P.I.E. is fairly flexible on this issue and we believe Area Representatives should enjoy their work. Many representatives are employed full-time in other fields and their student and family contact is conducted in the evenings or weekends. Representatives should determine how much time they would like to devote to the program and request to support a number of students accordingly. For new representatives, it is probably best to work with no more than one or two students during the first year.

Representatives are assigned a specific area, usually within 120 miles of a program participant. The Regional Manager works with the representatives to determine which schools and which areas each person will handle.

Since the students have all studied English and are expected to function in a regular high school program, you need not speak another language.

The position of Area Representative is essentially a volunteer position. A placement fee is paid for screening a family and matching them with a student and a support fee is paid for maintaining monthly contact with the participant, school and corresponding family. These fees, however, are primarily meant to cover expenses incurred as a result of the representative’s efforts. Complete the representative online pre-application to receive complete details.

The most important criteria is the genuine desire to interact with and help international students and host families. Working in a related field such as teaching or social work helps, as does past travel experience, counseling knowledge, or international studies. People who have raised (or are in the process of raising) children have a good background from which to draw when dealing with exchange students. Coaching and guidance will be provided, so past experience in the international student exchange field is not required.

You do not have to host, but you should have the ability to temporarily house a student in the event of an emergency.

Each student needs to have a representative who is not a member of his or her immediate host family, so you may not be the host and the representative at the same time.

P.I.E has an extensive network of support available for its Representatives. Each Representative is assigned a Regional Manager. This person supervises and guides a group of representatives in a given area. Each Regional Manager works with a Regional Administrator at the P.I.E. Headquarters office. P.I.E. also has a 24-hour emergency assistance line available.

The most successful representatives network to find families. They identify potential hosts through their contacts at schools, churches, civic organizations, or other community groups they participate in. If a family they approach is not interested at that time, they ask for several referrals. They continue to network and never lose the names of families who said, “Not now, maybe later.” All representatives help to promote the program in their community, but P.I.E. Headquarters will also forward information on potential families who have inquired about hosting.

P.I.E. carries comprehensive liability insurance that covers host families, students, representatives and staff members in the event that something related to the exchange should cause them any liability.

In addition to providing each representative with a comprehensive training manual, P.I.E. periodically schedules trainings covering U.S Department of State Regulations, counseling scenarios and program policies, among other subjects.

Many of our representatives have gone on to become Regional Managers and some have even joined our full-time staff.

To begin the process of becoming an Area Representative, complete the representative online pre-application or call 1-888-743-8721 to receive more detailed information.