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How To Choose The Best Homestay Programs

By Angel Dudley


When a student goes to another country for academic exchange, the essence of the arrangement is t learn different cultures. However, student life is rather constant in most places; therefore, staying in a hostel may not give one much experience. To get optimum cultural experience, it is advisable to look for a family to live with on the host country. When considering homestay programs, you may find the guideline below useful.

Prepare your budget. Homestays are normally quite affordable because most families do not do it for the money. However, you still have to pay for your stay. Know that the cost will include meals and other ordinary stuff. You should ensure that you try as much as possible to live within the lifestyle of the host. It would not be proper to take your meals from a cafeteria.

Consider your preferred location. Most families normally tend to live further out of major cities. Therefore, if you need to get to school early in the morning, you have to consider your options carefully. You need convenience in traveling and living environment. If your school is located in a very busy city, then you may have to commute for even one hour to get to class.

Be ready to make your needs known. When carrying out the application, you need to give a detailed description of yourself so that you may be linked with the most suitable family. You do not want to end up in a home with ten large German shepherds and you are dead afraid of dogs.

Check the type of family structure. It is good to know how many children are in the household, their genders and ages. This will help you be prepared of even change the host if you feel the composition does not meet your expectations. You may not be used to toddlers and you may only prefer older children.

Choose a family whose members are available. If everyone is working like two shifts a day, then you can be certain that you will spend most time you are home alone. You will learn very little from the stay, which fails to meet the ideals of a homestay program.

Consider the size of the visitors at the home. A small, well-knit family is the most ideal for cultural exchange. If you have a large number, you may have a great cultural blend but you may not learn much from each other.

Choose a family that you can communicate with. If you only speak English, then you do not expect to learn a foreign language within days. It is, therefore, important to choose a family that can communicate with your language, even just for basic communication. You will also need to learn some language skills of the host.

Check the available amenities before you go. Life in the host country can be quite different from what you are used to. However, this does not mean that you will not enjoy it. You can prepare yourself by trying to know the features you will find in the home.

Homestay programs are good for short visits. If you are going to another country for academic exchange, then you can use the opportunity to live a family. You will learn a lot and even make friends.




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