Becoming a homestay host is extremely rewarding for a number of reasons. Fulfilling the same role but as a family offers many more advantages.
Each and every student you host and teach provides a unique bonding experience, as well as an opportunity to meet new people and take in different cultures, in your own home.
We recently explored the top benefits of becoming a homestay host family. If these rewards are something you want to enjoy, then you’re in the right place. In this follow-up post, we provide you with the ultimate guide to becoming a homestay host family.
Consider your options
When becoming a homestay host family, you’re in control. As a result, there are a selection of things that you must consider in order to make the experience worthwhile for your family and the students you’ll be hosting.
Deciphering who you’ll host is a great place to begin. There are lots of people from all walks of life who’ll be looking to enjoy a homestay experience. Homestays are popular with individuals of all ages, including foreign exchange students, summer students, children, teenagers, adults, and other family groups.
Decide who you want to cater to and how long you can accommodate them for, before getting to work providing the welcoming, family-oriented atmosphere that host families are known and loved for.
As a homestay host family, it’s important to define what you’ll be able to offer your guests. Promise too much and you’ll risk under-delivering, which won’t be great for your reviews. Alternatively, if you promise too little then you won’t attract guests.
As a homestay host family you should consider:
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Meal planning – Can you provide home-cooked meals? Cater to those with dietary requirements? Will you be dining with your guests too?
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Social interactions – Are you able to facilitate and encourage language learning? Could you also help to organise a formal language course and even work experience opportunities?
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Language immersion – Could you plan the activities and day trips that make immersion into your language and wider culture possible? Is there enough going on in your local area? Would your hobbies come in handy when teaching students about your way of life?
Prepare your home
In addition to having plans in place to provide an authentic insight into your language and culture, homestay host families must be able to comfortably accommodate their guests under their roofs.
There are several practicalities to consider when preparing your family home for homestay guests. These preparations go far beyond creating a physical space for them within your home.
As a homestay host family, you need to be able to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable from the minute you open the door. For those hosting children and teenagers in particular, knowing how to handle homesickness is important.
There are many steps you can take to help your guests feel better. Being there for your guests to talk to is the most effective way to help with feelings of homesickness as Our Everyday Life describes:
“Burying it will only exacerbate the problem. This also gives you the option to share with him any strategies you have personally discovered to help overcome these feelings. It will help to know someone understands how he feels. When you discuss his feelings about being homesick, you may get to the root cause. For instance, he could be homesick due to missing family dinners every night or being able to walk around his hometown.”
Those hosting children must be aware of the associated regulations. The tax implications of becoming a homestay host family must also be carefully considered. Our host family money matters guide is an excellent read.
Create your profile
Planning your homestay host family experience is all well and good but if you can’t attract guests, what’s the point? Sign up to Lingoo and create a detailed profile.
Your profile should contain lots of information about yourself and the personalities of other family members. You should also include what benefits your guests will enjoy when staying with you. Details of your lifestyle, home, area, day-to-day life, and even your pets provide great insights into what your guests can expect.
Photographs of you, your family, the guest accommodation, your home, and the surrounding area will help potential guests visualise further. Check out other homestay host family profiles for inspiration.
Get started with the creation of your Lingoo profile today. Joining Lingoo is completely free of charge and without any long-term commitment, what have you got to lose? Register with us now.
