Choosing to host an Academic Families student is a rewarding and enriching experience. You’ll form new valuable relationships with international students and have the opportunity to learn from each other.
We pride ourselves on having built an international community and our students come from all over the world. The student you host could come from any country, but to give you an idea, some of our students come from:
All of our students are aged between 10 and 18, so if you have an age preference simply let us know! Perhaps you have children of your own and would like the student to be a similar age. Lots of our host families find that students become good friends with their own children.
All of our students are at boarding school in the UK, so most of their time is spent at school. Throughout the term, boarding schools have half-term breaks and occasional holiday weekends called exeat weekends. Some students go home over these school breaks, but others like to stay in the UK and this is where host families come in! When you sign up we’ll ask for you to give us an idea of your availability, but we also know that plans can easily change so we are always flexible with arrangements.
As a host your job is to be the student’s home away from home whenever they’re not at school. For some of our students, coming to boarding school in the UK is their first time being away from home, so it’s important that our hosts can make them feel welcome. Responsibility of the student still lies with Academic Families as their guardian and we make all the arrangements so you don’t need to worry. Your job is simply to provide a warm and loving atmosphere for them and enjoy spending time together.
We always encourage our hosts to help their student engage as much as possible in family life. This could mean doing some sightseeing with them, or even simply cooking and eating together. There are lots of activities that hosts can do with students to bond. We also find that students like to teach hosts about their own countries and cultures too. It’s a fantastic learning experience for everybody!
We’ve worked with host families since 2012, so we know that you’re likely to have lots of questions. We pride ourselves on supporting host families as much as we support our students. No question is too big or too small! Academic Families is here to support you throughout the registration and student matching process and we’re always only a phone call away once your student has arrived too.
“Throughout, Academic Families have organised, supported, and been at the end of a phone for us. Our experiences with these youngsters have enriched us with details and culture of countries we have not visited – but with the knowledge that there is always back up should this be required.”
– Margaret – Host.
Contact us to become a host or find out more
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