Become a Host Family

Are you interested in becoming a host family for British Guardianship? Hosting an international student is a rewarding experience that allows you to make a meaningful difference in a young person's life. We take great care in matching students with families who can provide a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. By considering each child's unique needs, character, personality and hobbies, we ensure that parents feel confident their child is in good hands.

Important note: we specialise in short-term homestay bookings. All our students live in boarding schools during term time but require accommodation during school holidays, half terms and fixed exeat weekends. This is where our host families play a crucial role.

What We Are Looking For

A spare bedroom for the student
A clean, safe and welcoming home
Family members who enjoy meeting people from different cultures
Commitment to safeguarding and student welfare
Willingness to undergo required checks and provide references

What We Offer

Competitive hosting fees
Full guidance and support
24/7 emergency assistance
The opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a young person's life

Requirements and Criteria

At British Guardianship, we select host families that offer the highest standard of care, enabling our students to thrive during their time in the UK. We conduct thorough in-home visits, check both professional and personal references, and perform Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) checks for all household members aged 16 and above. Please note that guardianship responsibilities remain with British Guardianship while the student is with the host family.

To comply with the Children Acts of 1989 and 2004, as well as the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidelines, the following criteria must be met to become a host family:

No member of your household has ever been convicted of any offence against a child.
No child has been removed from your care by court order.
No parental rights have been removed.
No order has been made against you under childminding or childcare registration legislation.

British Guardianship carefully interviews and inspects potential host families to ensure they can provide high-quality accommodation and a safe, welcoming environment. We prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of our students, and we require all host families to complete basic safeguarding training to understand and mitigate any potential risks. Further requirements and home standards will be discussed at the online meeting with our team.

Student in a host-family, during holidays studying in the room.

How to Apply

Step 1

Initial Inquiry

We begin by adding your details to our database. At this stage, we only require some basic information, including your postcode, preferences and contact details.

Step 2

Matching Process

The next step is to match your location and preferences with our students' needs and interests. Once we find a suitable match, we will reach out to you.

Step 3

Further Steps

When we are ready to begin confirming bookings, we will ask you to complete our full registration form, provide required documents and proof of Level 2 Safeguarding Training, and meet with us in person. We will also carry out a DBS check.

Let's Connect

If you would like to stay up to date with our latest announcements, current vacancies and news for host families and local coordinators, follow our dedicated Instagram account. It is the quickest way to see when new placements open in your area.

instagram.com/bg.hostfamilies

Frequently Asked Questions

Families that are approved and appointed, following a rigorous safer recruitment process undertaken by our organisation, to provide accommodation for, and care of, a student, generally for a period of one to seven days at weekends, exeats, half terms or the beginning or end of a term.

The majority of British Guardianship students are full-time boarders at independent schools and need host family accommodation during fixed exeat weekends, half-term holidays or for emergency stays, such as illness or suspension.

Unfortunately not. Though we do try to place students with host families regularly, there are times when we do not have any students in your area who require a host family. You will remain on our records as available to host, and when a request comes in from a student in your area, we will contact you to check your availability.

We can accept your certificate as a supporting document; however, we need to apply for our own Enhanced DBS with barred list check for all household members aged 16 and above, upon receipt of their written approval. Any members of the family signed up to the DBS Update Service can provide their details, and we will use these to make the necessary checks with your written approval.

Unfortunately not. We kindly ask all our host families to be home full time for the duration of a student's stay with them.

Normally the school or British Guardianship will arrange for the student to arrive to you by taxi. In exceptional circumstances, if we are unable to arrange the transfer, we may ask you to help with transportation, in which case all of your costs would be covered.

Full information about payment rates and payment methods can be found in our host family handbook, which we provide at the time of a successful application.

We have students from the age of 8 and above. The rules for our over-18 students are slightly different and will be fully explained to you at the time of placing the student with you.

No. British Guardianship remains the student's educational guardian at all times, including while they are being accommodated by you as their host family.

We kindly ask all our host families not to provide our students with any money or pocket money unless authorised by the student's educational guardian.

We have students from all over the world.

Become a Host Family

Please get in touch with us to learn more about the students in your area who are still looking for a suitable host family. Tell us a little about your household and we will take it from there.