High School Exchange Program Advisor

EF High School Exchange Year sponsors international high school students who spend a semester or academic year living with volunteer host families across the United States. In order to provide exceptional support for these students, we seek to hire a Program Advisor with a track record of proven success in the education sector, volunteer management, teenage mentorship, customer service or other related field.

This position is based full time in our Cambridge office.

Our international teenage students experience a true cultural exchange as they leave behind the familiarity of their home country, culture, and language, and immerse themselves in the local lifestyles of their host community. Imagine being a 16-year-old foreign student who has grown up living in a big city and is now on an exchange year living in a small town in the Midwest.

What challenges might you encounter as you settle into a new community at the start of a new school year? How do you adjust to the expectations of your new host family? How do you manage homesickness and culture shock? Who do you turn to for guidance and support? The Program Advisor is a resource, mentor, and coach who is there to help with all challenges our teenage students face.

What You’ll Do

Our Program Advisors are responsible for supporting participants through the predictable and unexpected challenges of being part of exchange. The Program Advisor partners with a team of local coordinators to support high school exchange students, while also communicating with volunteer host families and colleagues in our recruitment offices abroad to ensure seamless collaboration.

Our goal is to help students learn, grow and succeed in their American surroundings and provide personalized support to them along the way. Working across different cultures and time zones adds yet another global layer to this dynamic role! To further strengthen the support provided to program participants, you will also be tasked with overseeing projects that are aimed to enhance program quality.

The Program Advisor monitors student safety and wellbeing in-line with the industry standards set forth by the US Department of State.

Members of our Program Support team experience seasonality with student support much like the academic calendar. The fall season is fast paced as students settle into their exchange year, with spring and summer focused on quality-driven initiatives to enhance team operations. Program Advisors join a team of responders to our 24/7 emergency support line, serving as a point of contact

several times per year.

Who You Are:

Your outstanding relationship building, communication, and mediation skills, combined with your passionate performance and creative approach, and your sincere interest in international education will ensure a positive program experience for all participants.

Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience

3+ years of previous experience in related field

Ability to travel 2-4 times per year

Ability to work a flexible shift a plus

Commitment to ensuring student safety and wellbeing

Relationship building, conflict resolution and mediation skills

Ability to communicate diplomatically with diverse program participants

Desire to find innovative ways to connect with and coach all program participants to success

Ability to make and implement difficult decisions and compromises while prioritizing competing projects and issues

Attention to detail and strong writing skills

Strong work-ethic, personal accountability, ability to work well both individually and in a team environment

Experience working with diverse cultures and backgrounds a plus

About Us

EF High School Exchange Year (HSEY) is a non-profit high school foreign exchange program affiliated with Education First. We…