What should an agency provide to encourage exchanges? What is the role of the host organisations and what should employees be expected to contribute? Here are some benchmarks that can be used.

Parks Victoria has developed some of the best practice in this area. They use the following as a guide on the roles and responsibilities of each party in an exchange:

The host agency provides:

• Accommodation which is then paid for by the individual with the expectation that costs will be minimised wherever possible
• A work vehicle for minimal private use to be provided (accepted commuting)
• International travel and work advice
• A senior Agency lead person to provide ‘in country’ support

The home agency provides:

• Access to ongoing support and advice through a project manager and support team
• Return airfares for the start and end of the designated period
• Return domestic essential, internal travel and accommodation costs  
• Salary, allowances and leave entitlements  
• Up to $5,000 for direct travel costs such as airfares
• A $1000 travel allowance for incidentals
• In another exchange an NZ agency provided the exchangee with a one-off NZ$5,000 development grant to assist with differences in the exchange rate between New Zealand and Australia.
  

Employee responsibilities are:

• International drivers licence
• Logistics at home base – accommodation, vehicle, pets 
• Health insurance
• Written report on learnings and experiences
•  Personal conduct while on exchange
• Timely and appropriate communication of any issues
• Any costs above the $1000 incidental allowance outside the agreed support from each Agency
• Any non-work related, private travel and accommodation costs incurred while on exchange
• Any costs or legal action associated with breaches of local customs, laws and regulations
• Any additional costs associated with early termination of the secondment