Come to Ecuador
Your year in Ecuador
Facts of your exchange in Ecuador
Some foreign students have unreal expectations of living with indian ethnic groups. This will not be possible. The cultural and social conditions of these groups are usually very different from the urban social environment. Moreover, the places where these groups live do not have schools that satisfy the educational needs of an exchange student.
YFU host families in general are either families of students on the program or previously on the program. Although you will have several YFU friends from countries such as Belgium, Finland, Norway, Germany, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and Holland, you will most likely not be placed in a home with another YFU student.
YFU Ecuador usually places students in private (paid) schools. YFU will pay registration fees and tuition fees, but will not pay for books, transportation or any other materials such as uniforms. This is the responsibility of each student and may cost approximately US$ 200 for uniforms and books for the whole year.
Students follow regular courses at school. For most schools it is mandatory wearing uniforms; classes begin at 7:30 am and finish at 1:30 pm (this also depends on each school). The regular school calendar is from September to July. For students going to the coastal region (Portoviejo, Santo Domingo, Manta and Machala) classes are from April to January. Summer students will be placed only in Quito, thus you will not attend school.
During one month of the school year, students placed in the highlands have the option of participating in some type of volunteer work in various foundations of Ecuador. This will be announced at the arrival orientations and students will be able to choose the type of volunteer service they prefer. This takes place during the month of June. Students placed in the coastal region will do the volunteer work in February or March, instead of attending school (this is not optional).
Discover the adventures Ecuador has to offer
Your student orientations while in Ecuador
There will be three orientations offered for year students during your exchange year in Ecuador. Upon arrival you will be received by a YFU representative and taken to the orientation site.
Arrival orientation
Before meeting your host family, you will meet with all the other students for the arrival orientation in Quito for 2 to 3 days. During this time, YFU Ecuador will help you understand a bit more of the Ecuadorian culture and get ready for a wonderful experience. Afterward, you will travel to your city where you will meet your host family and area representative.
Mid-term orientation
Mid-term orientations will be held in each region around February or March. It is a one day orientation.
Final orientation
One day before your departure in June all students will meet in Quito for the final orientation
Summer Program
You will have one arrival orientation and one farewell orientation at the end of the exchange in Ecuador.
