Successful Host families
Successful Host families are people who demonstrate a healthy “duty of care”.
Host Families must:
- Have a friendly personality and be flexible
- Have acceptable moral and social values
- Have had some experience with people from different cultures
- Be located near public transport
- Have a balance in their judgement between the need for an income and the welfare of a student
- Provide clean and tidy accommodation
- Ensure that in the event of illness the student receives medical attention
- Ensure that the student is home at agreed times and their whereabouts known at all times.
This may not be easy at first; it takes time and patience on the part of both the host and the student.
Good communication is essential which the host family should encourage from the onset.
Home Rules
Laundry
Washing facilities must be available for all students that stay with you. If you do not have a washing machine and it is external, you must pay for the students washing.
Please provide clear instructions/explanation to your student as to how he/she can use the facility on an as-needs basis. This will also avoid uneconomical use of your appliances.
All students are expected to iron their own clothes. Under-aged students will need their school uniform ironed for them. If you believe that your student (who is over the age of 18 years) is having difficulty, teach them how to do it. This is a life skill needed by all students.
This will also teach them to be responsible. If they have specific clothing requirements, i.e. school uniforms etc, then they should be encouraged to keep their uniform in a clean and tidy condition.
Toiletries
Items such as toilet paper and soap are to be supplied by the Host Family as well as towels and linen. Students are expected to supply their own toothpaste and shampoo.
Cleaning
Students are expected to keep their own room in a tidy condition, even though it is not the students’ responsibility to vacuum their room. They are also required to clean up the bathroom and kitchen after they have utilised these areas. If a student offers to assist in the cleaning of your home, happily accept their assistance – it makes them feel part of your home.
Rooms for students do not need to be lockable. Living in a Homestay is a matter of trust.
Holiday Payments
If your student intends to go home for school holidays or festive breaks (i.e. Christmas) they are required to pay approximately $80 for each week that they are away, if they wish to retain their room. If they are away for less than a week then host charges are at pro rata rate.
Study Tour Groups
Study Tour Groups are seasonal and are usually around the times of January and February and then again in June, July and August.
Study tour groups are short stays and are usually twin share accommodation.
We pre-book student tour groups one month in advance and will send you letter of confirmation with arrival and pick up times etc. Hosts providing accommodation to study tour groups are asked to pick up student/s from a particular area that is convenient to everyone.
If, for any reason, the student is not happy with his/her placement and the matter cannot be resolved, we will place the student into another homestay immediately. We wish to make their limited time in Australia a positive and memorable experience.
Student Arrivals
A member of the host family must be home on the day of a student’s arrival. Students are delivered to your home via bus or private drivers (excluding host pick-ups for Study Tour Groups).Airline and transport companies have little control over the exact arrival time of your student.
We attempt to give you an approximate time (we are usually correct with the day the student arrives) however sometimes there are major problems with flight delays or cancellations which are out of our control.
We need you to consider the complexities of the organisation and facilitation of Homestays.
Once your student has arrived, please call our office on 03 9670 3133 or contact your
To Read our Full List of Terms & Conditions please download our pdf Host Guidelines Booklet or contact our office to request one to be sent out to you.