Doug
Ventura,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, June 12, 2015
I have dealt with a couple of different student foreign exchange programs, including Ayusa. I have found Ayusa very easy to deal with. In fact, they are easier to deal with than two others I considered using. I am very much at a loss to understand how the case reported could have happenend unless there was serious misrepresentation on the part of the student, the student's parents, and the student's school in his or her home country. First of all, why would the parents of a student even consider sending their child to an English speaking country to go to school if the student can't speak English? Second, why would the student want to? Third, why didn't the host family bother contracting the student and family before the student's arrival to see first hand how good his or her English was?
Each student application we reviewed from Ayusa included a letter to the host family that the student had to write in English, a letter of recommendation from the student's English teacher stating what the student's English skill level was, and an assessment from an Ayusa staff member on the student from an interview. Additionally, as soon as the process of matching us with the student was completed, we started communicating with the student in English. We communicated both by written e-mail and orally by Skype. I could quicly see that what our student's English teacher said about her English skills was spot on correct. Our student was not fluent, but was advanced in English. She could write clearly in English with some grammer errors, has a large vocabulary in English, and was easy to understand. The same held true with talking with her on Skype. On Skype I could see her having to pause while her brain translated what I said to Spanish and then formulated the response in English. It was easy to carry on a conversation with her in English as long as I didn't talk real fast.
Clearly if the story reported really did happen it would seem that there was some very poor decisions made by the student and her family at home. At the same time I would also falt the host family for not bothering to communicate with the student before arrival, that was also a bit irresponsible. It takes communication and coordination to host a foreign exchange student. It's not like driving to a pet store and buying a rat, you are having a teeage human showing up. The student needs to be enrolled in school, classes selected, and details such as any missing vaccinations addressed. The host family also needs to also show some responsibility.
Danielle
Oceanside3,#3Consumer Suggestion
Sun, May 13, 2007
Amber is to be commended for the love and attention she was determined to show this student from Japan. Take Amber's situation with AYUSA and multiply it by the thousands and you have a majority who are comprised of the student exchange industry. It is not too late: Amber, please write a letter of concern and list your observations of how this student was mistreated by AYUSA and your experience to your local Senator. What you encountered is not an isolated incident. Submit a complaint to the United States Department of State to Director Stanley Colvin at [email protected] and Elizabeth Dickerson of the US Department of State [email protected]. The Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students is the only watchdog group. Sumbit a complaint to [email protected] and visit www.csfes.org to learn just how many federal regulations that were violated. These are four positive steps to help put an end to this abuse. This is a multi-millon dollar industry that leaves way too many students with a terrible impression of the United States. You, however, are to be commended for your determination and kind heart to show this young lady from Japan otherwise.
Amber
Wichita,#4Author of original report
Tue, March 07, 2006
I actually was paid months later after having to call and pretty much drive the people crazy. You do not get $500.00 as they say you do for going and recruting families as a Community Rep. What actually happens is that you get paid the $500.00 over the course of the school year per each student you place. They dont tell you that to start off with. And you only get the payments if you all these little extra things. (Which they are not worth it.)And even then you have to call and harass people to get paid. I have waisted so much more than $500 doing this job just by things like gas from driving over to the homes of the host familes to settle fights with the students placed there between them and their host families. Phones bills of having to make international calls to settle problems between natural parents and host families. I get phone calls all the time from angry host families and the exchange students themselves. I have only one family under me that doesnt all out hate the student and the student doesnt hate them more or less. I have also have had other families handed to me because other Cr's got sick of dealing with this and quit. And another thing they dont tell you when you become a CR is that if for some reason a placement does not work out. That exchange student is coming to live with you till you find them another place to live. They wont send them back to their home country. And if cant find them home you better find a way to make room in yours. Thankfully this has not happened to me yet. And I hope it doesnt. I have tried to be a rep for this company even though I know it's a bad company. I have tried to give the families under me better service than I ever got. But unless you live in a very populated area where most of your leads are going to be giving to you by the company from the company website. Dont fall into this CR trap. I have yet ever been able to make someone intersted in hosting an exchange student. And one or 2 equaling up to about $1,000.00 over a period of 10 months isnt worth all the trouble. They dont subtract taxes out of your checks so at the end of the year you are stuck paying all those taxes. And you have to file them like it was your own business because of the type of tax form they send you. (My husband almost pulled his hair out this year over the taxes for this job). And to my horror my husband wants me to do this again next year....I highly doubt it. But anyway, I hope this was helpful information for anyone who is concidering working for this company. Or anyone who wants to host a student from this company. The girl that I mentioned before in my original report that lives with me isnt so sweet anymore. And she constantly fights with my husband and throws fits when she doesnt get her way. She has no friends, doesnt seem to care to make any and never leaves the house.Except anytime I or my husband and I want to go somewhere. Then she just has to go too, no matter what. We have to lie to her about where we are going to to get away sometimes. She calls my best friend names and say's very rude things to her because she doesnt like her and doesnt like it when she comes over to our house. Her english has improved some at least we can talk to her now. And I just stopped doing her work for her and now I make her do it on her own. She doesnt make as good of grades now, but at least it's not as if I am in high school all over again. But truth be told....This is awful....if I was a little bit more of a mean person I would demand they send her back. Or at least get her out of my house. But I am not, so for now I am just dealing with it and counting down the days till she is gone.