AFX Student Exchange introduces a School Trip Program designed to enrich both educators and students through tailored educational experiences. Levering over two decades of expertise in Franco-Australian exchanges, we offer customized programs ranging from study tours and sister-school partnerships to student exchanges and linguistic immersions. Our services encompass comprehensive support, including travel logistics, international assistance, risk management, and Child Safe Standards compliance. We prioritize flexibility, offering bespoke dates, pricing, and program features to meet your school's specific needs and goals. Whether facilitating teacher accompaniment or ensuring enriching curriculum integration, our mission is to create memorable and transformative educational journeys. Embark with us on an adventure that enhances your curriculum and leaves lasting impressions on your students.

FOR TEACHERS

Create a French immersion experience for your students!
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With over two decades of expertise in Franco-Australian exchanges, we offer customized programs ranging from student exchanges and linguistic immersions to cultural excursions. Our services encompass comprehensive support, including travel logistics, international assistance, risk management, and Child Safe Standards compliance. We prioritize flexibility, offering bespoke dates, pricing, and program features to meet your school’s specific needs and goals. Whether facilitating teacher accompaniment or ensuring enriching curriculum integration, our mission is to create memorable and transformative educational journeys. Embark with us on an adventure that enhances your curriculum and leaves lasting impressions on your students.

Partner with AFX

Our School Liaison Officer, Jess Henskens, will work with the Languages Department of your school to curate a program tailored to your students’ needs.
This could involve, for example:
A six-week reciprocal exchange: Your students travel as part of a chaperoned group during the Christmas holidays, and a group of French students are hosted by your students in June/July, attending your school during this period.
A One-Way program: Your students travel to France for a minimum of four weeks and stay with French host families.
Weekend group trips for your students while they are in France to sites of historical, cultural or scientific note, such as the Normandy beaches or the Airbus factory in Toulouse.
A Sister School arrangement: We can set you up with a Sister School in France so that your students all attend the same school and you can develop a relationship with the school over several years.

Meet Jess, our School Liaison Officer

We take care of everything

Once you have designed your French Immersion experience, we will present the program to your students and manage everything from enrolment to take-off. With an extensive network in France over 20 years in the making, we will find the perfect host families for your students. Our team in France will be on the ground while your students are in France to make sure that their stay goes as smoothly as possible. If you choose to run a reciprocal exchange, we will make sure the teachers at your school feel supported during the French students’ stay. Our Australian team will be in charge of ensuring the French students’ wellbeing. Organising an overseas trip for students is a full-time job and we know that teachers don’t have any extra time! Let AFX take care of everything so that you don’t have to.

This form will give us some basic information about your school and what you have in mind for your students. We will be in touch as soon as we can!
Alternatively, you can book a call with Jess or send an email to australia@afxstudentexchange.com .

Benefits for Students

Peer-reviewed research suggests that language immersion programs offer numerous benefits for high school students, including enhanced language skills, cognitive development, improved academic performance, and increased cultural awareness. In other words, while their French will obviously improve, they will also develop their cognitive abilities such as problem solving and critical thinking which will serve them well across all subjects. Additionally, the self-confidence that comes from participating in a sometimes challenging experience will be invaluable during their rigorous Year Twelve studies. When students participate in a reciprocal exchange, the whole school benefits from hosting French students on campus. Even those who do not travel to France can still improve their French and cultural awareness by interacting with the visiting students.

Benefits for Teachers

Every teacher wants to see their students succeed, and students who participate in a language immersion program will almost certainly return with a better level of French and a higher chance of success in VCE. Importantly, having French students attending the school can boost the visibility and prestige of the Languages department and motivate younger students to continue their Language studies. Running an overseas language immersion program is also a fantastic way to gain an edge over other schools who cannot offer the same experience to their students.When students participate in a reciprocal exchange, the whole school benefits from hosting French students on campus. Even those who do not travel to France can still improve their French and cultural awareness by interacting with the visiting students.

Ensuring safety and compliance

We are an accredited student exchange organisation with the VRQA, ensuring our student exchange programs adhere to Victorian safety standards. The VRQA’s accreditation process includes a thorough screening to certify organizational structures, affirming compliance with the Child Safe Standards. The introduction of the latest child-safe standards represents a significant advancement in creating safer environments for children. These standards may influence some current preferred programs or modify the responsibilities of your school.

Ensuring Safety and Compliance: Our VRQA Accreditation and the New Child-Safe Standards

We are an accredited student exchange organisation with the VRQA, ensuring our student exchange programs adhere to Victorian safety standards. The VRQA's accreditation process includes a thorough screening to certify organizational structures, affirming compliance with the Child Safe Standards. The introduction of the latest child-safe standards represents a significant advancement in creating safer environments for children. These standards may influence some current preferred programs or modify the responsibilities of your school.

Customized Thematic Experiences

Additionally, AFX Student Exchange offers the unique opportunity to organize thematic visits or stays tailored to your group's interests. Whether you're looking to explore the vibrant streets of Paris, delve into history at the Normandy landing beaches, or discover any other specific sites of cultural or educational significance, we can make it happen. Our personalized approach ensures that each trip is not just a journey, but a comprehensive learning experience designed to complement your educational objectives and immerse students in the rich tapestry of French culture and heritage.

We’re the specialists in programs to France

Our School Trip Program is uniquely designed to offer Australian students an unparalleled immersion into French culture. Specializing exclusively in programs to France, we bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise that sets our offerings apart. Through our deep understanding of French culture, we curate experiences that go beyond the surface, offering students a chance to live and breathe the authentic French way of life. This specialization enables us to provide your students with a truly immersive cultural journey, enriching their educational experience and broadening their global perspective. Invite your students to embark on this unforgettable journey with us, where they will not only learn a new language but also gain invaluable insights into the richness of French culture.

What makes our program stand out

Exclusively French

Our depth of knowledge and experience, as well as being French, means that we offer exquisite immersive cultural and linguistic experiences to France.
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INDIVIDUALISED

We treat every student as an individual with their own distinct personality and passions, and then carefully match them with the perfect French correspondent.
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AFFORDABLE

Our starting price for a six week program in France is $3550. This includes everything from travel insurance to a trip to Paris but not the airfare.
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SAFE

We’re the only Australian student exchange organisation sending students exclusively to France that meets the strict safety standards needed for government accreditations.
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Student exchange program
requirements

STUDENTS

According to the National Code of Conduct for International Students in Schools (NCCISSE), it is mandatory for all student exchange programs to be conducted through a registered not-for-profit Student Exchange Organisation (SEO), such as AFX Student Exchange. It is noteworthy that hosting a French student by an Australian school or family is not obligatory. Therefore, school principals are advised to liaise exclusively with registered SEOs to facilitate such programs.
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SCHOOLS

AFX student exchange programs comply with the NCCISSE whereby the Australian student enrolls in a full-time school program in France for a minimum period of three months or one school term, whichever is shorter. Note that in Victoria, the minimum period is 28 days due to the requirements for the enrollment of overseas students in Victorian government schools. Inbound exchange students participating in programs of more than 28 days duration in Victoria must obtain a student visa. Under similar conditions, students from France undertake study in Australia.
Inbound students must obtain overseas student health cover (OSHC) for the full period of the student welfare dates in their AASES form. An SEO must ensure that the student exchange programs it provides to outbound Victorian students comply with all relevant visa and health insurance requirements of the host country.
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ENROLMENT

Exchange students are responsible for:
  • Fulfilling the conditions of the visa that has been granted.
  • Attending the appointed CRICOS school full time.
  • Behaving in an appropriate manner as agreed under the terms of the relevant exchange program, and complying with school codes of conduct, regulations and conditions of enrolment and abiding by the laws of the destination country.
  • Leaving the destination country on completion of the exchange program or the expiration of any relevant visa, and
  • Leaving the destination country earlier if circumstances develop such that the SEO believes that the student’s further participation in the program is inappropriate.
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VISA & INSURANCE

Students participating in a student exchange program travel to Australia on a student visa (subclass 500) issued by the Australian Government. An SEO requires an Acceptance Advice for Secondary Exchange Student (AASES) form to obtain a student visa for each inbound student. The Registration Authority issues SEOs an AASES form upon request. AASES forms specify:
  • The student exchange program dates must be the student’s first day of school enrolment and the student’s last day of school enrolment.
  • The student welfare dates nominated by the SEO, which is at least seven days before and after the student exchange program dates where the SEO is responsible for the student’s accommodation, support and general welfare. Students must attend school for the period approved by the VRQA on the AASES form or outbound notification form.
An SEO must ensure that students do not arrive in Australia before the student welfare start date stated in the AASES form and that students depart Australia before the student welfare end date.
Inbound students must obtain overseas student health cover (OSHC) for the entire period of the student welfare dates in their AASES form. This does not apply to students who are citizens of a country exempted from the requirement by the Department of Home Affairs. An SEO must ensure that the student exchange programs it provides to outbound Victorian students comply with the host country's relevant visa and health insurance requirements.
SEOs must ensure that appropriate health cover is obtained and maintained for inbound and outbound exchange students. Incoming students must hold Overseas Students Health Cover in accordance with Student Visa requirements. 31 The cover obtained for outbound students may be adjusted to take into account any reciprocal health care agreements Australia has with the relevant destination country.