A Guide to Hosting Students

Why do international students choose to stay with a host?

Students choose homestay accommodation for the sake of home comforts, a chance to practice their English and generally learn about the British way of life. They are not simply renting a room, but expect to be treated as one of the family. For many students this may be their first time away from home.

Every family has its own routine, and to make students feel at home it is always helpful to explain the ground rules of their stay in your home.

LSI is a member of English UK and holds a British Council Accreditation. This means that the standard of our homestay accommodation may be spot checked by independent inspectors to see that they meet the English UK and British Council standards reflected in our own Code of Practice. All homestay providers for LSI are required to sign this declaration confirming that they agree to abide by the LSI Homestay Code of Practice.

How do we place students with hosts

We will contact you by phone or email, and sometimes even text message to give you basic details of the students we would like you to host for us. Sometimes we will give you generic details of the students – for example, an Italian student in his/her late teens, and sometimes we will be able to give you much more specific information.

If you accept the students, we will then send you either a provisional confirmation containing the generic information, which will then be followed by personal details later or we will send you full details of the student straight away. We prefer to do this via email, but can post a letter if necessary. Then, in the week before the student arrives we’ll give you information about their arrival in Brighton and Hove.

Types of students

We receive two types of students at LSI; individuals (adults and juniors) and groups.

Individual students will generally arrive on a Sunday, though occasionally it may be a Saturday. We will let you know what day and give an approximate arrival time, normally a week before arrival. We cannot guarantee the time of arrival for students as flights/journeys may encounter delays, but we expect families to be at home to greet their new arrivals. Students will either arrange a transfer through the school, or will make their own way to their host family. Junior students will have a curfew and an activity programme created for them.

Groups differ as they will arrive to LSI by coach. We expect host families, wherever possible, to come to the school to meet their students. This will usually be arranged with you via text the week before the group arrives. Groups also have an activities programme prepared which will be sent to you on their arrival but we would recommend that you also ask students to advise you of when they will be out and about. Group leaders also tend to impose a night time curfew ranging from 21.00pm to 23.00pm, depending on the age of the students, which should be adhered to. The time will be confirmed to you by text on the day the students arrive. Please inform us if students are persistently late as this can pose a safeguarding issue.

It would be appreciated if you could bring your student to school on their first day at 08.45am or show them how to get here. Your student will then need to be in school at 9am everyday for lessons. Advise your student to download the Brighton & Hove bus app where they can purchase weekly tickets for £21.60. Scratchcard tickets can also be purchased from post offices of the 1 stop travel shop for £22.70.

Welcoming the Student

Some students may contact you via email in advance of travelling, whilst others will not. Most students feel nervous when they arrive at your home so please do everything possible to make them feel welcome. If you are not sure if they understand instructions then please write things down as this is often easier for them to understand. A translation app like Google translate may also be a useful tool to have on hand. Please bear in mind that in many foreign countries please, thank you and other pleasantries are not used in the same way we use them in the UK, so please do not be offended if your student omits these social niceties – they are not being rude.

It is a good idea to sit down with your student on arrival and go through whatever house rules you may have (eg. Can they smoke in the garden? When can they use the bathroom, etc) as well as advising them what to do in the event of a house fire. Going through things with them on arrival can really help break the ice. It is also essential that you swap mobile telephone numbers with your student.

Bedroom

Your student’s bedroom should contain a full size three-foot bed, chest of drawers, either a wardrobe or rail to hang clothes, a mirror and a table or desk for studying with a chair and lamp. Bunk beds will be considered on a case by case basis but can only be offered to students under the age of 16. Bed linen and towels (bath and hand towel) should be provided and changed every week when the room is cleaned. Please provide spare blankets or a hot water bottle in the winter months. Most students feel the cold more than we do.

Meals

Hosts should provide an adequate breakfast with cereal, toast, spreads and a choice of tea, coffee, milk and juice.

Dinners should be varied and balanced and should include meat, fish or cheese, some carbs, vegetables and a piece of fruit or dessert. Please inform the student what time you have dinner and ask them to let you know if they will not be home to eat with you or do not require dinner. In cases where group and junior students may be returning late from a day trip, a meal should be left for them which they can either eat cold or heat up. We encourage families to eat with students at dinner time so that they can practice their English.

Some students have specific dietary needs. The school will endeavour to inform hosts of these in advance, however, from time to time students do neglect to make us aware of these. Please have a conversation with your student on arrival to see if there is anything they can not eat. Students should also have reasonable access to the kitchen to make tea, coffee or drinks for themselves.

LSI will never ask hosts to provide students with lunch. This is the students own responsibility. Students from groups or on our junior programme will have lunch provided for them by one of our catering partners.

Showering/Bathing

A daily bath or shower must be available with reasonable usage times. Please explain to your student that hot water is not free in England and what time is best for them to use the bathroom. In hot weather the student should be allowed to bath or shower more frequently. Please show them how to clean the bathroom after use.

Laundry

The British Council expect host families to do at least one wash load per week for students, in addition to the weekly wash of sheets and towels. This is often better than students washing their clothes in a basin and leaving them dripping wet hanging in the bedroom!

Cleaning

Please ensure all areas of the house are kept clean and tidy throughout your students stay. Please allow your student reasonable use of cleaning products to keep bathrooms and bedrooms clean. Students under the age of 18 should not be responsible for cleaning.

Keys

Please provide your student with a front door key and show them how to use it. If they are under 15 years old you do not have to give them a key if you will be at home to let them in after classes. LSI can not be held liable for any lost keys.

Internet

Please provide students with your Wifi password and allow them to connect to your internet whilst staying with you. Please bear in mind that some students will come from countries with very different time zones. It is perfectly reasonable for you to ask them to keep the noise down or avoid making phone or video calls late at night.

Leisure Time

Please treat your student as a member of your household and try to include him/her in your household activities whenever possible. You can also encourage your student to take part in the LSI social programme which is promoted within the school and changed weekly. Our school provides afternoon and evening activities throughout the week and trips within the UK and Europe every weekend. For more details advise your student to speak to the office.

Health & Emergency Procedure

If your student needs to see a doctor urgently there is a medical walk-in centre located at 84-87 Queens Road, Brighton (next to Brighton train station) which is open from 8am - 8pm Mon – Sun (including bank holidays). LSI can register longer term students with a local surgery. If your student is under 18 and will be absent from school please let us know by phone call or text before 9am on the day of absence. If your student is over 18, please notify us if they will be absent for more than one day.

Should students experience any dental issues during their trip which require treatment, they will likely be financially liable for this, unless covered by insurance. You can try calling any dentist surgery in your local area, or alternatively, contact the school for assistance.

For any health emergencies that occur outside of office hours please notify the school by calling our emergency phone number. If necessary, 999 should be called before calling the schools emergency number.

Host Family Holidays

If you have a short-term adult student staying less than 8 weeks, please arrange any time you spend away from Brighton to ensure that your student is not left alone in your house. If you have a student who is staying longer than 8 weeks then it is acceptable for you to go on holiday and leave them alone in your house, providing the student is happy with this and the school is told in advance. If you are away and therefore unable to cater for the student, please allow them use of your kitchen to prepare their own meals. Please note, your payments will change to the B&B rate for any students purchasing and preparing their own meals whilst you are away.

When you are hosting students under 18 an adult known to the school with a valid DBS check carried out by the school must be present at night.

Holidays/Guests of Student

If your student goes away for 1 week or more and they keep their room, you can charge a retainer of £50 per week. Please do not charge more without first consulting the school first. If you agree to have your student’s friend / partner to stay, it is entirely up to you as the host if you wish to charge them a fee. Please ensure that you make arrangements regarding payment before the guest arrives in order to avoid any potential disputes. The school cannot become involved in disputes over payments in cases involving guests of students and will not be financially liable for them.

Hosting Under 18s

There is an additional level of safe guarding that has to be considered when hosting under 18s. For detailed information please visit the 'Students Under 18' section of the site.

Hosting Multiple Students

Host families are not permitted to host more than 4 students in the house or more than one student speaking any one language at the same time, unless by special request from the student or agent. British Council regulations also stipulate that students under 16 years of age must not stay in the same host family as a student over 18 years of age. In addition, students under the age of 18 can not be placed in homestay accommodation with other students of the opposite sex. LSI must be informed in advance about any other students staying with you and any adults over 18 staying in the house. Students must be allocated their own room and given appropriate space and privacy as agreed with LSI.

Students changing the booking type

If you and the student agree to change the booking type for whatever reason (for example, switching from half board to B&B) you must notify us immediately. Please note this will affect the rate you are paid.

Students Changing Accommodation/Complaints Procedure

Students request to change or leave accommodation for a number of reasons. We encourage the student to give two weeks’ notice where appropriate, but in emergencies this isn’t always possible and in some cases it is better for everyone concerned if the student is moved as quickly as possible. If your student does leave or change accommodation, you will be paid up until the student leaves. Likewise, if you can not continue to host a student you must have a valid reason and must notify the school of this immediately. Unless it is an emergency, it may be difficult to move a student quickly with very little notice (particularly during busy periods). If you are experiencing any issues with your student please communicate with the school as we can often help resolve these matters without rehoming the student. Please be aware that if you request for a student to be moved it may take a day or two before we can find alternative accommodation so any potential conflicts or issues are best raised to the school immediately.

Students Cancelling Accommodation

Most students book through agents and we do not receive payment in advance. In the event of a student cancelling their course before they arrive we cannot, unfortunately, pay for accommodation reserved in that student’s name. We will notify hosts as soon as we are aware of a student cancelling but please remember cancellations can happen very last minute and these are very much out of our control. We will endeavour to find a suitable replacement should this happen but can not guarantee this.

Student Behaviour and Attendance Policy

Our policy regarding student behaviour and attendance can be found at the below link

Behaviour, Discipline Attendance and Exclusion Policy

Students with poor attendance are monitored closely and attendance must not go below 80%. If you have any concerns regarding your student behaviour or attendance, please contact the school.

Cultural Sensitivity

In your role as a host, you may receive students from many different cultural backgrounds. Often, they have little or no experience of British culture before they arrive, and will appreciate any support you can give them. Even simple things like taking a bus or going to a supermarket may seem strange and daunting to them at first. Please try to be patient, and refer them to us if they need advice.

Please also be aware that ideas of acceptable behavior and hospitality vary greatly between cultures. Please don’t take offence if a student is still learning how to be polite in Britain! Please do contact us for advice on dealing with cultural differences if you experience any issues. Our staff is highly experienced in dealing with potential problems and conflicts.

Insurance

Your current insurance company may not cover you if you have not informed them that you are hosting students. However, if you do advise them, they may well increase your premium. Please be aware that you choose to host students at your own risk and hosting students regularly may lead to more wear and tear of furniture, bedding, etc. LSI accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage caused by students and will not contribute any costs to hosts to cover damages. We are happy to assist you with signposting information and initiating an insurance claim should you wish to pursue one. Any insurance claims, once initiated, become the responsibility of the host.

Contacting us in an Emergency

The school emergency number is 07593 371388. Please save this number and only use this in genuine emergencies outside of office hours. If your student is not home by their curfew time, please try phoning or texting their mobile before you call the emergency number.

If is not an emergency please contact 01273 722060 during working hours.