Student Exchange Australia New Zealand Ltd - Mona Vale, New South Wales

Trudi McWilliam

Our daughter completed a 3-month exchange to Canada with Student Exchange, returning in February this year. It was a wonderful experience, and she has come home from her exchange more mature and confident and with so many fabulous memories. Her host family were exceptional and made her feel so welcome and completely at home. She was so sad to leave them and all her new friends. I have no doubt she will maintain those relationships for a long time to come.

Throughout the entire process I had every confidence in Student Exchange. The initial application documentation was very thorough and any queries I had regarding the programme were answered in a warm and timely manner. We had an unforeseen issue during the initial two weeks of her exchange, and I felt she was very well supported through this complication. There will be times when your child will feel a little overwhelmed but that is all part of the experience, and those challenges create a lot of growth.

I have no hesitation in highly recommending Student Exchange. Thank you for giving our daughter a life-changing experience.

Sam Mufale

I recently travelled Canada for a 3 month student exchange, and I found my experience to be amazing. Student exchange Australia New Zealand provided all the necessary requirements before and after leaving Australia. I found my host family to be warm and welcoming as we covered a variety of winter activities. At no point did I feel unsafe or worried as I had support from Caitlin, the coordinator in Canada. Ive made permanent friends and amazing memories. If i could do it again I would gladly.

Daniel D'Ambrosio

Our daughter went to Canada for 4 months through Student Exchange Australia New Zealand and we could not be happier with the experience. The company kept us fully informed, arranged an exceptional host family and accommodated both an extension to her duration and changes to her flights. Queries and issues were promptly answered and our daughter has had the most amazing time and made friends for life. Every one will obviously have a different experience but ours was entirely positive. Thank you to the team from student exchange Australia New Zealand.

Paul Hannah

We have hosted students since 2000 and have been with this organisation since 2009. It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, we are supported every step of the way and felt able to contact the organisation and their representatives at any time. I have no hesitation in using this company for our upcoming 17th student and no doubt many more to come. They have the thanks of myself and my family for everything they do, have done and no doubt will do for us.

Kirstine Mann

Please consider other student exchange companies.
I paid well over $30k for my daughter (aged 16) to go to Canada for 6 months last year.
Not only did they not have a host family lined up for her when she was due to leave, they then postponed her departure by 7 days, and then only getting a family secured the day before. Very comforting and assuring as you can imagine….. NOT!
I was promised a weeks refund, and now 13 months later I haven’t got it.
My daughter was there 7 months, travelled on her own there, with no one to meet her at the airport, to then get an Uber for an hour and a half from Toronto on her own.
Not once did she meet any other kids on exchange, had no orientation activities that were promised and in 7 months away never left her town 1.5 hours from Toronto. Her support from their Canadian partner was shocking as well. They are supposed to check on them, which happened once and phone calls to verbally check were always made (mind you only about 3times) whilst she was in school and couldn’t answer the phone.
Please read the reviews, I wish I had. It was heartbreaking to know she was there with limited support.
On a final note, her just family didn’t even acknowledge her birthday……

Carin Marie

I am very sorry to hear of any family or student that has difficulties with an exchange stay, so I thought it might be helpful for people to hear of our happy, really positive experience with Student Exchange Australia New Zealand (SEANZ).

Our 16yo daughter left Australia for Canada in November 2023, however our communications with SEANZ started way back in mid-2022.

Along that journey of webinars, paperwork, numerous emails and phone calls my husband and I have been wonderfully supported and patiently listened to, by Emma & Melissa.

For parents who had never sent a child inter-state on their own let alone overseas, Emma and Melissa were unfailingly kind and understanding - all questions were answered thoroughly, all scenarios were covered off carefully. We could tell from our first online meeting with them that they prioritised their students being safe, well cared for and having the time of their lives on their adventures abroad.

And they gave lots of good, practical advice too. They impressed upon our daughter the need to immerse herself fully into her new country and new culture, and the importance of getting to know her host family well. They suggested working alongside her host parents and siblings in the day-to-day running of the home, helping with chores, doing her bit to contribute and add value to the household dynamic. A good way to look at it they told her was to realise: it's not a holiday, it's a unique living experience and the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.

Our daughter is so happy and loved where she is that her host family has offered for her to extend her stay with them. Every day is a new joy for her - her first time skiing, snowboarding & sledding, walks through the forest by lantern-light, attending ice hockey games with her host Dad and ice skating training with her 4yo host brother and lots of baking with her host Mum. Her school experience has also been wonderful and she loves it so much she even goes in on snow days.

We found SEANZ from a conversation I had with a young co-worker who had been on a 10 month exchange with SEANZ to Spain, almost 10 years ago - she raved about them and I am so grateful I listened to her. For our part, the entire exchange process with SEANZ has been fantastic and Emma & Melissa have been warm, caring and professional. My whole family is thankful to both of them for the service they provide in helping young people explore the world, make life-long friendships and open them up to the endless possibilities travel can give you.

Thank you Emma & Melissa for the wonderful job you both do!

Pawl Pawl

Would not recommend this company ..
We used this agency for our daughters foreign exchange it was expensive with none of the money being passed to the awesome host family, their partner agency in Japan was terrible as well, both agencies had zero compassion for the exchange students, any issues were basically ignored or ridiculous advise was given. Student exchange Australia New Zealand cared about their money first and the children not at all, they continually harassed me to release my daughter from their legal responsibility while she was still under their care in Japan, and the same when she was in an Australian hospital having surgery, all they wanted was their job to be easier.
All the children wanted to leave Japan after a month because the support systems are terrible.
Find an agency with some genuine good reviews, save your self some stress and a lot of disappointment.

M J

My daughter chose to travel to Canada on exchange and I can't fault Student Exchange Australia. They were organised, responsive, empathetic and thorough in their organisation of her trip.

Everything including flights, accommodation, visas, school and home placement was organised by Emma Leach who did an amazing job. Nothing was too much including answering emails and phone calls outside of office hours.

Can't recommend the company enough.