Most of the time, a homestay involves a student from another country who is in need of a stable and safe home to complete their studies while going to school somewhere in your city. Usually hosts of homestay students are a family with children, or another mature couple that has a spare room.
Depending on the age and what type of schooling or business the homestay student is taking, they may wish to stay for several months, or in some cases for several years.
As a potential homestay host, there are several things you should consider before committing to have a student living in your home. At times, the cost of hosting a student may be more than the host had considered, as there are unseen costs that can arise during the homestay.
Looking at Challenges that Could Arise
Be sure that you have a good line of communication. This will always be your number one challenge depending on your students grasp of the language they are coming to learn. Using basic language and smaller words will make communication easier, avoid slang and more complicated phrases. At times, the student may not be able to communicate verbally almost at all, and if this happens, putting your words in writing is a good option, as accents make it tougher to understand a beginner.
Hosts and students should have some protection from understood guidelines set out in this situation. When interviewing the homestay, either in person, or with their legal guardian or parent present, rules needs to be clearly communicated and agreed upon by both parties. If there is a language barrier then you need to have someone explain the rules to them for you both.
Rules that are not followed should have clear set consequences, these need to be addressed. If the student comes home high on drugs for instance, is there zero tolerance for this? If these are communicated to both the homestay and also their legal guardian and/or parent then, in the event they are broken, you are afforded more leverage to remove them from your residence.
Do you Value Privacy?
There is a trade-off when it comes to the amount of privacy you can have, and host a student. You will need to accommodate for this as students will often want to practice their English they have just learned in school. Some of the activities you may have to compromise on are TV programs, family parties, having friends and dates coming over to your place. When you include the homestay in some of these social situations, they often have less of a problem with it.
When you would like to leave town for a few days on a vacation, there are issues to consider. Students often pay for meals as well as board, so you may have committed to being there daily to prepare meals for them, and interact at the dinner table. Taking the homestay on your vacation could be an option, but there could be other solutions.
These are not the only concerns in this situation. Since you are investing a certain amount of time cooking, cleaning and conversing with the homestay, your time with your children may be reduced. This can be counteracted by including the student with the activities that you plan with your family.
Depending on the age and what type of schooling or business the homestay student is taking, they may wish to stay for several months, or in some cases for several years.
As a potential homestay host, there are several things you should consider before committing to have a student living in your home. At times, the cost of hosting a student may be more than the host had considered, as there are unseen costs that can arise during the homestay.
Looking at Challenges that Could Arise
Be sure that you have a good line of communication. This will always be your number one challenge depending on your students grasp of the language they are coming to learn. Using basic language and smaller words will make communication easier, avoid slang and more complicated phrases. At times, the student may not be able to communicate verbally almost at all, and if this happens, putting your words in writing is a good option, as accents make it tougher to understand a beginner.
Hosts and students should have some protection from understood guidelines set out in this situation. When interviewing the homestay, either in person, or with their legal guardian or parent present, rules needs to be clearly communicated and agreed upon by both parties. If there is a language barrier then you need to have someone explain the rules to them for you both.
Rules that are not followed should have clear set consequences, these need to be addressed. If the student comes home high on drugs for instance, is there zero tolerance for this? If these are communicated to both the homestay and also their legal guardian and/or parent then, in the event they are broken, you are afforded more leverage to remove them from your residence.
Do you Value Privacy?
There is a trade-off when it comes to the amount of privacy you can have, and host a student. You will need to accommodate for this as students will often want to practice their English they have just learned in school. Some of the activities you may have to compromise on are TV programs, family parties, having friends and dates coming over to your place. When you include the homestay in some of these social situations, they often have less of a problem with it.
When you would like to leave town for a few days on a vacation, there are issues to consider. Students often pay for meals as well as board, so you may have committed to being there daily to prepare meals for them, and interact at the dinner table. Taking the homestay on your vacation could be an option, but there could be other solutions.
These are not the only concerns in this situation. Since you are investing a certain amount of time cooking, cleaning and conversing with the homestay, your time with your children may be reduced. This can be counteracted by including the student with the activities that you plan with your family.
About the Author:
Visit New Westminster homes for sale to learn more about making a good home purchase. If you wish to get more information, you can check the real estate specialist at www.toddconner.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment