Blog: We enjoyed homestay hosting

We enjoyed our homestay hosting and had amazing connections with our students. We were their Australian Mum & Dad. They loved our safe, family life and enjoyed the personal attention they received. We involved our family and it was always a treat to experience the new culture.  We have welcomed our student’s friends, celebrated birthdays and Christmas.

It was important to us that the students experience the Australian way of life.  It is a big step for a first time traveler to move to a new country and try to complete their education, whilst learning about a new culture, way of life and language.

We’ve had some memorable students, that’s for sure.

I can remember one of our Chinese students arriving to our non-smoking home and sharing with tears his desire to give up. After prayer and encouragement, three days later he was free of the habit and thrilled.

Some of our students came from wealthy homes and some were average income families. Many had no practical skills, but no matter what, it was the same for all of them. They contributed to the overall running of the home, so that they’d be confident that if they could help at home – they could thrive once they eventually moved out as adults – whether here in Australia, or back at home. This was a great experience and usually met with courage. Both my husband and I have served in the military, so team and order are naturally part of our lives and hopefully we’ve imparted that to our homestay students.

We’ve had students from Korea, Japan, China, Brazil, Oman, India and Burma. We’ve had students stay anywhere from one month to 2 years. Our final student was 1 year and 3 months and was recovering with health issues when he first came to stay.

Our first homestay was 2 Rohingyan students from Burma for 6 weeks – and one of them still stays in contact with us after 7 years!

We’ve had the opportunity to participate in their developing young lives and seeing their dreams begin to materialise. We would recommend this eye-opening opportunity – and have already!

We’ve had difficulties over the years, but we’ve overcome them as a team!

Health issues were a concern on a number of occasions over the entire time.

For example, our last student came to us after being in Australia for a year and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, this young man was a challenge and stayed with us for 15months. He was a test case for the Doctor as he did so well in his recovery. We helped him build support systems and build discipline with his diet. We attended his graduation ceremony and were so proud of both his academic achievements and the life lessons he had learned while he’d lived with us.

We’ve had students pull muscles, break bones and get minor injuries while they learn to navigate daily life and (interesting) experiences here in Australia. We took the students to the hospital and to the doctors as needed. The responsibility of care weighs heavy on you as a host, so we make sure we do our best and explain the risks and consequences to students when they first get here so they’re more mindful of what they do.

Advice to international students
I would think students coming to Australia understand there is a culture to embrace, not only the English and particular area of study.  Communication is important but may take a while for international students to be comfortable with and that’s ok. Take it at your own pace but talk to your homestay family if you have any concerns or questions… they are there to help!  Please be mindful of water consumption – keep your showers to 3-5 minutes. Skin protection is very important in Australia – make sure you wear sunscreen otherwise you could get severely burned. Your safety is so important – not just to you and your family, but also to your homestay host. If they give you advice on how to stay safe that is specific to the area you now live in… listen to them! Also, make sure you watch the student orientation videos and ask your homestay hosts if you have any questions!

Advice to hosts
Hosts should be aware of the culture and some of their differences. Many countries have very different lifestyles and you will get to learn about so many new things! Just be mindful that some of these things you may not be expecting – but be comfortable talking to your students if you’re not comfortable with something… For example, if you provide a stool in the bathroom, this will prevent students squatting on the seat. Toilet use, bedroom cleanliness and water consumption are likely to be the main things you will need to set rules for, so set these rules early. You may need to remind students to drink water often as they are unlikely to drink enough to begin with.

Also, work out a meal planning system and bulk buy where possible – this will save you time and money.