We have more than 6000 hosts across Australia. All homestay families have successfully completed our application process, home inspection, background checks and host training.
Most study tours are purchased as a package to minimise additional expenses for your students whilst travelling. Meal options include:
- Breakfast only
- Breakfast and dinner only
- Breakfast and dinner (weekdays) and three meals (weekends)
- Three meals every day
Generally, we release reports two weeks prior to arrival, as long as the tour has been paid for in full. If you want reports earlier, please ensure the non-refundable deposit is paid as soon as possible. Depending on the destination and your students’ requirements, we may recruit families specifically for your tour, or use our current host pool.
In peak season as much notice is required as possible. Please note: the lives of homestay families can change, just as it does in our own families, so we prefer to not release the family details too early to avoid additional anxiety for your students if a family change happens.
We will usually arrange for the airport transfer service to deliver your group to a set meet and greet location. Subject to your group’s arrival time, our Homestay Manager will be waiting with the homestay families and introduce each student to the family they have been matched with.
Adults are welcome to stay in homestay and are often placed with host families with common interests. When booking your study tour, please check we have host availability and our Study Tours Team will advise you the best destinations for adult homestay options.
We encourage our students to participate in all family activities. Our homestay families generally eat dinner together and will talk with students so they can practice their English. Different families have different schedules but will include students in their everyday lives as much as possible.
Most of our homestay families have Wi-Fi in their homes but have different data plans. Please ensure you specify if your group requires Wi-Fi at the time of booking. Wi-Fi is only available to students for contact with their family and strict policies apply to online gaming and downloading of movies.
We encourage your students to enjoy some independence and sample our local cuisine. Homestay families will encourage students to go to the local supermarket to buy snacks to eat in between meals. If your student is not being fed a meal that is included in the meal package, please notify our Homestay Manager immediately. Students are often offered meals but there is a breakdown in communication. We want to eliminate any issues to prevent the student or host family feeling uncomfortable.
Our host families love to make your students feel as welcome as they can. Please advise our Study Tours Team of any special events prior to the group’s departure so we can communicate this to the host family in advance.
This will depend on the city you are in, but we always aim to place students in homestays no more than 60 minutes from the main campus/special interest/tour point. Students may need to take a bus or train, or a combination of both.
