On a year abroad, often called an exchange year, you go to another country, live with a host family and attend school there. Such a year abroad is ideal for getting to know everyday school life abroad, life with a host family, the country and its culture, and a few new friends. A year abroad usually lasts anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 months. A year abroad is of course a huge challenge, especially as a high school student, since you're no longer in your familiar surroundings for a long time and are suddenly on your own. But if you take on this challenge and overcome the hurdle of leaving your familiar environment, a year abroad can bring plenty of great experiences. During a year abroad you can get to know everyday school life in another country, improve your language skills, gain experience abroad, develop your personality and independence, discover your strengths as well as your limits, find new friends and simply have a lot of fun. Of course, where you do it also plays a decisive role. In principle it doesn't matter where you spend your year abroad, as long as the country is in a position to host exchange students given its political and economic situation. The following countries are very well suited for a year abroad:

  • USA
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • England
  • Ireland
  • Spain
  • Argentina
  • China
  • South Africa

What to keep in mind for an exchange year as a high school student

It's especially important to know that after a year abroad you will most likely have to repeat the school year, at least in the German school system. In return, though, you gain wonderful experience abroad. You should also keep in mind that you need to be a student between 15 and 18 years old, that good language skills are logically an advantage abroad, that you should choose a good exchange organization because it has to react quickly if you don't get along with your host family, that you should apply and start planning early enough, and above all that you should think about how to finance it.

Exchange year for high school students

Perfect planning and gear for going abroad

Since a year abroad can stretch over quite some time, it's important to plan for it. A sensible purchase before a year abroad would be a credit card, for example, because with it you can withdraw cash at any time and anywhere and pay for flights or hotel stays without any trouble. It's also especially helpful to find out what the temperatures and climate are like in the country where you want to spend your year abroad, so you can tailor your packing list perfectly.