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International Student Placement & Advisory

The Right U.S. School. The Right Fit. The Right Support.

We help international families, agents, and young professionals find personalized U.S. school placements, study abroad pathways, and intern or trainee programs — with partners in 60+ countries.

15+
Years in Student Exchange
2,000+
Students Placed
126
Partner Schools
60+
Countries Represented
SEVIS Compliant All placements follow federal requirements
Background-Checked Families Every host family vetted and visited
Year-Round Support We stay involved after enrollment

What Sets Us Apart

Plenty of agencies can find your child a school. Few will ensure it's the right fit — or stay involved long after enrollment day.

We Match on Fit, Not Availability

Learning style, goals, personality, and family priorities — not open seats or rankings — drive every recommendation.

We Stay Involved

Check-ins after enrollment, advocacy when needed, and a real person to call when something comes up.

15 Years in Student Exchange

Christina ran programs at leading exchange organizations before founding Global Link Advisors. This is what we've always done.

Program Pathways Built Around Outcomes

Choose a pathway by goal, profile, timeline, and destination — then move forward with clear next steps and expert support.

Destination Countries We Work In

Families, students, partner agencies, and young professionals access our network across six continents.

Explore What's Waiting

From world-class academics to immersive homestay experiences — here's what our destination network looks like on the ground.

Top Schools & Academies

Access to 126+ partner schools across the U.S. and abroad — from college-prep academies to arts-focused programs.

  • NYC Day Schools — Small-class academics in Manhattan and Brooklyn with robust ESL support
  • Long Island Prep — Suburban campuses with sports, AP courses, and close-knit communities
  • New England Boarding — Traditional boarding schools with college pipeline programs
  • European Academies — IB and bilingual programs in Switzerland, UK, and Spain

Homestay Families

Every host family is background-checked, home-visited, and matched on personality, lifestyle, and cultural values.

  • NYC Metro Families — Urban host families experienced with international students, diverse neighborhoods
  • Suburban Northeast — Spacious homes with dedicated student rooms, family-style dinners
  • Cultural Matching — Halal kitchens, prayer space, dietary accommodations, faith-friendly households
  • Activity-Rich Homes — Families who integrate students into sports, weekend trips, and local life

Study Abroad Experiences

Curated programs for American students heading overseas — language immersion, gap year, and cultural exchange.

  • Spain & Italy — Language immersion with host families in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and Florence
  • Japan & South Korea — Cultural exchange programs with top high schools in Tokyo and Seoul
  • UAE & Qatar — Innovation-focused academies with global student bodies
  • Kenya & South Africa — Conservation, community service, and leadership gap year programs

Schools & Programs in Our Network

From NYC day schools to New England boarding campuses to international academies — a snapshot of the kinds of schools we place students in.

Swipe to explore →

Need help narrowing your options?

Get a tailored shortlist by pathway type, program length, destination, and budget profile.

What Working With Us Looks Like

1

We Talk

You tell us about your student and what matters to your family. 20 minutes, free, no commitment. You leave with clarity on which pathway fits.

2

We Build a Shortlist

Specific schools and programs tailored to your student. Not a generic list — each one comes with a clear reason why it's a match.

3

We Place & Stay

Applications, visa paperwork, homestay coordination, school onboarding. After enrollment, we keep checking in. If anything comes up, you have someone to call.

Trusted Worldwide

What Families Say

JK
Junwoo, 15
"Christina didn't just find a school — she found the right school. Our son has ADHD and we were terrified about placing him abroad. She matched him with a program that actually understands how he learns. He's thriving."
MK
Min-Ji Kim
Seoul, South Korea · Son placed in Long Island day school
YW
Yilin, 16
"From day one, Global Link was different. Christina actually listened to what we wanted and stayed in touch the entire year. We always felt supported and connected."
LW
Li Wei
Shanghai, China · Daughter placed in NYC day school
CA
Camila, 14
"The homestay family was perfect. Our daughter felt safe and welcomed from day one. Christina's matching process is incredibly thorough — she asked questions no other agency even thought of."
RA
Renata Almeida
São Paulo, Brazil · Daughter placed in boarding school
NA
Noura, 16
"We needed a school that would respect our daughter's faith and daily routines. Christina didn't just accommodate that — she made it a priority. Noura prays at school, eats halal at home, and feels completely herself. We couldn't have imagined this."
FA
Fatima Al-Rashidi
Dubai, UAE · Daughter placed in NYC day school
LM
Liam, 14
"We looked at the UK and Canada first. Christina gave us a completely different perspective on the U.S. — the school options, the homestay culture, the extracurriculars. Liam has grown more in one year than we thought possible. Best decision we ever made."
SM
Seán Murphy
Dublin, Ireland · Son placed in Long Island day school
AO
Adaeze, 15
"Other agencies told us our daughter wasn't ready because her English was still developing. Christina said let's find the right school with the right ESL support. Six months later, Adaeze is on the honor roll and her English teacher calls her a star."
CO
Chioma Okafor
Lagos, Nigeria · Daughter placed in boarding school

Who We Are

A dedicated advisory team with deep roots in international education, school partnerships, and student advocacy.

CL

Christina Lanzillotto

Founder, Global Link Advisors

Global Partnerships, ICESUSA & SEEDS

  • 15+ years in international education
  • 2,000+ students placed
  • 60+ countries served

Strategic Leadership, Personal Touch

Our team brings 15+ years of experience building international education programs, school partnerships, and student placement systems that prioritize outcomes over volume.

Christina leads placement strategy directly with families, students, and agency partners — ensuring each recommendation is practical, personalized, and aligned to long-term goals.

We partner with ICESUSA — founded in 1989 with a mission rooted in cultural exchange — and SEEDS to deliver strong operational support while maintaining premium advisory standards across school matching, mobility planning, and student advocacy.

Our team's background in special education and IEP advocacy also helps families navigate complex learning profiles with confidence.

  • Personalized placement strategy for every family
  • Special education & IEP advocacy expertise
  • Trusted partnerships with ICESUSA & SEEDS
  • Former Director of Admissions, Whole Child Academy
Take the Pathway Quiz

Every Family Asks. Here's What We Actually Tell Them.

From Seoul to São Paulo, Dubai to Dublin — families across 60+ countries ask these before crossing an ocean for education. We skip the corporate answers.

Getting Started
OK but really — how much does this cost?
Straight talk: we use transparent tiers so families can plan. Most summer programs land around $4,000-$9,000, day school + homestay placements often run $18,000-$35,000 per academic year, and premium boarding options can range from $45,000-$75,000+. We also help families identify merit-based and need-based scholarships at partner schools, plus rolling tuition discounts when available. We walk through real numbers on your discovery call — no hidden fees, no "contact us to find out" games.
What actually happens on the discovery call? (Is it a sales pitch?)
Twenty minutes. You tell us about your student — who they are, how they learn, what matters to your family. We tell you honestly which pathway fits (or if we're not the right match). No pitch, no pressure, no cost. Think of it as a conversation, not a consultation.
Visas, paperwork, bureaucracy — do you handle all of that?
We handle the school-side paperwork and make sure everything is SEVIS-compliant — that's the federal system that tracks international students. For immigration law specifics, we connect you with attorneys who specialize in F-1 and J-1 student visas. You won't be Googling visa requirements at 2 a.m. alone.
What ages do you work with — is it too early? Too late?
Primarily ages 11 to 18 — middle school through high school. Summer and short-term programs sometimes welcome younger students, depending on the program. If your child is outside that range and you're curious, reach out anyway. We've made it work before.
Placement & Support
How do you vet homestay families? (My child is my whole world.)
Rigorously. Every host family goes through background checks, a home visit, and an in-depth interview. But we don't stop at safety — we match on personality, lifestyle, dietary needs, and cultural openness. After placement, we check in regularly with both the family and the student. Because a great homestay isn't just a bed — it's a second family.
What if it's not working? What if my child wants to come home?
This is exactly why we don't disappear after enrollment. If something's off — the school fit, the homestay, homesickness, culture shock — we step in immediately. We talk to everyone involved, problem-solve together, and if the placement needs to change, we make it happen. Your child is never stuck and you're never alone in this.
My child learns differently. Can you actually support that?
Absolutely — and it's one of our proudest specialties. Christina has a background in special education and IEP advocacy. We match students with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and anxiety to schools that genuinely understand how they learn — not schools that just say they do. We also coach parents on navigating the U.S. special education system, because it shouldn't take a PhD to get your child the right support.
Most agencies disappear after enrollment. Do you?
That's our whole thing. Most agencies hand you a placement and wave goodbye. We do regular check-ins, advocate when issues arise, coordinate with schools and host families, and remain your family's point of contact throughout the entire experience. We're in this for the long game — not just the enrollment.
For Global Families
We want a top-ranked school. Will you make that happen?
We get this a lot — especially from families in East Asia. Here's our honest take: the "best" school is the one where your child will actually thrive, not the one with the highest ranking on a list. A top-50 school means nothing if your student is miserable, unsupported, or invisible. We match on fit — learning style, goals, personality, community. The right school outperforms the "best" school every single time.
My child's English isn't fluent yet — is that a dealbreaker?
Not even a little bit. Many of our students arrive with developing English skills — and that's completely normal. We place students in schools with strong ESL support, and our homestay families are selected partly for their patience and willingness to help with language immersion. Your child will be surprised how fast they pick it up when they're living it every day.
Our culture, faith, and traditions are non-negotiable. Will that be respected?
Yes — and we take it seriously. Whether your family observes halal or kosher dietary laws, has specific prayer schedules, or simply wants a homestay that respects your traditions, we factor all of it into the match. We've placed students from 60+ countries. Cultural sensitivity isn't an afterthought for us — it's built into every placement.
U.S. vs. UK vs. Canada — convince us why America.
Fair question. The U.S. offers something unique: an incredibly diverse school ecosystem. From rigorous college-prep academies to project-based learning schools, from NYC energy to small-town community — there's a fit for nearly every type of student. Add in the homestay experience, extracurricular culture, and pathways to U.S. universities, and it's hard to beat. That said, we'll tell you honestly if another country might be better for your child. We'd rather lose a client than make the wrong call.
Will my child be the only international student — or feel like an outsider?
We think about this for every placement. Some students thrive with a cohort of international peers; others do better as the only exchange student in their school. We know which schools have strong international communities and which offer a full-immersion experience — and we'll recommend based on what your child actually needs, not what's easiest to fill. Nobody should feel like an outsider in their own school.
Can we see the school and meet the family before we commit?
We encourage it whenever possible. For families who can travel, we'll coordinate school visits and homestay introductions. For those who can't, we arrange video calls and provide detailed profiles so you feel confident before making a decision. We've also had families start with a summer program as a "test drive" — a low-risk way to experience U.S. education before committing to a full year.

Ready to Stop Overthinking This?

Share a few details and a real advisor will reach out within 24 hours with your personalized pathway and next steps.

Global Opportunities, Clear Next Steps

Whether you're exploring U.S. schools, study abroad, or intern and trainee routes, we map the right pathway with practical, personalized guidance.

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