Our starting point...

1. We are passionate about providing life changing opportunities for young people. Our homestay hosts have a huge role to play in making this a reality.
2. If you live in York and can provide a home from home for those studying in the UK, we would love to hear from you.
3. The majority of our students are aged 16-18 and come from Germany and Norway. Most join study programmes which start in September and continue until December, or February, or June each year. All students will return to their home countries for Christmas and for Easter.

What is my role as a host?

1. Every host has their own style, but there are two fundamental sides to the role. Firstly, there are practical things that hosts provide; things like a bedroom to sleep in and food to eat. Secondly, hosts help to create a welcoming and caring environment. We see time and again how hosts build deep and long-lasting friendships with students and their families that endure long after students leave York.
2. You are never alone in this. We will work with you to provide support and advice throughout. Helping you to overcome challenges, set the right tone and develop understanding. We also provide a 24/7 support line for hosts and students.
3. The majority of our hosts provide support for students over a number of months, starting in September each year. The longest placements would usually be for one academic year ending in June. However, students travel home during Chrismtas and Easter.
4. We also need some hosts for shorter periods, either for relief hosting when a long-term host needs a short break, or for a small number of students who are resident at Bootham School during half term breaks.

How do I become a host?

1. The process is reletively simple. You can register your interest below to get the ball rolling. We will then arrange a home visit to talk though the details and answer any questions.

Essential Requirements

1. All hosts require working smoke detectors on each floor of their property.
2. All hosts should install carbon monoxide detectors in any room with a gas boiler or fuel burning appliance such as a wood burning stove.
3. All hosts will require a landlord's gas safety certificate which should be carried out by a qualified engineer and renewed annually.
4. All adults expected to be resident in a home for more than 30 days during the student's stay will require an enhanced DBS check.
5. In some cases, pre-existing checks are acceptable. However, this will be discussed on a case by case basis and we will conduct new checks if necessary. There will be no charge to hosts for this.
6. We will also provide support for safeguarding awareness and provide more details about how to keep everyone happy and safe.
7. All of these things will be explainded in more details during our initial home visit.

Will I get paid?

1. Yes. Hosts are paid for their support. We understand that they work hard as professionals. we review our fees regularly, but as a guide, those hosting a long term student for a full academic year can expect to earn approximately £7000.
2. Costs are calculated per night and paid every two weeks in advance on the 1st and 15th of each month.

What if I need to go away?

1. We understand that hosts may sometimes need a short break during the hosting period. This could be for any number of reasons. If this is the case, we will work with you to find alternative, temporary accommodation for your student(s). The more notice you can give us of planned breaks the easier it is for us to support. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Bedrooms & Living Space

Students should be provided with the following:

1. A study bedroom which should typically contain a bed, a desk and adequate furniture to store clothes and other personal belongings.
2. Use of communal living areas available to other members of the household. Note this does not include family bedrooms or private bathrooms.
3. Use of either an en-suite or shared bathroom. This should include a shower and space for students to store essential toiletries.
4. A front door key for their personal use.
5. Space to securely store their valuables.

Also...

1. Longer term student will require single occupancy rooms. Shared rooms may be appropriate for short term projects and will be agreed on a case by case basis.
2. We would not expect student bedrooms to have their own lock, nor should students refuse reasonable access to their rooms by hosts.
3. Students should take responsibility for keeping their rooms tidy and be considerate in other areas of the home.
4. It is reasonable for hosts to ask students to undertake light cleaning in their own rooms such as might be expected of an older son or daughter.
5. Hosts should take responsibility for washing the student's bed clothes. This should usually be done at least once a fortnight. Students can be asked to strip and make their own beds.

Food & Mealtimes

Hosting is a catered role which includes the following meals:

1. Breakfast 7 days per week.
2. An evening meal 7 days per week.
3. Lunch on Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays.
4. At least one meal per day should be a hot meal.
5. In addition, students should be given space in the kitchen to store their own snacks, including some fridge space.

Other things to note

1. Whilst we recognise it may not be possible every day, we encourage hosts to eat with students as a household a number of times per week. This would usually mean eating at a dining table.
2. Some hosts choose to provide lunch during the week, but this is not a formal requirement.
3. If students intend to miss a meal, for example if they are going out with friends for the evening, it is their responsibility to tell hosts with as much notice as possible. Hosts should contact us if this becomes an issue.
4. Hosts should provide a diet that is balanced and varied and where possible involve the students in menu planning.
5. Some students may require special diets and if you can help cater for this please let us know. For certain complex diets we will pay an additional dietary supplement to hosts in recognision of the potential for increased costs.

Settling in & Support

1. We will always try to put hosts and students in touch before they arrive. We also provide contact details for student's parents.
2. Setting house rules early and talking to students about their expectations is important. If you have questions aobut how to approach this, just ask.
3. When they first arrive, students will not always travel directly to the home. Depending on the project, we may ask hosts to travel a short distance to meet them at a local collection point (e.g. school, college or community hall).
4. In some cases hosts will be asked to assist students on the day of their departure in getting to a local group departure point. There will not be a requirement to travel long distances.
5. Hosts should talk to students about their hopes and expectations for homestay as soon as possible after their arrival. For example, they should agree any 'house rules' and work hard to maintain clear and open communication.
6. There is an equivalent responsibility on the part of the student to engage in this discussion.
7. Hosts should provide reasonable assistance to help the student settle in. For example, making them aware of local bus routes, helping them register with a GP (long term students) and generally provide them with the benefit of local knowledge.