• A standard size (Single or larger) bed and bedside table. Please see the below table for standard Australian bed sizes

• Adequate wardrobe and drawer space, for the sole use of the student (Please do not store your own clothes or belongings in the student’s room)

• a decent size desk (approximately 1m x 0.5m or larger) with a lamp, and a chair for private study

• Clean and presentable bed linen and towels. These should be changed and laundered every week and replaced when starting to look worn.

• Toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent

The bedroom should be adequately secured for students to feel confident enough to leave their valuables there.

The student is usually responsible for keeping the bedroom clean and tidy. You are responsible for ensuring that the student has all the necessary equipment to do this (vacuum cleaner, duster etc), and is aware of how to use this equipment. The room should always remain in a tidy and clean condition. Please remind and assist the student to clean their room on a regular basis.

The room should be adequately heated and cooled. Hosts should understand the needs of overseas students, who may not be acclimatised to our weather and may require more heating or cooling than usual.

Smoking is only allowed in the house with your approval. Families may wish to kindly instruct students who smoke to smoke outside the house.

Bathroom habits vary from family to family as well as country to country and you are advised to explain the “house rules” about bathing and washing and to explain clearly the normal arrangements for the disposal of sanitary towels/tampons and the fact that toilet paper should be flushed away. The student should leave the bathroom and toilet as clean as when they entered them. Please be patient, and instruct the student how you would like the bathroom to be left when they are finished.

Please show the student how to use your laundry facilities, and remind them to wash their clothes on a regular basis. If you do not want the student to use your laundry, please include their clothes in your normal family wash.

Students will normally purchase a SIM Card for their mobile phone at the airport when they arrive in Australia. They should use their own mobile phone for all phone calls.

All students will require internet access. We highly recommend you have an unlimited internet plan, and make sure that the students have good wifi connectivity from all parts of your house. If necessary, install Wifi boosters in areas with bad connectivity.

We want to ensure that our students stay healthy and eat properly. Government health guidelines suggest that in order to maintain a well-balanced diet, we should try to eat at least one item from each of the following groups every day:

• bread, rice, pasta or cereals
• milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter or margarine
• fresh fruit and vegetables
• meat, fish, eggs, lentils or nuts and beans

Bearing this in mind, all students should be provided with:

• A substantial breakfast every day (this may be self-catering).
• A nutritious, cooked, evening meal including meat, poultry or fish (individual arrangements are made for those with special dietary requirements) sufficient to the needs of the student.
• Light lunches on Saturdays and Sundays.

Special catering requirements will be confirmed on student placement. We recommend that you include some dishes from the student’s home country, to make them feel more welcome.

Please be sensitive to your student’s taste, conscience and religious beliefs. For example, in the month of Ramadan, Muslims must not eat between sunrise and sunset and special arrangements should be made at this time.

Please make an effort to have your evening meal with your student/s and engage in conversation. Remember, it is precisely this social and cultural interface that differentiates a Homestay from a Boarding House with Meals.

Punctual attendance at the college is compulsory for all students and you are requested to provide breakfast during the week at a time that will ensure the student reaches the college in time for the first lesson.
Students are expected to attend meals punctually or telephone if they are going to be late. It is recommended that the evening meal should be served around 6.30pm to 7:00pm.

Your student’s friends should not spend the night with them at your house without your permission. If necessary, Study Vision can speak to your student to make them understand this.

All students will have Overseas Student Health Care (OSHC) cover. This is your student’s responsibility under the terms of their student visa. If the student does not understand this cover, please ask them to speak to their school/university. They can attend any public hospital by showing their OSHC card. The student will need to pay any fees or charges and can claim it back from their OSHC cover.

Please notify Study Vision by email of any student’s injury or illness, unless it’s an emergency, in which case, call our office number (02 9669 5225, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday) or our 24-hour Emergency line (0410 691 761).

It is best for students and homestay hosts to work through issues directly with each other. Communication is a challenging but important part of being a homestay family. When you need extra help, please feel free to contact Study Vision by email or on our office number (02 9669 5225, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday).

Occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, students cancel their course and their Homestay accommodation. We will let you know immediately if this happens and will endeavour to place another student with you as soon as possible. We do not pay cancellation fees or compensate Homestay families for any losses due to cancellations.

The student should give you at least 2-weeks’ notice of any intended holidays longer than 2 nights. If they will only be away for 1 or 2 nights, they should give you at least 3-days’ notice.

If they will be away for 2 weeks or more, they should pay you 50% of the normal Rental amount for the period they will be away. If they will be away for less than 2 weeks, they should pay the normal Rental amount for the period they will be away.

Please notify Study Vision of any intended student holidays, as soon as possible, so we can collect the correct Rental from the student. Also, please ask the student to contact Study Vision as well, to confirm these arrangements.

2-weeks’ notice is required to end any Homestay arrangement, whether a student intends to move out of your home, or you would like the student to move out. Study Vision will check with the student 2 weeks before the end of each Rental Period to see if they are planning to move out. Please remind your student 2 weeks after they arrive that they need to notify Study Vision when they decide they wish to move out.

If you would like the student to move out, please notify Study Vision by email as soon as possible, so we can make the necessary arrangements with the student.