General Responsibilities

A homestay host has a duty of care for the wellbeing of their guests. The below section outlines your basic responsibilities when hosting international students at your home.
  • Essentials

    • Living Essentials

    Your guests should feel welcomed to your home and be provided with the basic necessities. You are encouraged to provide other amenities if you like, but you're required to provide at a minimum the following essentials.
    • Single furnished bedroom with a bed, wardrobe, study desk with lamp and chair
    • Wifi with large or unlimited download limit
    • Access to household facilities including bathroom, kitchen and laundry
    • Toilet paper
    • Soap, Shampoo & Conditioner
    • Linen/sheets
    • At least two towels per guest
    • At least one pillow per guest

    A typical bedroom for international students at a homestay in Australia or New Zealand
  • Cleanliness

    • Cleanliness

    Guests will expect a clean and tidy space when they arrive at your homestay. We encourage guests to provide us with feedback on the cleanliness of your place so that we can uphold a great reputation. If you consistently receive low feedback on your cleanliness, you may be subject to penalties.
    • Perform a turnover between each guest (clean linen and sheets)
    • Clean every room a guest might access, especially the bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas
    • Check that there is no dust, hair or mold on surfaces
    • Periodically arrange time to clean your guests’ bedrooms

    A mop cleaning a timber floor at a homestay home
  • Meals

    • Meals

    Our homestay program requires hosts to provide their guests with a minimum of 2x meals Monday to Friday and 3x meals on the weekends.
    Hosts will be notified of any special dietary requirements or food allergies their guests may have prior to the booking being confirmed. It is the hosts responsibility to provide adequate and nutritious food for their guests.
    We recommend the following for meal suggestions
    Breakfast

     

    Lunches & Dinners

    A dining table with cutlery and food at a homestay home in Australia or New Zealand
  • Communication

    • Communication

    Your guests may be away from home and their parents for the first time in their lives. It is important to make them feel welcomed into your home. Through frequent interaction between you and the student, you will learn about each other's cultures, and the student will improve their English. If you have concerns about your student, it is important to get in contact with Study Vision immediately.
    A female homestay host having coffee with a new international guest
  • First day orientation

    • First day orientation

    Upon arriving at your home, it is important to make your new guest/s feel comfortable and confident with their new surroundings. At a minimum a host should help with the following.
    • Orientation of your local area including shops, parks and other amenities
    • Take your student to your local bank to open a bank account
    • Visit a nearby phone store to help your student buy a sim card
    • Showing your student where to buy a public transport card
    • Show them how to get to their school or university by public transport.

    A local Australian homestay host showing an international student around town

    For more detailed guidelines, please Click Here