Renting a room to foreign students or teaching English to foreign learners is a great way to make money from your home. But you might be wondering how to get started, and even asking: how much do host families get paid for foreign exchange students? or How much an hour can I charge for teaching?
How much you earn depends upon some choices you make. You can choose to rent a room – or even several rooms – to children, teenagers, adults or family groups. You may want to rent a room to foreign students for just a few weeks a year or all year round. You may want to teach English as a foreign language in addition to providing accommodation. Rates paid to host families and teachers on Lingoo vary and host family rates are always determined by the host.
The good news is that the world is full of people who want to learn or improve their English while soaking up British, North American or Irish culture. The challenge lies in attracting them. More and more people see the advantages of renting a room to foreign students. So to generate a regular flow of guests, you should prepare your home, plan what you can offer and make some other important arrangements.
Remember, hosting or teaching foreign students for money isn’t just about the income; it’s also about enjoying the experience and being willing to open up your home and share a part of your culture. And if you get it right, it can provide both. Watch our video presentation or download a brochure to read later.
Children and adults
Prepare your home
Ensure the guest room (or rooms) is in good repair and well-equipped. Redecorate if necessary. The same is true of your home in general – guests always prefer tidy, clean accommodation. Ensure that if you are sharing a bathroom with guests that you can keep personal items separate. Now take photos of your home in good light conditions so you can add them to your profile.
Decide on the guests you want to receive
Be clear at the start on whether you want to host children, teenagers, adults (older or younger) or family groups. Consider also the possibility of different guests staying at the same time. Something that is very important for language learners is whether or not are you willing to commit to only having one guest who speaks any particular language at any one time. You should also commit to eating meals with your guests.
Regulations for hosting children
Before hosting children in your home it is very important you understand any regulations in your country for providing accommodation to children under the age of 18. In the UK, for example, a current Disclosure and Barring Service or ‘DBS’ is preferable. Also, British families hosting a language homestay (exchange or paid stay) for a child under 16 years of age (under 18 years of age with a disability) for more than 28 days have a legal responsibility to inform their local authority. More information can be found on the Private Foster Care website: www.privatefostering.org.uk
Communication style
How you communicate with your guest will set the tone of the relationship. Take time to make sure that you are always clear, transparent and honest with your guest when communicating with them through our private message system before the stay starts. Your guest is not your friend and they are not your client. Adopt a friendly homely style that best displays your own personality. Set your house rules but do be flexible.
So you’ve completed your Lingoo questionnaire and free text presentation. Now you need to think about presenting your offer. This is what makes Lingoo so different to other homestay clubs – you decide everything.
Things to consider while building your profile:
- Are you willing to share your interests and hobbies with guests? If so, they can learn your language much more easily by joining in with you. So list all the hobbies and interests you’d like to share on your profile as they really do attract visitors.
- Can you, or a friend, offer work experience? This is extremely attractive to teenagers and young adults.
- Do you want to spend all day with your guests? Decide how much time you want to spend with them and how much you expect them to enjoy their own independence. Remember that as a host you must be present for at least part of the day.
- Can you cater to special dietary needs? If you can offer gluten-free or dairy-free meals, or follow religious guidelines for food preparation, this can help you stand out.
These are all important ways to create a great profile and attract more of the guests most suitable for you. JOIN LINGOO NOW
Hosting is a business. Keep records of expenses and receipts in a way that allows you to see whether you are making money from hosting and, if your revenue exceeds your tax free allowance, you can report it for tax purposes. For these reasons, we recommend opening a separate bank account for your hosting.
Whether you rent or are a homeowner, live in a house or flat, hosting requires some administration before you start. If you rent your home you must inform your landlord about your plans to receive guests. If you have a mortgage, check whether you need to inform your lender before hosting guests on a regular basis. In both cases, you will certainly need to inform your home insurance provider and might consider enhancing your policy.
Lingoo membership is free. We host and market your profile to our community and only take payment once you receive a booking (up to 13% of the amount agreed between you and your guest for the stay). The guest buys a booking voucher to confirm the reservation and completes a contract (you can also ask your guest, once you are an experienced host, for an additional deposit). The guest pays the balance of the sum to you directly on the date specified in the Lingoo contract. Read more about the booking process. Read more about how host families are paid.
Hosting in your home is a very personal occupation. So a contract is important for protecting both sides. The Lingoo contract is clear about what you will provide, when, and the exact cost. It is completed by both parties during the reservation process. It also gives you access to your guest’s ID documents for added security. (read more about security) And for the avoidance of misunderstanding, it includes a record of all messages sent between both parties. Read more about contracts.
How much do host families get paid for foreign exchange students? is a common question for new hosts. You can set your own prices by studying other Lingoo host profiles. Base your price level around similar offers in terms of location, size of accommodation, and the services you offer (from laundry to airport pick up, language lessons, etc). As a rule, hosts in major cities tend to be able to charge more than those in rural locations. Read more detailed advice on how much you should charge as a host family. pricing here:
Lingoo is not qualified to give tax advice but we can offer general guidance. You should find out how hosting foreign students for money will impact your personal tax affairs in your country of residence. Generally, there are two types of tax that affect hosting: Revenue and Occupation. Revenue concerns money you earn from hosting while Occupation is linked to who lives in your home, even on a short-term basis.
Most countries will allow you to keep part of the income you make from hosting. In many cases you will need to register your activity with your local tax authority to be eligible for any tax break entitlements.
In the UK, you can find additional information by reading about the Rent-a-Room scheme
In Ireland, you can find information about rental income taxation by clicking here
You may also need to inform your local government authority about how many people are staying in your home and for how long. The total number of people who stay in your home may affect how much tax you pay. Read our blog article on how to earn up to £7500 tax free as a host family or teacher.
Whatever your situation, remember to keep clear records of who stayed in your home, for how long, and details of your income and expenses as a host. Check your government’s website for relevant information.
Read what our hosts say about hosting with Lingoo. You can find out how to be a better host, home teaching as a business, and the pros and cons of hosting in general:
What makes a good Lingoo homestay language host?
Deciding the best way of finding homestay guests
Why hosting homestays is so rewarding
The new home business - foreign language exchanges
How A TEFL Qualification can increase homestay language host bookings
Guest evaluations really boost your profile, so remind guests that you would like one
Why not read more of these stories on a range of other hosting topics on our blog?