Spanish student attending.

10. There’s usually no more than 10 Spanish students per school distributed in several Years to ensure our students’ full integration, so, if you are interested, please, make your application now..!!!

11. OUR SPANISH STUDENTS’ PROFILE: very positive and enthusiastic about their stay in Manchester; willing to make British friends, responsable, good students and laid-back children who happily enroll for an extra month at school being on holiday as they are from 20th June just for the adventure of doing so in a foreign country they fancy (English language, culture…); polite and well-mannered children coming from nice backgrounds.

12. AGE: from 8 to 17-years-old

13. At the end of May, you will receive a file with information and pictures on your selected student and, at the same time, the Spanish family will receive a file with information on you and the school they’ll be attending (uniform details, et…). Then, you can both get in touch with each other –a really exciting moment indeed..!!!-

At the same time, the schools will receive information on each student, details on our school insurance, etc…

14. INSURANCE: All our students are fully covered by our Language School insurance for any eventualities that may occur stay at all times along their stay, details of which will be sent upon request.

We are very proud of the most gratifying feedback from the people who have been somehow involved in the experience: our Spanish students and families, the British families and their children, the participating schools, their teachers... They just found it a fabulous experience.