Host International Students

Accommodation

Students should have access to the internet and be provided with a house key for the duration of their stay.

Students should have their own bedroom including:

• a bed (not fold out)
• a waste paper bin
• a desk
• a desktop lamp
• adequate storage space - preferably a wardrobe and chest of drawers
• bed linen and towels that are changed weekly 

If it is not possible to have a desk in the bedroom, they must be provided with a quiet area elsewhere in the house, with a table and chair so they can study at any time. 

They should also have access to:

• a shower/bathroom (with a lockable door)
• a living room
• a kitchen

Laundry and ironing

Bed linen and towels should be changed weekly. 

Students should have access to laundry and ironing facilities. You may prefer to do the student's laundry and/or ironing, but expectations should be discussed with the student when they first arrive. 

A student's time with you may be the first time they have eaten British food. Involving them in the preparation of meals will enable them to see what the ingredients are, and will also be an opportunity of talking to them. Sometimes the students like to cook for their host as a thank you for their kindness during the homestay.

Breakfast

Students will not expect a cooked breakfast, although you may choose to provide this at weekends. Breakfast should normally include:

• tea/coffee
• fruit juice
• cereal(s)
• toast with jam/marmalade etc

You may occasionally want to offer cold meats, cheese, fruit and yoghurt.

Lunch

Lunch is not expected to be provided on weekdays, however if the student is at home at the weekends, they should be offered lunch.

Evening meals

You are expected to provide a daily cooked meal of at least two courses, including fruit and vegetables that is eaten with the host. Fast or convenient food should be limited to once a week. 

Students will be told to fit around your daily meal time and to let you know in advance if they are going to be delayed.

Eating out

If you choose to eat out, it is your responsibility to pay for the student's food as part of the homestay payment.

Arriving

It is your responsibility to pick up the student staying with you and their luggage from the University on the day of their arrival. Students should not be asked to wait or travel alone by taxi or other means.

Departing

It is your responsibility to drop the student and their luggage off on the day of their departure. Students should not be asked to wait or travel alone by taxi or other means.

Travelling to campus

Throughout their stay, classes will usually begin at 9am and finish at 3pm. On the first day of classes, it is your responsibility to bring the student to and from campus. After that you should accompany the student to and from campus until they feel comfortable making the journey alone (if you cannot drive them each day). 

You should make the student aware of bus timetables, bus stops (and how to stop and get off the bus), and how much their fare will cost to/from campus to home.

In and around York

You are not expected to provide a taxi service. You should discuss evening transportation arrangements with the student. 

We expect the student to inform us if they are ill and will not be attending classes.

If you have any concerns regarding the health of a student, you should discuss it with us directly, by getting in touch on +44 (0)1904 322483 or at cgp-shortcourses@york.ac.uk.

Being away overnight

Hosts should be present everynight for the duration that the student stays with them. We understand that there may be unexpected circumstances, where alternative arrangments should be made, informing us.

Students should not be left alone over the weekend or overnight. 

Example activities of things to do with a student may include:

• bowling
• card and board games
• cooking
• trips to the seaside

The most important thing to remember is to treat your student as family and inlcude them in as much day to day family life as possible; walking the dog, trips to the supermarket, all of these interactions are important in making your student feel at home.

There are ten requirements that you should meet at all times:

1. Students are to be collected from the University campus on their arrival, and brought back at the end of the stay by the host.
2. Students will be provided with their own house key.
3. An adult family member will accompany the student to and from the University campus on the first day (using the mode of transport that the student will use during their stay) to arrive by 8.45am and collect at 4.30pm.
4. Hosts will take every opportunity to speak with their student.
5. The host will provide breakfast and an evening meal every day, as well as lunch on a weekend - serving fresh home-made food with vegetables and fruit as much as possible.
6. Hosts will sit at the table and eat with students during evening meals. If it is not possible to eat together in the evening due to family/work commitments then every effort should be made to find at least two days per week where this can happen.
7. Hosts will involve their student in their everyday life, spending time with them in the evenings and weekends.
8. Hosts will include their student in family events/parties/visiting friends, etc. The homestay payment includes an allowance for miscellaneous expenses during the homestay, e.g. if the student accompanies the host to a place of interest, the student should not be expected to pay the entrance fee.
9. Students should not be left alone overnight - if absence is unavoidable due to a work or family emergency, hosts must inform the Global Opportunities team in advance to discuss the matter.
10. Hosts should come to the 'thank you' party for host families and students (usually held 6pm to 8pm in the final week of the course). This is a 'graduation' event for the students and it is very important that hosts are there to celebrate with the students.