How do I get started hosting foreign students?

If you want to start hosting foreign students then your first port of call is a local language school. They’ll have an accommodation officer who’ll be in charge of a database of host families. To get on the database you’ll probably have to undergo a home inspection and be within a reasonable distance of the school.

The International Association of Language Centres and English UK both have a list of English Language schools in the UK. Find your nearest schools and give them a call.

If you’re close to a university, visit their website and try and find the accommodation office. If they don’t have a section about hosting foreign students then give them a call, see if they do it and if so how you can get involved. Find universities close to you on the UCAS website.

Companies such as Homestay. com allow you to rent out your spare room on a daily, weekly or monthly rate to students over the age of 18. Hosts are expected to provide a light breakfast as part of the cost, and can choose to provide other meals also at an additional cost to the student.

You can also look for adverts in your local paper and ask around. Even local football clubs do exchanges and need accommodation for foreign players. Put an ad up for free on Gumtree too so that anyone in your area can get in touch.

Another great site to check out is KaplanInternational. com. Kaplan International Colleges is a large international education group with over 40 English language schools worldwide including 11 in the UK and Ireland. They look for friendly hosts who are interested in learning about other cultures and who can provide a warm welcome and comfortable accommodation to international students. To find out more go to KaplanInternational. com.