Hosting foreign students | Moneymagpie - Free tips on Debt, Shopping, Credit Cards and more!

Hosting foreign students is a great way to make money from your house. If you’re not sure about having someone permanently renting a room in your home, letting it to foreign students or lecturers visiting a local university or college can provide a gentle introduction.

You can choose between hosting students learning English as a foreign language who are usually only here for about six weeks, or university students and lecturers who can be in the country for up to six months at a time. It’s a great way to meet new people and experience different cultures.

How do I get involved?
How do I get started?
How much will I make?
Are there any hidden costs?
Is it worth it?

How do I get involved?

There are thousands of English language schools, social clubs, colleges and universities around the country with foreign students looking for places to stay while they learn. Types of students range from institution to institution. Lots of language schools run summer programmes for teenage foreign students, although during term time they have students of all ages for varying periods of time. Universities often run exchange programmes and will need accommodation for students for a term or a semester.

There are two types of hosting. The first is the easiest – you’re expected to provide house and board for a student who’ll then go to a language school or organised activities during the day. In the evenings and their free time they can come and go as they please. This is very flexible. Different schools will expect different types of board, from just bed and continental breakfast to full board. You can choose whether to let the students cook or use your laundry facilities, phone and internet.

The second option is providing accommodation, food and tuition for a certain proportion of the day. To do this you’ll be expected to have some sort of qualification in teaching English as a foreign language, preferably a TEFL.

How do I get started?

If you want to start hosting students then your first port of call is a local language school. They’ll have an accommodation officer who’ll be in charge of a database of host families. To get on the database you’ll probably have to undergo a home inspection and be within a reasonable distance of the school.

The International Association of Language Centres and English UK both have a list of English Language schools in the UK. Find your nearest schools and give them a call.

If you’re close to a university, visit their website and try and find the accommodation office. If they don’t have a section about hosting foreign students then give them a call, see if they do it and if so how you can get involved. Find universities close to you on the UCAS website.

You can also look for adverts in your local paper and ask around. Even local football clubs do exchanges and need accommodation for foreign players. Put an ad up for free on Gumtree too so that anyone in your area can get in touch.

Another great site to check out is KaplanInternational.com. Kaplan International Colleges is a large international education group with over 40 English language schools worldwide including 11 in the UK and Ireland. They look for friendly hosts who are interested in learning about other cultures and who can provide a warm welcome and comfortable accommodation to international students. To find out more go to KaplanInternational.com.

How much will I make?

What you can charge depends on where you live, what your home’s like and what facilities you include as part of the rent. In London for bed and breakfast you can make around £100 a week, or about £150 with dinner. You can charge extra for use of the internet or to do laundry, if you’re willing to. Alternatively, including this in the price is a goodwill gesture and will give you more favourable feedback, encouraging the organisation to use you again.

If you offer a posh house with a bathroom en suite you can charge more – around £200 a week. Often mature students will prefer a double bed and en suite, so if you can offer this, then you’ll be better off.

Outside London, the going rate can vary from about £35 to £80 per week with central locations in bigger cities getting the top prices. The organisation you host for will probably give you an idea of acceptable prices. Charging too much will dissuade them from placing students with you, so be reasonable.

Because you have a tax-free allowance on revenue made from your home, your income from renting a room is likely to be completely tax free. You can make up to £4,250 a year before you start paying tax.

Are there any hidden costs?

The only expenses you’ll incur are the extra costs of food. A good way to approach breakfast is to have a decent selection of bread, cereals and juice for students to choose from in the morning. This way they can grab whatever they want and go. If you’re providing dinner you can minimise your costs by including the student in your family evening meal. Cooking a separate meal for them isn’t cost or time effective. Be flexible – younger children may not want to eat certain things so it’s always good to cook popular dishes that you know they’ll like.

Although having another person in the house may increase energy costs, if you already have a family it shouldn’t be much more. Ones to watch are phone bills – the best way is to make sure students always use a phonecard with a freephone access number so you don’t incur any costs.

You also need to make sure that your home contents insurance is up to date and notify your insurance company that you have paying guests.

Is it worth it?

We think that hosting a foreign student is a brilliant way to make money and meet new people. You get to learn about foreign cultures, forge new relationships and even visit students in their home countries in the future. And if you don’t get on with one student you’re safe in the knowledge that they’re only there for a limited period of time so you don’t have to put up with them forever.

You might experience a culture clash now and again, but if you don’t mind coming home to unusual cooking smells in your kitchen, and you’re clear about the rules of your house, it should be fine.

Jasmine says...

Although hosting foreign students is great for extra cash, it’s not necessarily a steady income. If you’re looking to do it as your main income it might not be the right way to go but our article on how to run a B&B will certainly interest you.

Useful links

If you’d like to host foreign students then have a look for your local language school using these sites:

Here are some more great Moneymagpie articles we think you’ll like:

If you have experience hosting foreign students or would like to make money this way then leave a comment below.

debbieuk@btconnect.com

Host Families in Crawley, West Sussex wanted for French Students. Call/email for info pack M.07719 268945 or debbieuk@btconnect.com
Adansmith

Students are taking more interest in study abroad these days and it seems very tough to stay there if you are not aware with their culture and language. English becomes more popular language because this speaking in mostly countries and easy to learn too.
Jon Jones

Students are notoriously tricky tenants. You can be sure that students from abroad normally have the funds to pay their rent. You might need a new link of paint after.
olly

hi I live in spain( near Malaga) and have a large villa that could accommodate 13 students, olivasvilla.com if you are interested please mail me olivasvilla@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/tiago.mateus Tiago Mateus

To make money by selling any skills or assets, please go to Sooqini.com
Moneymagpie

Thanks for a great comment Sue. You’re right – hosting certainly isn’t for everyone and you should be sure before you enter into it. If you’re not particularly sociable and like your own space then hosting won’t be for you. However, if you like having a busy home, meeting new people and learning about different cultures we say “go for it!”
Sue

I must say that this is an interesting thread. I have been hosting students in London for over 14 years. I live in north London and I have worked with schools, agents and more recently I have worked for a school that brings over students from abroad (summer camps for younger students mainly) so I guess I have seen this sector from all sides.

I suppose my first comment would be that this site is specifically about ways to help supplement income. If your priority is to maximise the rental income of a spare room then hosting is most likely NOT for you.

Of course when I started hosting I wanted to earn a second income. When I host now, I still want to earn a second income. That said, if I wanted to really maximise the income from my spare room I would not host at all. i could earn more money more regularly from just getting in a longer term tenant/lodger. There are numerous websites out there to do this. I would not need to cook for the students, I would not have to worry about integrating them into my home and I would just collect my rent at the end of the month without any worries.

In fact I enjoy all of the above – my children have left home so the extra company is lovely. I miss cooking for someone so the students I suppose fill this gap for me. I love meeting people from Spain, Germany, Japan, Russia etc as when else is my every day life I am going to meet people from just a diverse background? I can honestly say that I have met some of the loveliest people as a host and I would not change this.

Many of my students’ friends have complained to me in the past that they are not happy with their host family. I have been asked to take in such students by the agent or school many times. The underlying reason that these students are not happy with their host families is because such host families are not genuinely motivated to offer a temporary home to students but are primarily motivated by money. I repeat my point above therefore that if you want to maximise the income from your spare room, why not just get a lodger? You do not need an agent, you can set your own rates and you can get someone in for longer periods. Too many people opt to host when really what they need is a lodger and this is simply not fair on the students who get caught in the middle.

I think the real issue is a misunderstanding of what it is to host students and people’s motivations for getting into it in the first place.

In my experience international students choose to live with a host because they want a point of support for their short stay in the UK. They want someone to help them when things get a little tricky and often they just want someone to speak to when they get home to practise their English. If you are thinking about hosting and your main concern is money, then please think again. Too many international students in London end up in host families that only worry about how much they are going to be paid at the end of the month.

On the point of agents, I work with two in particular that are excellent and I have worked with others that are less good. That said I have also worked with some schools that were better than others. I do get paid more by the school I work with but they tend only to be busy in the summer months. Outside of this it can be a bit ad hoc. Overall I am kept busier by the agencies and I choose to earn a bit less but have more students more regularly. The reason that schools use agents is because their business is education and not accommodation. Schools generally do not make money from accommodation. The language school sector in the UK is primarily privately run and of course therefore their aim is to make profit. The school I work for at the moment is excellent and really offers great courses (I will not mention the name as the point of my commenting is not to plug a particular organisation) so the fact that they are profit making is not in my opinion a bad thing.

The school I work for does have host families registered and the students are charged more than what is paid to the hosts. The simple reason for that it that the school has to account for the cost of providing their accommodation service. There are a lot of requirements laid out by the bodies that accredit the school that mean that the school incurs costs in having their own homestay service (staff to match/place students properly with hosts, staff to organise paperwork such as gas safety certificates and contracts, inspection and re-inspection visits, staff to handle payments to hosts…the list is much longer but I mention only a few points). For a school with a significant number of hosts, these costs of the accommodation service can be 6 figures annually. For this reason many schools outsource to agents. the school I work for does so in summer especially and the agents provide a crucial service.

I end by emphasizing again that hosting is not for everyone. Previous negative comments on this thread sound to me to be from people who should not really have got into this in the first place. You will not earn as much money from hosting as other options from your spare room but you will meet some lovely people. You will have more flexibility than if you took in a lodger and you will have the support of a school or agent when things don’t go as planned. If you choose to work with an agent then pick carefully. Look closely at their website and see how comprehensive the info is on the site. Look for an agent that is professional and leave them if you find that they are not. More important than this is make sure you understand what it is that you are entering into when you host students and consider seriously whether it really is the best option for your spare room. There is absolutely no point in blaming the industry (schools, agents, students)- remember that the students are just young people for whom coming to study in London is often a big thing and an exciting time in their lives, so to be fair to them when you decide to host make sure you are going into it with your eyes open and for the right reasons.
cati

I am an English and Spanish teacherwho lives in Spain -I am English) and I have hosted children and adults for the last 20 years.
If you want to learn Spanish or English in sunny Campdevanol -8o km from Barcelona contact with me

FULLBOARDONLY 175 EUROS THE WEEK
The British International School

Dear Sir/Madam,

British International School, a School of English accredited by British Council is looking for host families who are willing to offer home stays for our students during their stay in London (minimum 1 week). The location of our home stay accommodation must include zones 2 and 3 around west London, pref. Ealing Broadway, Chiswick, Hammersmith…
For more information about our school, please visit our web page http://www.thebis.com/.
Preferences:
• Private home stay accommodation that can vary between individuals, couples with or without children
• Host families using English language only
• Supporting and encouraging environment for our students
We are interested about your offer and the prices, and we would like to arrange the viewing of the properties and meeting the host families.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
With Best Regards,

The British International School
http://wrought-iron-fence.net/ Erik Blumenthal

Great article. But I want everyone who’s seeing this article and thinking of starting a foreign student accommodation business this: Should you really open up the space solely for you family – the most sacred place place for your family that is – to foreign strangers? There is a lot of risks to this business. Yes, think twice.
Miranda

My Story:
I use to be a host for international language students for the last seven years. Most language colleges here in London pass the homestay/accommodation business on to agents. 99% of those agents are a complete rip-off. I have dealt with Host International in 2005 for about 3 months until I realised how much they “rake in” and pay peanuts to the hosts. However, in 2005 I hosted a nice female student from Japan. When her agency contract ended after 3 months I offered her to do a private deal – she was happy and so was I. She stayed with us for 2 1/2 years. At that time my children were still at school age and I had to cook a meal every evening anyway – so having another person on the table was no big deal. When she left I approached other language colleges who deal with their own student accommodation e.g. no agent – no middleman!

I found a college, which was well established here in London and I dealt with them for the last three years until now – October 2011. Before they take you on you must “pass” the test as a potential host, which means they come and inspect your home and the student room. You are also requested to provide references and if you intend to host students under 18 you, your family + any other person living in your home is required to provide CRB checks. Other requirements are: Annual Corgi Certificate and Fire assessments. Also you have to inform your Home Insurance Company that you are hosting students.

Most students prefer HB and the host is paid approx. £140/week in high season / £135/week in low season (fee structure 2011) the college however charges the students £20/week on top of that, don’t know why? This college also offers residence hall in their own buildings for their students. Charges are for example: BB single/standard /low season = £269/week – HB single/standard/high season = £284. I was astounded to see how these fees compared to those paid to host families.

As a host family you are requested to treat the student like a family member and help them in every aspect of their daily student life. You are expected to be a English teacher, companion, welfare officer, cook, cleaner, mother …… I found that I’ve put a lot of effort into my hosting which was appreciated by most of our students. The colleges expect the hosts to be there whilst the student stays with them – that includes weekends as well. Although I went through the “house rules” with the students to avoid misunderstandings – they tend to forget these and needed to be reminded. Some students are fussy eaters and not used to European food, some want to invite friends/family to stay overnight for free. Some sit in your lounge and watch TV for hours on end or have showers for more than 30 min each time or leave all their electrical equipment on for 24/7. Some leave their rooms a tip, which makes impossible to clean.

I have also learnt that some foreign students come here for one and only one purpose: They use their student visa to get a foothold in the UK and to look for work here . We all know now about those bogus language colleges and the bogus students. I had some in my house not interested at all to converse let alone in English. As soon they arrived they got in touch with their fellow countrymen/women to help them with the formalities of finding a job/accommodation etc. My friend who is living in a very large and beautiful house in our leafy London suburb just around the corner has been hosting foreign student for many years and we did exchange our experience ever so often. Unlike me, she depends on the extra cash but says, she would give it up tomorrow as she is fed up with having strangers in the house and what comes with it.

Still, I have put up with this for a number of years now – and decided I had enough and don’t want to do it anymore – since my efforts are not rewarded enough financially. Conclusion: There must be a better way of earning a bit of extra money to supplement the family income !

Conclusion: To all those who think hosting a foreign stranger – pardon student – in your home is easy earned money – think twice !
- noof
  
  hi
  im arabic women i will come to london in the end of april or may so im looking for homestay and endlish teacher in the same time ?
  so can u help me in that if u accepet me or u can find to my nice homestay ?
  its new experince for me ?
Lelia Astwood

I found some wonderful info in your site and bookmarked to visit again . Thanks.
ฺำืBen

Hello everyone , my name’s Ben , 22 years old . I study in University .I’m really interested in hosting for exchange student or anyone who want . I live in Thailand , Chiangmai Province . for the cost talking with me by mail . In fact i don’t want money because I just want to exchange language and want someone who help me teach students in evening . so if anybody interesting please contact me Tel 66 80126 0855 or my email : s.phannop@hotmail.com
Loida

I have a room for rent for Asian students. I live in Chula Vista, California. Please email if you are interested. x3re@yahoo.com
http://jas-88@hotmail.co.uk Jasmin Scantlebury

2x Bedroom to let in Stretford, Manchester (Double & Single Rooms), mature student,shared facilities/garden £130.00DBL/ Single £100 per week inclusive of gas electricity and rates

Contact me on jas-88@hotmail.co.uk
kathy Goldsmith

To contact Kathy Goldsmith on the above advert for hosting international students, telephone mobile number:07980851423 or email address is kathybrainey@aol.com.
- http://Moneymagpie Hugh Woodward
  
  Hi Kathy,
  
  A really good website to advertise your room on is Kaplan International – they are a language school and will have loads of international students looking for a room. http://www.kaplaninternational.com/about/host-family.aspx
  
  Hugh
kathy Goldsmith

I am interested in hosting international students, I am in the South East of London, with a 5 minute walk to the train station, to London Bridge, which would give easy access to most of the main stations in London. I have more that one double room to rent, one with an en-suite. I am an experienced host family and have an up-to-date NVQ certificate in childcare, CRB check and First Aid certificate.

The rooms would also be suitable for renting nearer the time of the Olympic Games.
- noof
  
  hi
  im arabic women i will continue my study in middlie six are u near that area
  - http://www.facebook.com/candy.white.773 Candy White
    
    Salam Noof, have you had any luck with your English?
laribi

bonjour;

je m’appelle laribi.douniazed je suis Algérienne, j’ai 24 ans je suis entrain de faire des démarches pour finir mes études a Londres et je suis a la recherche d’une famille d’accueil pour novembre2011.

merci de me répondre par mail: “laribi.dounia@gmail.com”.

merci d’avance.
susan

Hello,

I have a room for rent for Asian students. I live in a nice neighborhood at Long Beach Ca. Please send me an email if you are interested…. susanlimcaco@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Susan
suzANNE

Hi

I have a lovely 3 bedroomed home in the Gawick/ Reigate area. I am interested in hosting students particulary from france or spain as I have some understanding of both languages. I have a daughter of 10 and one of 19.

contact me on suzee2008@hotmail.co.uk
Sylvia Glade

Hi
1 BED FLAT TO RENT OUT FOR A FOREING STUNDENT SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG
Ruth Elliff

I would like to host a International student. I live in Lakewood, Ca near LBCC & Cal State, & Biola. Near a shopping center, & Towne Center. Laundry & Kitchen priv. Pool! Please call Ruth 562 4201578
Franzi

Hello we’re from Heidelberg in Germany, and we are interested in leasing a room to an exchange university student, no matter what country.
When you’re interested please contact me: franzi.k95@gmail.com
Yolanda

Vivo en España, Madrid (coslada) y estoy interesada en recibir en casa algun estudiante extrajero, preferible chica somos una familia con dos hijas de 13 y 15 años. Tenemos disponible una habitacion de tamaño mediano en un piso con internet aire acondicionado y calefaccion.
Mel

I am interested in hosting a female Asian student, high school or University in the Kelowna, BC Canada area. Email sendaletterto@shaw.ca
keegan

Hello everyone,

I am a scout for 9flats.com and they are looking to expand their network here in Glasgow, Scotland. If there are any home owners out there willing to rent out their accommodation to travellers/vacationers, please do get in touch with me on scout.keegan.moras@9flats.com.

The individuals you will be letting out to are all trusted members of our 9flat community, whom you will get a chance to see and interact with online, before agreeing to anything.

Do send in your mails only if you are in the Glasgow area so we can take this further … Thanks
Ta ta
silvana

Hello i have a 3 bed house in crawley and am looking to host foreign students in my home for short stay periods.if you are interested then please contact me on 07403448892
katy

Hi, we are a family of two and a 3 year`s old and live in Sardinia (italy) we own a big house with a spare large single room, we would like to host a student. If anyone is interested please ask.
Katy
Lendera

Hi I would be interested in hosting a exchange student in my home. I live in Glenwood Illinois. Call if you are interested 312-927-9158
Lynn Downes

I live in Spain and would like to become a host and offer accommodation. Do you have any web sites in mind?
- Camille
  
  Hi!!
  
  I am Ma. Carmeluz Dela Cruz from the Philippines. Traveling is my passion and studying is my priority. I would like to study abroad.
  
  I saw your ad and got overwhelmed and interested. Kindly email me so we could talk it over.
  
  I’m looking forward soon.
  
  Thank you so much,
  Carme
cheryl

Good day
I live in Canada and would like to host a teenager in my home.
I am also a high school teacher and would like to share our home and the Canadian experience with a foreign student.
Please contact me if you would like more information.

Best regards
Cheryl
- christine
  
  Helo, have am justing hosting students at the moment. I have been doing it for a year can you please get in touch as they are soon going and wolud love to host more.
  
  Thanks Christine.
  NB I am in SOUTH EAST LONDON.
  - Sarah
    
    Hello, we are currently looking for host families in the London area.
    
    If you’re still interested in hosting please give me a call or email me.
    
    Many thanks.
    
    Sarah
    
    07970343989
Shelly

Lots of info here for anyone thinking about becoming a London host family. HFS London are recruiting for new host families across London – have a look at the promo film on their site:

hfslondon.com/Homestay-London-become_Host_Family.aspx

Shelly
- Josy Clark
  
  I am interested in hosting international students;
  I am in Chalfont St.Peter, within a 10 minute walk to Gerrards Cross train station, which would give easy access to most stations in London.
  I have a two single beds in a room to rent, with facilities to use around the house.
  I would love to become a host family. I work in a school, I’m CRB check and First Aid certificate.
  
  I can always rent the room nearer the time of the Olympic Games as well.
Alex

Hello, I am renting a medium sized double bed room to a foreign student within the Kingston upon Thames area, the house is a semi detached 3 bedroom house.
food and internet provided, good transport links and good riverside scenery
Let me know if you are interested, jjvickers@rocketmail.com
deejohn

hi there we are looking to host a student we live in tooting sw london right on northern line into london would there be any interest for students to live in this area we have 3 bedroom house only letting out one room any takers
Fran

Looking for a student to rent my spare room in a very nice house in southeast london . Brockley se23 . I have had students in the past so i have exp. Shared facililtys . And food would be provided please contact me for more information thanx 07747387221
Sharon

I have a room to rent in a house in Slade Green, 20 mins on train to London, walking distance to buses and trains, use of all facilities female student preferred call Sharon on 0771 6003510
Andrea Luca

I was looking finding a host family in central or north London. Shelly you might have been a good family for me! I arranged a host through the company you suggest hfs london – very good, thank you Shelly.

Andrea, a very happy student
Shelly Lewis

Hiya everyone,

If you are considering becoming a Host Family to international students in London, I would recommend a really good company called ‘HFS London’. They work with language schools across London – I live in north London and have been with them for over 3 years. The students I have had have been absolutely lovely…..could not recommend this organisation highly enough! hfslondon.com

Shelly
Muswell Hill Host Family
- Lynda Nardin
  
  I don’t see a phone number do you have one?
- http://Magpie M O’Connor
  
  You are joking arent you, they are the worst payers and are not loyal to their host families at all. Being a host family is all about partnership with a college, there is no partnership with these people at all, they are just out for their cut of the money.
gail quailey

i have been taking in students for a long time and would like to do this as a career now maybe teach from home but have no idea where to start.also is there a online register that you can go on that foreign students can look at. thanks
- julie
  
  I just read the your comments on the website, I wanted to how does one go about signing up with languages schools outside the UK. await your response
  - http://www.jasminebirtles.com Jasmine Birtles
    
    do you really mean ‘outside’ the UK? That’s not really what we cover – this article is about getting foreign students from language schools ‘inside’ the UK to host them.
G. Franks

I’m an English teacher who runs a small language school in Spain and I’m looking for families in the UK or English speaking countries worldwide.

The idea is to find not just accommodation but people who are willing to take these children as their own during their stay, that means spending time with the kids, going to the local museum, or taking them on a picnic, visiting a zoo or any other family activity of the sort you would be expected to do with your own children.

I’ve read one of the comments about a lady from Devon who is quite right when she mentions the disproportion paid for tutoring in schools and the allowance the families receive. Our idea is to avoid the schools where possible and find families who have children of similar ages to those of our students and have our students mix with them, encouraging learning not from a book but through contact with natives. Our students already have sufficient contact with grammar books back at school where they come from but lack real contact with the language and thus need this type of experience if they wish to come to grips with English.

As I’ve mentioned, I run a small language school but I find the prices these students pay to go abroad simply abusive and having read not only the comments here but also else where, I think it’s time someone tried to find a balance between what is demanded and what is offered (with all my due respects to all)

In my case, I’m British but my mum is Spanish and I was brought up not only speaking both languages but knowing both cultures in depth. I understand quite well the problems most foster families may come up against when having a foreign student staying with them, but it’s also true there nowadays too many families fostering children and not caring for them at all except for the pay check. We want to avoid these type of families but at the same time we want to compensate economically those who do fit into the frame we are after, and allow them to make a little money as well as enjoying having a new family member for the duration of the stay.

I do not wish to make this too long for the reader but I do feel that those who wish or decide to take one of these children into their home must be a little more appreciative of what it is they are letting themselves into, and in that sense I must mention at least one point. Food is always an issue when it comes to travelling abroad, so much is this the case that if you were to visit the Brits favourite tourist destinations in Spain you’ll soon realise that the food served in most hotels and restaurants tends to make them feel at home. Why? Quite simply because there are certain habits which take time for people to adapt to, and although I personally find Spanish food delicious, many fellowmen would find it difficult to swallow an octopus’ leg, or eat snails, or squid cooked in it’s own ink. Some of these might be quite common in a Spanish meal, but would seem grotesque if served at a British home. The same thing happens when we have a guest staying at our home, and some basic guidelines would help both the guest and the host get on a lot better in these situations. We would not have to read that people are throwing food away or as in my case when the students return have to hear that English food is the worst in the world which is heard from 9/10 students.
We should all have a little empathy and consider not just what is best for us but what is best for all and try to find a gap in which the cutural differences are least appreciable. This requires tolerance and thought as well as lots of communication between both parties and some people still expect strangers to act as a “normal” person in a “strage land” the minute they land their foot there. And although I do think that when in Rome you should do as the Romans… we are talking about children who are leaving their familes behind, children who are many a times frightened by the whole experience in which their parents have sent them. Then there is the fact that these families pay a very large amount of money to send their children abroad, at least 4 times the minimum wage salary in Spain. This means the kids expect more than what they normally receive from the families they are being fostered by. With this budget the whole family could travel together for at least two weeks… and it’s understandable from this point of view. I have heard cases of all sorts when children return from these trips, but most complain that the servings are poor, the food is ‘different’ to put it in the slightest way—

I truly believe that those organising these trips are to blame for all these problems and those mentioned by the lady from Devon, and that with some help and communication the whole experience would be a lot more satisfactory…
If there are any of you interested in getting in contact in relation to fostering a student my e-mail address is andunzue@gmail.com
- mr & mrs g phelps
  
  Hi
  We are a married couple of 30yrs living in Gloucester, England. We have hosted foriegn students for twelve years, and have organised host familys for fours years we have sixty plus families on our data base, and work for two French companies.
  - laribi
    
    bonjour;
    
    je m’appelle laribi douniazed j’ai 24ans je suis entrain de faire des démarches pour étudier en Angleterre et il me faut une famille d’accueil à Londres donc voila j’aimerai bien savoir est-ce que vous hébergez toujours ? si c’est le cas contactez moi par mail au larbi.dounia@gmail.com.
    
    merci d’avance.
- nnnn
  
  kindly emaile me so we could talk about that thing
  waiting ur reply
John Gibson

Hi,

We are a landlord in the City Centre.

We have a halls of residence located in the city centre that may be of interest.

Moss Court consists of single study bedrooms available in a 3 or 4 bedroom shared apartments.

Room sizes vary and rents are from £75 per week.

Short term lets are available.

There is on site parking, bike storage, internet and security. Some apartments have balconies and there are landcaped communal gardens.

For more information on the property and pictures please visited cheshirehomesgroup.com view residential and then lettings. The halls are called Moss Court.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

John Gibson
Cheshire Homes Group
Tel: 0161 256 4466
Jill

Room to share in Sheffield, just near Abbeydale Road, close to public transport routes. Shared with myself, shared ameneties, central heating, shower, kitchen and living space. £100 per week inclusive of rates, water, gas and electricity. To rent from November.
Sandra Hamil

Bedroom to let in Dagenham, mature student,shared facilities/garden £130.00 per week inclusive of gas electricity and rates.
Dawn Gilkes

IM intrested in hosting for foreign students i work for Buba as carer . I have a dog called hope and a 16year daughter that lives with me and im able to let out one room and one double room my house is alocated in Maidenhead Berkshire.

if intrested please call 01628 298596
Kim

I am a qualified literacy teacher and have taught many ESOL Family Learning workshops.I would also be interested in hosting students :particularly more mature learners.
Miranda

Well I personally would not recommend hosting foreign language students having had a bad experience in the Devon area. The pay rate is dreadful, and half your really decent food goes down the toilet. You actually earn more here from it if you pack the children in like sardines into bedrooms rather than if you give them decent sized rooms because you only get £1 extra per night for giving 2 people separate rooms than if they share one. In fact at present I am still waiting for the college to settle the supplement money. I estimate that having only received £14 a night for each of my newly furnished and decorated double bedrooms in my 4-bed detached house I was well and truly ‘done’ as I had to include all the food costs in this price and the foreigners were really fussy eaters – one wanted fried steak! I also had to include in the price doing all the students washing in my machine, personally washing and ironing their sheets and making up their beds and doing all the washing up and drying dishes each meal. I had to provide breaksfast, a substantial packed lunch and an evening meal on this budget. Don’t forget your extra water costs that you will incurr further down the line – where I am we are on water meters so water is expensive here. One day I was asked at one hour’s notice to take and then pick up the students from an evening disco by car and you need to be able to be in every night as the children have to stay in to do homework. When they arrive you have to spend time walking them to where their daily bus collection point will be then you have to meet them for the first couple of days until they are used to it. I was in the supermarket virtually every day catering for their tastes and ended up eating like them all week! If you tried to give them the normal variety of English food they just didn’t eat. Eg If you gave them apple pie and custard they left it, but they would eat cream cakes which is due to the more European tastes but costs you an arm and a leg. Everyone I have spoken to who has ever done it in my area says they did not do it for long because it was a rip off. Remember also of course what a hugh responsibility it is to have someone else’s children living in your home – you have to protect them from dangers as you would your own. To add insult to injury bearing in mind how much work I put in and how little I received I found out the language teachers were earning £30 an hour and the children were having about 5 lessons a day. They were paying about £1,000 a week to the school to come here. I do not begrudge it to the children, though, they were well behaved and very decent little children who were very grateful. One said how she had had much better food with me than the last time she came.
It’s the schools who are greedy and out of line. I would imagine that if you are able to command what you get in the cities (you certainly can’t in Devon, all the schools pay the same) you probably could get a decent amount for your larger rooms, but not here.
- Susan
  
  Hi, I am so glad that you as a have aired your experience as a host. I use to be a host for international language students for the last seven years. Most language colleges here in London pass the homestay/accommodation business on to agents. 99% of those agents are a complete rip-off. I have dealt with Host International in 2005 for about 3 months until I realised how much they “rake in” and pay peanuts to the hosts. However, in 2005 I hosted a nice female student from Japan. When her agency contract ended after 3 months I offered her to do a private deal – she was happy and so was I. She stayed with us for 2 1/2 years. At that time my children were still at school age and I had to cook a meal every evening anyway – so having another person on the table was no big deal. When she left I approached other language colleges who deal with their own student accommodation e.g. no agent – no middleman!
  
  I found a college, which was well established here in London and I dealt with them for the last three years until now – October 2011. Before they take you on you must “pass” the test as a potential host, which means they come and inspect your home and the student room. You are also requested to provide references and if you intend to host students under 18 you, your family + any other person living in your home is required to provide CRB checks. Other requirements are: Annual Corgi Certificate and Fire assessments. Also you have to inform your Home Insurance Company that you are hosting students.
  
  Most students prefer HB and the host is paid approx. £140/week in high season / £135/week in low season (fee structure 2011) the college however charges the students £20/week on top of that, don’t know why? This college also offers residence hall in their own buildings for their students. Charges are for example: BB single/standard /low season = £269/week – HB single/standard/high season = £284. I was astounded to see how these fees compared to those paid to host families.
  
  As a host family you are requested to treat the student like a family member and help them in every aspect of their daily student life. You are expected to be a English teacher, companion, welfare officer, cook, cleaner, mother …… I found that I’ve put a lot of effort into my hosting which was appreciated by most of our students. The colleges expect the hosts to be there whilst the student stays with them – that includes weekends as well. Although I went through the “house rules” with the students to avoid misunderstandings – they tend to forget these and needed to be reminded. Some students are fussy eaters and not used to European food, some want to invite friends/family to stay overnight for free. Some sit in your lounge and watch TV for hours on end or have showers for more than 30 min each time or leave all their electrical equipment on for 24/7. Some leave their rooms a tip, which makes impossible to clean.
  
  Still, I have put up with this for a number of years now – and decided I had enough and don’t want to do it anymore – since my efforts are not rewarded enough financially. Conclusion: There must be a better way of earning a bit of extra money to supplement the family income !
A. Rose

Hi,
Thanks for your prompt response to my enquiry.

Regards,
Rose.
A. Rose

Hi,
I am an experienced teacher with specialists in ESL, Special Education, Science & Math. I am interested in hosting international students from August, 2010. I live in Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Could you please contact me regarding how to go about it.
Denise

Dear Fiona
Just came across your comments and could not agree more. Have hosted for 13 years and love it, however, feel the students and hosts are being ripped off by the middle man. Can you give me your site as I will definately consider signing up.
Ben

If you don’t mind hosting cyclists or hikers for only one or a few days, then ‘Vrienden op de Fiets’ is a great way to meet people. The hosting families get a reasonable price for the room and the breakfast that they offer to their members: http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl
Fiona Kitchen

If you are thinking about becoming a host family, we have around 200 host families on our website xilfee.eu from across the world and it is currently free to join.
We do check details first for other site users protection, so any incomplete profiles will not be uploaded.
- David Baker
  
  hello i was enquiring about hosting a student in the Anna.Valley area of Nova Scotia Canada.let me know if the was any interest in this area.thanks.
Greta Hill

Hi Fiona, I’m an experienced teacher of EFL. I’d be interested in hosting & teaching from next year. Regards, Greta
fatima seedat

please contact me regarding hostinga short term student.

on 07957147639.

Kind Regards
Fatima
- nnnn
  
  hifatima im arabic can u find for may family to stay withe them
Jill

what is your site address please?
Rhian Huws

Hi,
We have a self contained detached studio log cabin in our 2 acre grounds with a patio and pleasant views over the countryside.
The cabin will sleep two persons and we are interested in letting it out.
It has a multifuel/log burning stove in the lounge/kitchen with electric heaters on the walls.
We look forward to hearing from you.
sonia alqadi

Hello,
Iam a PhD student from Spain. Iam moving to london on the 16th of this month for a research stay during 3 months in a research centre located in this street (30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH). iam looking for a homestay accommodation that may be in the centre of london or easily connected to the centre by public transport. I would be gratefull to you for your help.
Kind wishes
Sonia Alqadi
student in USC
Santiago de compostela, Spain
- jackie lanning
  
  we have a lovely house in welling in kent 20 mins from london
  we are a young couple with a dog called arfa and a car called pusspuss we have two bedrooms available one large and one small
  
  if int ring 0208 317 9841
- Sandra Hamil
  
  Hi Sonia
  I have a spare bedroom with shared facilities if you are interest rent £130.00 per week which included water, heating and lighting. you need to cook and provide your own food.i
- sophia
  
  Hi
  
  I have a room to rent if you are interested
  i live two minutes from the train station and it takes 17 minutes to London Bridge
  
  Please feel free to contact me.
  
  Regards
  Sophia
Sharnie Connell

Hi I am interested in taking on a foreign student can you please let me know who I should contact regarding this.
- http://www.jasminebirtles.com Jasmine Birtles
  
  The best thing is to contact your local language schools. Look them up on google for your area or look in Thompson Local or your Yellow Pages. Just ring them up direct and say you have a room to rent.
aipery

room for a rent for foreing students
- yvonne fagan
  
  could you send me any useful information 26 polesworth rd, dagenham rm9 6aj
http://lesleyreid61@hotmail.co.uk lesley reid

i have 2 twin rooms and 1 triple room and many years of experience.
http://www.xilfee.eu Fiona Kitchen

Thanks very much for this page it’s well written and informative, there is a real need for host families and homestay tutors. My site is getting busier with families signing up; some of it due to your site!

Thanks
Fiona at xilfee.eu
http://reliablehomebuyer.co.uk/ Sell Rent Back

Cool great brilliant, nice one for this opinion. Could I replicate this post on my site?
Yasmin Dipchan

Could you please advise me who I may contact to host foriegn students. i live in South London, Beckenham kent, I am a Forensic Social worker and have extensive experience with working with difficult adolescents.I would like to host students in June.
- sophia
  
  Hi
  
  If you are interested in hosting you can contact Teniola at Qualityhost.com.
  Tell her that Sophia contacted you.
  
  Good luck
  Sophia
  - lesly betty
    
    I have 2 lovely rooms to let, one with share bathroom the other with en suite. I live on the outskirts of London. Bus stop is only 5 mins away, train station 10 mins away. There are local shops and doctors within 5 mins.
    I have catered for foreign students before. I live on my own but have 3 older children who come round on a regular basis. I am extremely easy going. Any food or washing not a problem, I also have the internet and sky tv.
- nnnn
  
  hi
  can u host me ??
  im arabic women
  whats your detales about your house and what is your ruls

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