Contact Families #

Guidelines #

Contact families are local Swedish families who volunteer to be matched with one or two Swedish Program students. Students and families spend time together to learn about one another’s culture. Popular activities include family dinners, going for a hike, or meeting for coffee.

Your decision to have a contact family is a serious commitment. Our contact families are motivated by their desire for a rewarding intercultural experience, and we expect students will have the same motivation. We expect students to take the lead in making plans and to meet with their families 3 to 6 times over the semester.

Schedules vary, but as a guideline, please anticipate that meeting your contact family will take approximately 4–8 hours every other week. Most contact families live within 30–40 minutes of SSE by public transit, but commute times may be up to 70 minutes. It is typically easier to arrange activities together over the weekend than during the work/school week. In fairness to our contact families, if you plan on traveling 2 weekends or more per month, we advise against making this commitment.

Request a Contact Family #

Students who wish to request a contact family must indicate so on their registration form, submit the Contact Family Request Form, and participate in a brief video interview with staff in Stockholm. The form opens for submissions on March 1 (fall term) and September 15 (spring term).

The form is comprised of a questionnaire to assist in the matching process and a 200–300 word personal introduction letter for your future contact family. The video interview is typically 15-30 minutes and allows staff to answer any questions you have, get a better sense of your personality and interests, and ensure that your expectations align with ours.

Placements #

After your interview, staff will begin the matching process with our current pool of families in Stockholm. Please note that although we conduct an extensive search and make every effort to find contact families, we cannot guarantee a match to every student, as the number of available contact families varies each semester. Students who register early and indicate their desire to have a contact family will be given priority in the matching process. For academic year students, contact family placements are for the fall semester only.

Staff will confirm if you have been matched with a contact family approximately 1-2 weeks before departure.