After a three-year pause, the long-awaited ISP Buddy Exchange Programme is back!

Living in another country is known to be the best way to be culturally immersed and embark on a journey of remarkable personal growth; ISP advocates these important life skills with the Buddy Exchange Programme!

The BEP enables reciprocal learning exchanges between ISP students for a period of one month. Buddies have the unique opportunity to live in the daily life of a fellow ISP student connecting with their people, their culture, and their world.

The real-world learning skills and greater independence that BEP students gain is phenomenal as they plan and prepare for a trip across the world, live in a new home with a new ISP family and have the chance to thrive in a new learning environment in another ISP school.

Students are meticulously paired according to their age, gender, interests, and hobbies to ensure they build their friendship even before they travel, become close friends during the exchanges, and go on to nurture their relationship beyond their time together.

We hope you’re as excited as us about the return of the BEP this year! It’s time to fly!

Learning objectives

• Experience lessons in another ISP school and experience a different educational system.
• Gain first-hand experience and knowledge of new cultures, traditions, food, and history.
• Develop a wide range of their personal skill sets including: language, communication, independence, organisation and self-confidence.
• Learn to be a more responsible global citizen by gaining more cultural empathy and understanding.

The 2019 Programme

50 students from 20 ISP Schools had the eye-opening opportunity of taking part in the BEP in 2019. This unique programme has enabled some students to go on to consider themselves to have another family abroad. Let’s hope that travel restrictions are eased, and more families can be formed from September 2022 onwards.