A study tour is a program designed to give students an experience abroad and get a taste of a country’s culture before deciding to return for further study.
A school or agent generally arranges an itinerary including education, accommodation, meals, transfers and activities. Hosted accommodation will sometimes be arranged where students stay with a local family in their home (homestay). There are great benefits to this option, such as learning about local customs and culture; practicing English in a friendly, supportive environment; and experiencing the Australian way of life.
Agents often require our homestay services to include in a pre-paid study tour package.
Schools, vocational colleges, universities and international schools who do not require pre-departure tour management request our assistance for homestay and airport transfers.
Local schools also contract us to outsource the homestay component of their study tours so they can focus on their main area of business – educating the students. We offer flexible solutions and can accommodate almost any request through our large network of hosts.
We cater for all ages and types of students. We accommodate specialized academic and sporting groups, school immersion programs, and English and cultural activities. We have hosted groups consisting of:
- Parent and child
- Primary school students
- High school students
- University students
- Mature-aged students
- White collar professionals
- Mixed age groups
Study tours are generally anywhere from two nights to 12 weeks depending on the group. A surcharge is payable for groups staying for a very short period, however.
Study tours are available all year round but there are peak periods for certain nationalities and advance bookings are essential.
AHN has managed homestays for students from 7 years old to 75 years old.
Please bear in mind that not all homestay families are equipped to host children, so these tours need to be booked further in advance to ensure we can find suitable families to cater to the group’s needs (we will let you know during the quoting phase if we are unable to accommodate a group at a particular time).
Yes, AHN study tours can cater for groups of any nationality. Our homestay offices in Australia have hosted over 80,000 students from 185 countries since 2008 and have become the industry leaders in providing a safe cultural exchange for international students.
Study tours are generally for 10 or more students, however, please complete a Study Tour Booking Request form if you have a smaller group and we will advise if we can accommodate your needs.
We welcome as many students as you would like to send to our destinations. There are no maximum student amounts, however, your booking availability will be determined by the following factors:
- Our homestay family pool in your desired location;
- Your homestay requirements (whether you require single, twin or triple share); and
- How far in advance you have requested your booking.
Definitely. We can arrange accommodation in many cities throughout Australia – just let us know what destinations are on your itinerary and we will check our host availability. While a multi-destination tour may consist of homestay only or a combination of accommodation types, we believe staying with a homestay family enhances the overall experience as students get to interact with locals and be immersed in Australian cutlure.
Inclusions vary depending on your group’s needs, but most study tours will include:
- homestay accommodation (single, twin or triple share);
- some meals (students under 16 years of age are usually provided with three meals per day, whereas older students prefer to purchase lunches at the school cafeteria etc.);
- transport to and from school (type of transport depends on students’ age and location of school);
- assistance with invitation letters for visa preparation upon request;
- 24 hour homestay emergency line available
- Woken by homestay host for breakfast and getting ready for school
- Homestay family drop off or public transport to school
- Arrival at school – morning meet with study tour teacher to discuss any student requirements
- Classes commence – study with local teacher
- Morning tea break
- Second session class study
- Lunch break
- Afternoon study session
- Depart school for afternoon activity
- Return to school as a group
- Collection by homestay family or return home to homestay family on public transport
- Return home for dinner with homestay family
- Complete homework or join family for evening activity
- Bedtime
Our homestays are tailored to each group’s itinerary. You provide us with the tour dates, destination/s, number of nights, age and number of guest, meals, transport needs, etc. and our team will issue a quote based on those unique requirements.
AHN can provide the homestay component of a tour where students have study or daily activities arranged.
Please be aware that immigration requirements of origin countries change constantly, so please check with your local immigration office to see if an education component is required in your itinerary. Some schools also have a minimum booking period e.g. most universities require students to study for a minimum number of days.
We receive a lot of requests for these types of tours and is strictly subject to host availability. We recommend you contact us at least 12 weeks in advance to see if we can cater to your needs.
Depending on the group’s requirements we will advise if we can find homestay families or if hotel accommodation would be more suitable.
Depending on the study tour you have booked, the AHN Study Tours Team will assist your client’s group with arrival and departure services at the airport as well as the homestay component of the tour.
This includes assistance with the following:
- Meeting your group at the airport
- Assistance with immigration issues (if required)
- Gaining medical assistance for any student who has become ill whilst travelling
- Transfer of your group to the location of the homestay meet and greet
- Meeting homestay families at the meet and greet
- Liaison with Homestay Manager on any last minute student requirements
- Preparation of homestay families to transport students to school
- Management of any student homestay issues and communication with teachers/school
- Farewell to homestay families
- Transfers to airport and help preparing for next destination
Students are welcome to stay in contact with their families. We ask students and teachers not to upload photos of their homestay family or their house without their permission. This is an invasion of their privacy.
Students and teachers should consider the time of day or night they contact their family and ensure this is adhering to homestay bedtime rules. Wi-Fi usage should also be minimized as some families do not have unlimited Wi-Fi packages.
Please refer to the AHN Guest Agreement.
