They said they didn’t want them.
This story is two years old. At that time Homeland Security had lost track of 6,000 exchange students. apparently some programs ulterior goal is to sell visas, not educate. The programs are trusted by our government to keep track of the students. SMH.
???
This organization sounds extremely shady (and that’s being charitable).
What’s the name of the organization? And how did you hear that they needed a last-minute sponsor such as yourself?
IMO, you should share the name of the organization so that (at the very least) other potential host families can avoid them like the plague.
That’s really bizarre that the agency is essentially washing their hands of her. I mentioned yesterday back in post #182 to return her items to the agency. I’d still do it, even if “they don’t want them”. It is THEIR responsibility, not yours. Pack them up and leave them at the local rep’s door. They can’t simply wash their hands of responsibility for her in some aspect. That’s outrageous.
Is the French student even with the same agency? In my experience, the Chinese students had one agency. European students used reputable agencies like nacel, afs, Calvin Thomas, boalingua, silc, ef…
Where’d they advertise for host families? Was this the one that used Craigslist?
If there is a person missing, don’t they usually talk it on the local new and put out an amber alert?
I don’t know. The organization is called EF Education First. A student was handing out flyers at a posh market. We took one and called the number. Both girls are from the same agency. I am afraid that this could be mob related. The police said they would give information to Homeland Security. They have our address, and I don’t want to be murdered.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ef-education-first-cambridge
Hoping Yelp isn’t considered a blog.
The reviews are terrible.
Wow. Just googled “EF Education First complaints” and there are tons of them on many different websites. What a shady company!
Yes, even having a student handing out flyers at a “posh market” sounds shady/sketchy.
We did not do much research before they arrived. Most of the reviews are awful! Most are from parents of students. Check out TRIPADVISOR!
I’m so sorry this is happening. I took kids through their school program that was used for years and years. This doesn’t sound at all like what I did.
But to not even care about kids going missing??? It just sounds like a way to get people here illegally, for whatever nefarious purposes. I sure hope that girl knew what she was getting into. I just have to wonder if they parents knew, or cared.
…the kicker is that they’re known as the 'rich kids’agency, because they’re very expensive and many parents choose them so that there’s not much sociology economic diversity in the group. (in France, they can be part of a company’s benefit, IE, instead of getting Christmas presents from the company, the employee 's teen children get a language trip partly paid for, the parents must pay the rest. However due to their prices, they’re not the companies 's first pick that I know of.)
I didn’t know there were so many complaints. I didn’t like them much because they charge more than they should, but I thought they were okay in terms of respecting their contract.
FM, I’m really sorry.
I hope the French girl is a good guest at least, and that up’re enjoying her presence.
As for the Chinese girl… She’s 16, doesn’t speak English, has no specific skills, and left leaving all her personal belongings. It can’t be good for her.
It only took 24 hours for our backround check, and the police told us it takes 5 days for a full check.
This is certainly a cautionary tale about doing some research before getting involved in something like this. Sorry you have had to deal with this company. Hope the young woman is okay.
“f there is a person missing, don’t they usually talk it on the local news and put out an amber alert?”
Like I said - my kid’s roommate went missing in 2012 at the beginning of sophomore year, and it was on all of our local news channels and some of the national news channels, made the news in India (the young man was of Indian descent, though an American citizen) and his picture spread throughout social / viral media until (sadly) his body was found a few days later. (Accidental death, no foul play involved.) Those students who had last seen him before the disappearance were extensively interrogated. His dorm room and computer were searched. Anyone and everyone was questioned. The community came together to try to find him. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation and a lot of energy / urgency into finding out where he was.
You live in the NYC area, right? It boggles my mind that it’s not on your NYC local news, that there aren’t flyers with her picture, students at your high school organized in search parties, etc.
I’m not as shocked that it isn’t on the news. The manner in which this girl left might be considered “running away”…she left a note…she called the agency to say she was “OK,” etc. Now, I do think her situation is dire in many ways. But runaways are not necessarily on the news. If she was missing from her bedroom and there was no clue as to how she left, maybe that would change the level of news interest. She is missing, and is a minor, but it sounds like she left voluntarily (or under some nefarious circumstances that were pre-arranged).