STEP Homestay is a family-to-family exchange over the summer holiday season. The idea is that two students with their families are matched. In the selection process Rotary coordinators will consider the age, hobbies, potential allergies (e.g. pets) and gender (although there are also boy-girl exchange partners if both students and families agree). By nature, the exchange is between two families so both families will act as hosts when the foreign student is doing the exchange.
The duration is typically 3-4 weeks/country. Finnish students normally start the exchange since the summer holiday starts beginning of June. After the weeks in destination country, the students will then travel together (typically, but not necessarily) to Finland for the second part of the exchange. It is very common that when the Finnish students start the exchange the summer holiday has not started in destination country. This gives the opportunity to visit (if allowed) the local school on a couple of days. Likewise, the foreign students are often still in Finland when schools start again in the first week of August (between 5 – 10 August, depending on the school) and the foreign student can attend some classes.
Here’s an example:
On 22 June the Finnish student starts the STEP Homestay travelling to the destination country to stay 3 weeks at the host family of the exchange partner.
On 13 July the Finnish student and the exchange partner fly to Finland to stay at the Finnish family.
On 2 August the exchange partner travels back home and the STEP Homestay is completed.
If you are interested and if you need more info CONTACT ME BEFORE 12.3.2026
