Living in a British Guardianship Host Family
“Each child’s individual needs and character, personality and hobbies should be taken into account when finding them a host family to spend their holidays with.
British Guardianship selects families who have been thoroughly vetted and approved through our rigorous safeguarding and recruitment process. These appointed families provide accommodation and care for students, typically for short stays ranging from one to seven days. This may include weekends, exeats, half-term breaks, or the start and end of each term.
We visit the families in their home and check their professional and personal references. We will also run a background check on families to ensure that your child is secured and cared for.
When is a Host Family required?
In most cases international students do not live with their educational guardians during the school holidays, half terms and weekends. In this case the educational guardian is responsible for finding suitable host family accommodation for the child. The host family will welcome the child into their home and provide them with a good family atmosphere. They will also provide a meal plan. Host families will also try to make the child as much a part of their family as possible by taking them on day trips and involving them in family activities.
British Guardianship Host Families
Host families are interviewed by us and the accommodation they are offering is inspected to make sure they can provide the students with the best quality accommodation possible. Care is also taken to ensure that the family environment is safe and that domestic conditions are of a good standard. Recruited families come from different backgrounds and represent a cross-section of ethnic and cultural groups within Britain. This helps in matching the students with their prospective host families. Many host families have years of experience in hosting international students.
What British Guardianship expect from a Host Family:
- Have an understanding of the needs of overseas students in the UK.
- Have a knowledge of independent education.
- Have a genuine interest in the progress and welfare of the student.
- Have the proper accommodation for the student including their own comfortable, separate and private room.
- Understand the student’s culture and religion.
- To provide a welcoming and comfortable environment and ensure the welfare of the student.
- To help with travel and transport.
- To provide a clean room and suitable, good quality living conditions.
- To allow access to all communal areas of the home.
- To provide a meal plan and accommodate any dietary needs.
- To respect the student’s different cultural background and be sensitive to their needs.
- To treat the student as a member of the family rather than a paying guest.
- To encourage the student to speak English as much as possible in the home.
What The Host Family Should Expect:
- A courtesy call a few days before you are to arrive to tell them of your arrival time.
- Respect for the family home and the house rules the family might have.
- Keeping the family informed in case of late arrival home.
- Acting respectfully towards the host family.
