Counselors

Information for and about Rotary Counselors

What does a Counselor do?

A Counselor is assigned to each inbound student before the student arrives, and continues to keep in touch with the student throughout the time he or she is in our district.

The Counselor is a member of the Rotary Club hosting the student.

Their responsibilities include:

  Training each year on State Department regulations related to exchange programs

  meeting with the student at least once each month (report required)

  reporting each time the student moves to another host family.

  meeting with the student and each host family within 60 days of the student moving in. (reports required)

  ensuring that the student receives his/her allowance each month.

  resolving minor conflicts between student and host family

As with all volunteers, Counselors must have a criminal background check.

All three reports mentioned above (student monthly report, host family change report, and follow-up visit report) are done thru the web portal (see link below).  The first two of those reports are filed for the inbound student.  The follow-up visit report is filed for the host family.

There has been some confusion regarding the follow-up visit report.  There are two very different reports required for host families.  The first of those is the report of the initial visit, done by the Local Coordinator BEFORE the student moves in.  The second is the follow-up visit done by the Counselor within 60 days after the student moves in.  State Department rules require that the two visits be done by different people, so there is a question in the web form for the follow-up visit, asking if you made the initial visit.  If you are not the Local Coordinator, say NO that question.  If you are the Local Coordinator and the Counselor, you cannot file the follow-up visit report, and you need another Counselor or Local Coordinator (or other committee member) to make the follow-up visit and file the report.