Faqs
Frequently Asked Questions for Host Families
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any additional questions about hosting a homestay student, please feel free to reach out to us at info@harmonyhomestay.com
We welcome homestay students from countries all over Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Recently, our highest intake of students have come from Italy, Germany, Spain, and Mexico.
Students are primarily from Grades 10-12. Occasionally we have students as young as Grade 8, as well as some university students in town to attend the local colleges.
We offer both short-term and long-term placements to students. Placements can last anywhere from a couple of days to multiple years and variations in between.
To host an international student, we require our host families to be able to provide basic requirements, including a private bedroom with a window, bed, desk, and drawers, three meals per day and snacks, heating, and wireless internet. While every student is different, we expect our hosts to create an open, welcome experience for our students.
Homestay students are meant to be a part of your family during their stay. We recommend inviting your student to participate in activities with you, like watching movies or playing board games, while respecting that some may be more comfortable keeping to themselves.
For a full list of requirements, click here.
We have students attend schools in multiple cities in B.C. and the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Our students attend the local high schools, English language programs and universities.
While living in a school catchment is preferred, it is not a requirement.
If you are housing long-term students, then no, you do not need to provide transportation. Unless an arrangement is made prior to the placement, students are required to get to and from school on their own. However, we expect our host families to support our students by showing them the nearest bus stops and transit routes to and from school.
If you are housing short-term students, then most commonly yes! You would need to provide transportation for your student. Given this arrangement, we would compensate hosts for this additional effort. More information about transportation and compensation would be included in an email about student placement.
Definitely! There are many options for traveling, even while a student is staying with you. Some of our host families invite a friend or family to come stay with their homestay student in their home, while some students have friends they can stay with during your time abroad. Many of our families actually bring the student with them!
As a last resort, we can arrange a short-term homestay for a small fee.
Yes! Homestay families are compensated. Also, depending on the students’ dietary restrictions and preferences, hosts would be compensated for accommodating such diets.
Once a host family has completed their application in our database, we will contact you about placements in your area and the specific host pay amount will then be communicated for that placement.
How to Apply To Host a Student
| We’re always accepting applications for host families. Simply fill out our quick application form below and our team will be in touch! |