LC Exchange Guide+School Toolkit - Flipbook - Page 8
Funding
PPLI has a Funding for School Exchanges Scheme. Schools can apply for up to €5,000 per year for 3 years.
Please see the Languages Connect website for further details.
Erasmus+ funding is available to secondary schools. Please see the Léargas website for further details.
Garda Vetting
There is no Department of Education and Skills directive in relation to vetting for language exchanges.
The DES circular 0031/2016 does not specifically mention Garda Vetting for language exchanges. Joint
Managerial Body (JMB) do not have a specific policy or directive in relation to Garda vetting for exchanges,
however they do advise schools to get both Irish families, and the families abroad, vetted for exchanges,
and they offer Garda vetting for prospective exchange families for their respective schools. There is no ETBI
policy or directive in relation to vetting for language exchanges, each of the 16 ETBs chooses whether or
not to offer advice to schools in relation to Garda vetting. Some ETBs advise it and assist their schools with
the process. Other ETBs (Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim ETB; and Cavan & Monaghan ETB) do not have a policy or
directive, and do not advise schools on the topic. DDLETB have a policy that if foreign students are coming
to stay with families from one of their schools, they ask that all family members in the host home that are
over the age of 18 are vetted. However whether or not the families abroad are vetted is up to the partner
school as that is a separate jurisdiction and out of their control.
Hosting
It is important to prepare students properly in advance for the reality of living with a host family. It is good
to have a clean and tidy home when welcoming a guest, but it should not be an area of concern for
teachers, students or their parents. Humans are not perfect, and do not live in show homes. Exchanges can
be great fun and they can be an eye‑opening experience, but the focus should not be on perfection.
Location
Location is important, however it is worth noting that Carndonagh Community School in North Donegal has
a thriving exchange programme. Carndonagh is serviced by a private bus company, but there is no railway
station and no Bus Éireann stop. Direct flights are always more straightforward. Find out where you can fly
to from your nearest airport. There is nothing preventing you from taking two flights to get to your final
destination, however it makes the journey more complicated, and potentially more expensive. It is possible
to fly to more than 140 destinations from Dublin Airport. There are direct flights from Cork Airport to Austria,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland; and from Shannon Airport to France, Italy and Spain. If the
partner school is a considerable distance from the airport, another option is to fly and then hire a coach.
Matching
students
and teachers
There will be several teachers and a group of students who all need to be matched. It is best to lead by
example, so if students and their families have to host partner students, then teachers and their families
should host the partner teachers. Lots of teachers find this a really positive experience and it can lead to
life‑long friendships. Ensure there is a profile for everybody who is hosting/being hosted and try to ensure
that people are matched with someone with whom they have something in common. It is important to
take any allergies or dietary requirements into consideration. Sometimes older teachers who have either
been abroad with the exchange previously, or would like to go abroad in the future, agree to host a visiting
teacher on behalf of a younger teacher, who may be living in a houseshare, or with their parents, and not
be in a position to host. Making the exchange as inclusive as possible for all staff has many benefits. The
matching process can take time, but doing it well contributes to a successful exchange.
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How-to Manual for School Exchanges
