Benefits and Challenges of interviewing an exchange student paper

                Learning about new countries and cultures can help to give you a prospective from around the world. But who is the right person to talk to to get a firsthand source? Exchange students. Growing up and living in a country helps to give a very good understanding of a country making exchange students an outstanding source of information. When interviewing an exchange student there are benefits and challenges involved that will be discussed in this paper.

                The amount of knowledge acquired through living for years in a country is staggering. Firsthand experience is the main reason to interview an exchange student. As the interview progresses, some things will be learned through answered questions and some things through the way they answer the questions. Learning and observations start before the talking does, you may notice the interviewee may show up a few minutes late without apology being natural to them. They might call an hour ahead to confirm or just show up. These things reflect the culture of the native region of the exchange student. If the interview was presented as formal and the interviewee shows up in a sweatshirt and jeans this shows how the culture may feel about same age activities and how they should be approached.

                If the reason for the interview is to learn, the interviewer may want to keep the mood of the interview formal. Talking to someone with a different native language may cause the conversation to be less understandable but not necessarily less informative. By talking to someone of a different country we can find it difficult to find small talk topics that can lead you away from desired information. Comedy also won’t easily transfer between cultures which can cause the speaking manner to be more formal and to the point. It is to be noted that even though a language barrier may keep the conversation more formal it can also cause communication to be difficult.

                A major problem with interviewing a foreign exchange student is that their native language will probably not be yours. These students probably have been studying English for a few years but this isn’t enough to make speaking an ease. In an interview it is desired to have the interviewee talking naturally and flowingly. This flow can be disrupted if the interviewer has to stop the interviewee to get them to clarify their thoughts. If this happens multiple times it can bring conversation to a halt. As a person of a different culture, the interviewee will also have difficulty understanding the interviewer in language and in connotations of words used. A question that may seem natural to you may come off as offensive to the interviewee. Before the interview even starts there may be problems caused prior.

                Before an interview can take place it has to be set up. This may seem like a straight forward task but cultural differences may stand in the way. Timing and schedule conflicts can prevent an interview from ever happening. Foreign exchange students carry different obligations then local students. Once the interview is set up the native culture of the student may not carry exact on time standards that are natural to a local student.

                Foreign exchange students are an excellent way to get firsthand experience and a look into a culture. There can be great benefits and challenges in interviewing a foreign exchange student. Don’t forget, after you’re done asking them your questions they might just have some for you too.