NCEA/IB and other FAQs

No doubt, you and your parents will have plenty of questions about going on an exchange. Here is the guide to navigating NCEA and IB in New Zealand to help get you started on your adventure of a lifetime!

New Zealand Qualifications Guide

You might be wondering how doing an exchange will affect NCEA or IB…

Well it doesn’t have to. We can help you do both – go on an exchange and do NCEA/IB. Here is a guide which gives you some options and will help you figure out what might work best for you.

NZ Qualifications Guide 2024

For parents: What does the AFS intercultural learning programme include?

The AFS Student Learning Journey & Curriculum covers the AFS experience before, during and after your child’s exchange programme. The programme has three primary goals to help your child:

Become more comfortable with their new family and school
Learn how to communicate with and make friends with people from different cultures.
Begin developing the knowledge, skills and understanding that young global citizens need to compete, live, study, work, volunteer and become leaders in an increasingly diverse and global world.

The AFS Student Learning Journey & Curriculum is based on the 16 AFS Educational Goals (developed by AFS international experts in intercultural learning) and is facilitated by trained AFS volunteers and staff. It Includes fun and informative orientation sessions in your home and host countries to help students prepare and enjoy their AFS exchange.

The The AFS Educational Goals are designed to help students improve in four areas:

Personal values and skills: As a result of their experiences, students learn how to turn difficult situations into valuable opportunities for personal growth. They are challenged to reassess their values, stretch their capacities and practice new life skills while learning more about themselves. Students usually become more confident, improve their creative and critical thinking skills and learn how to solve their own problems.

Interpersonal relationship building: AFS students become fully involved in daily living and working arrangements with a variety of people in the new environment. This may include host families, community residents, educators and other students. These skills are transferable to many other settings during your child’s lifetime. Being part of a family, school and community improves their communication and language skills and teaches young people how to work more effectively in groups and teams.

(Inter)cultural knowledge and sensitivity: The AFS exchange experience deepens students’ insights into their home culture as well as their knowledge of their host (or visiting) cultures—both strengths and weaknesses. Learning how to appreciate other cultures helps students value cultural and other difference, and how differences make our world a stronger more interesting place.

Global issues awareness: Students learn to appreciate and empathise different perspectives on global issues and concerns, and thus appreciate that workable solutions often need to be culturally sensitive to succeed. Our goal is to encourage and empower students to work with others to help build a more peaceful and just world—at home or across the globe.

What will I gain from an AFS student exchange?

A student exchange with AFS is your once in a lifetime opportunity to:

Kick-start your future
Learn about yourself and the world around you
Make lifetime connections
Challenge yourself in ways you have never imagined
Stand out in the job market

And so much more…

Living, learning and making friends in another country helps you connect with a world larger than your own.
Studying abroad builds confidence and helps you become more comfortable in new and cross-cultural settings—in your home community or across the world.
Learning how to become a global citizen will help you understand, define and take your place in the world.
AFS exchange programmes provide practical skills and understanding you need to communicate, collaborate and make friends with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Learning another language or strengthening your language skills allows you to see the world through the eyes of others and experience a new culture in a much more personal way.
Staying with a host family will help you appreciate perspectives of other people, as well as their cultures, values and traditions.
Joining a global community like AFS helps you embrace differences and realise that our world is stronger and more interesting because of them.
You’ll build your academic portfolio and CV/resume and stand out from the crowd when you apply to university and future employers.
New opportunities that can help you discover your path in life will be opened to you

Did you know? Only 5% of the world population study abroad. Yet studying abroad provides highly sought after job skills, such as creative thinking, problem solving, flexibility, adaptability, motivation and leadership, teamwork, communication and an expanded world view with a multicultural perspective.

Will I be safe on my exchange?

AFS has been doing exchanges in NZ for over 70 years, so we know what we’re doing.

AFS NZ is the premier provider of exchanges in NZ with extensive networks and support before, during and after your exchange.

AFS provides extensive preparation for students pre-arrival, on arrival and post-departure. This ensures students are more likely to understand the cultural challenges and adapt to school and family life faster.

We provide 24-hour support for all AFS students and families, with proven risk management and emergency procedures. We know these are of paramount importance when operating in the student exchange market.

Globally, more than 12,000 AFS participants study abroad each year. Over 300,000 students have participated in AFS exchanges and AFS utilizes a network of more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide. We’re everywhere!

What sort of students go on an exchange?

Who will I live with?

Most AFS students (especially in our high school study abroad programs) live with a caring host family.

AFS families are as diverse as we are! AFS doesn’t pay host families. Our host families are volunteers, (AFS is a charity), inviting a student into their home, and making them part of the the family.

AFS regards your homestay as a very important part of our programme. AFS host families are carefully chosen, screened and prepared to welcome AFS students into their homes. Once the application is accepted, local AFS volunteers and staff will identify a community and family that are right for your child. Or, depending on the programme and country, some students may live in dormitories with home stays on weekends, others stay in camp-like settings.

We ensure that homes are of a high standard, that they are focused on the care of the students and that families are aware of the challenges which Kiwi students face in getting used to living in a new country. All home-stay families are police vetted.

Will AFS help me to adapt to my new family, school and community?

Absolutely! AFS staff, volunteers and host families or dorm counselors want to help make your experience enjoyable and memorable.

The AFS Student Learning Journey & Curriculum programme will help you become more comfortable with your new family and school, make friends and develop skills and understanding to communicate and make friends with people from different cultures. The journey is:

Facilitated by trained AFS volunteers and staff.
Based on the well-established AFS Student Educational Goals that are valued by universities and employers around the world.
Made of fun and informative orientation sessions and useful learning materials in your home and host countries.
Guided by the AFS Student Learning Journey & Curriculum that includes, activities, role playing exercises and discussions that will help you fit into your new family, school and community.

What happens when I get home?

When you return home from studying abroad, you will have the option of going to the re-orientation camp in Auckland.

You will have a sense of accomplishment unlike any other. You’ll have gained maturity and independence, discovered new passions, and developed the confidence and resilience to accomplish anything you set out to do.

That transformation isn’t only visible to you, though – others see it as well. AFSers gain critical skills for university and careers. Second language fluency, intercultural competence, creativity, and critical reasoning will help you succeed, whatever path you take. “Life-changing” means it’s only the beginning.

It’s not just an adventure abroad; it’s a whole new reality. The perspectives and personal connections you gained will stay with you and likely draw you back to the second home you found in your host country.

What next?

Become an AFSer, and you will join a connected global community of people committed to promoting and fostering intercultural understanding.
You have the opportunity to become an AFS volunteer and help other students and families on an AFS experience.