To use a term from Kathryn Richardson, the gatekeepers (Homestay Hosts) are an interregnal part of the International Education market.

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1 Telephone : Facsimile : Web Site : ACE Building, Level 10, 118 Queens Street, Melbourne, homestay@homestay-australia.com ABN : Homestay Providers, (Agents who arrange accommodation for International students) and Guardian Agencies (Agents who provide a Guardian service for students under 18 years of age) have a moral obligation to the International student to ensure that the quality of service provided is under guidelines based upon principles of Best Practice. To use a term from Kathryn Richardson, the gatekeepers (Homestay Hosts) are an interregnal part of the International Education market. The difficulties that we as Homestay Providers face are as follows : 1. Defining homestay 2. Providing Quality Assurance 3. Assessing the Quality of Host Families 1. What is homestay? Under the conditions set by Homestay Australia a homestay can consist of the following combinations. A couple with or with out children A single woman with or without children Homestay means that the students who reside there are provided with meals on a daily basis Each Host provides the following service. SERVICE: Provided are three (3) meals per day; Breakfast, a choice of cereal, toast or noodles; Lunch, sandwiches and fruit to be prepared by the student. Dinner, the homestay

2 will cook different foods both Western and Asian, seven days per week. A single room; furnished and access to laundry facilities in the home. The Student provides their own toothpaste, soap and shampoo. The homestay fee also covers all costs for electricity, gas and water. Students pay for all telephone calls or for Internet use. Use of a heater in bedrooms needs to be agreed between you and the Host as additional costs may apply. The following conditions apply for students when they reside in a homestay. This information is sent with each profile to either the school the student attends, their Agent in Australia or overseas, or directly to the student themselves. CONDITIONS: Minimum 2 weeks stay, payment to the Host is every two weeks. Please inform your host two weeks before you decide to leave. $80.00 per week if you are away on vacation and wish to return to the homestay Payment for homestay accommodation must be provided within two days of arrival at the homestay. Your Host will also ask you to pay your Placement Fee and Airport Pickup Fee (If you were collected from the Airport) at the same time. If you have prepaid either, your Accommodation, Placement Fee and or Airport Pickup Fee, this does not apply. Students who reside in a homestay for less than one week are charged $40.00 per night. Please contact your homestay if you are unable to be home for dinner. Your Host will be concerned for your welfare if not informed. The homestay can accept a maximum of 3 students. Your Host will ensure you are taken to and from school on your first day. Students do not sign a Contract and do not pay a Bond for their accommodation. To be classified as a homestay, the home can only accept a maximum of three students at any one time. Legal issues of Homestay come under the Fair Trading Act. People who call themselves a homestay but have four or more students residing in their home are referred to as a Rooming House, under the governance of the Residential Tenancies Act. In addition, a homestay must reside in the same residence as the students that are booked to the home. The only exception is where a Host owns the property next door to their own home or they offer accommodation, which is a bungalow at the same address as where they reside.

3 2. Quality Assurance Our follow up system is in two forms - Hosts and Students. Hosts We record a visit to each homestay every 6 to 12 months. June/July is the main time we arrange these visits to coincide with the many number of Study Tours we have during this period. What we look for is a change in status - who is still living there? E.g. : If the host is a single woman, has she allowed a new partner to reside there? etc. Although these questions are of a very private nature, we are able to glean what is happening because of our relationship with the Host. When a student makes an application for a homestay they have three main variables. Smoking Children Pets Location is always the most important therefore it is always treated as a given when considering where to place a student. The students in their initial application can decide whether they accept pets, children or smoking in the home. From their response we act accordingly. Also the age of a student will be a factor in determining their homestay allocation. Applications from Japan are usually the only request where they seek to reside specifically with a homestay who are a couple. De Listing a Homestay We will de list a host for a period of time on the following basis. A record is made and the Host is scheduled for a revisit after three or six months. Break up of relationship Renovation of the property. We will de list a host permanently on the following basis. Not enough time given to students

4 Insufficient amount of food provided Charging of a Bond Requiring a student to sign a contract Unacceptable increase in charges for additional services such as heating Inflexibility Attitude towards late payments Unsatisfactory changes in the composition of a homestay Unreliability When the host does not reside in the home (exception is when the host owns two houses next door to each other -a setup when is very popular with older male students) Withholding information regarding a change in the condition of the home Withholding information regarding a change of who is residing in the home Withholding information regarding a change in the gender or culture of other students residing in the home. Students Student complaints can either come via the institution that they attend or directly to our office. They take three forms. Urgent - depart that day or the next. This is usually because of Pets. Sometimes students don t read the information sent to them correctly, or the information is not passed on from the Agent. They can be unaware that there is a pet in the home upon their arrival. In these cases, if a student has an allergy, then they are moved that day or the next. Another reason can be a change in who is residing in the homestay that we are unaware of. At the time of sending a profile, the information is accurate and we stress to a Host that it must be completely accurate. However, some Hosts may not inform us of a change of student, brought a pet, change in their relationships, etc.

5 For example, a Host can accept a female student from us, but then accept a male student from another source and not inform us. (Very bad form) Notice - students gives two weeks notice. Student has a disagreement with the host, e.g. meals, meal times, when they can wash clothes - how often, late home, uninvited friends etc. Usually these issues occur when the student is, in reality, ready to move to shared accommodation rather than stay in homestay. A record is made of the issue and kept on the hosts file. After the student has left the host is contacted and informed of the student s complaint. If, in this example, food is an issue again for another student at the same homestay, then the Host is de listed. Any repetition of the same issue in a Homestay will result in de listing. We only tell a Host once. Repair - host and student reconcile. Always due to a breakdown in communication or a misunderstanding between the Host and a student. The issues vary from time allowed in the bathroom to the volume of the television. In these cases we speak directly to the Host and inform them of what has been stated. After discussions we advise the student on the Host s point of view and request they speak to each other that evening. The Host is always requested to put in writing to the student what the issue is to further the student s understanding of the situation. The Host and student reconcile on a common understanding. New Hosts New hosts are given Short - Stay students. These are students who have requested just the two-week minimum in a homestay or are on a Study Tour. This gives them a short introduction to the Homestay Program.

6 3. Quality of Host Families As previously stated, homestay applicants are visited prior to a student placed with them and revisited between 6 to 12 months there after. All members of the household who are over the age of 18 years are required to have a Police Check. New hosts are advised the following : The inclusion of an International student into your home should be for a keenness to learn more about other cultures, not just a secondary income. For all concerned the experience should be a rewarding one. Most complications occur due to a break down in communication so it is important to establish a rapport as soon as possible with your student. Therefore it is important to be home on the day that a student arrives to establish a firm relationship. The ultimate goal of students studying in Australia is a university degree. Therefore, the aim of the Host Family should be to provide a caring, comfortable, and healthy environment, which supports the student's academic progress so they can achieve their goals. This may not be easy at first. It takes time and patience on the part of both the Host and the student. Initially, students may appear unresponsive and seem reluctant to ask questions and express dissatisfaction and/or pleasure. This does not necessarily mean that they are unhappy or uncaring. Many students are just overwhelmed by the new and unfamiliar environment. Be prepared for their initial culture shock - it is your responsibility to make this transition as easy as possible for the student. New students usually suffer the following problems upon arrival. They are either cold or lonely or both. Many experienced hosts comment on how their student at times will withdraw to their bedroom after the evening meal not to be seen again until the following morning. In many instances students believe that is what they are supposed to do and expect that their host will invite them back into the lounge or family room to watch television, for example. Many students lack the initiative to leave their bedroom upon their own accord. Please check that your student is not withdrawing to the sanctuary of their own bedroom for the wrong reasons. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE HOST FAMILY Each Host Family is visited prior to the placement of a student with them. As you would understand, not every family or household is selected as a Host Family. In some cases a family is selected but have to wait some time before they receive a student. The delay can be due to many factors, the main cause being the Host Family's location in relation to the schools that International students attend.

7 Host Families that are successful are people who show a duty of care: They must ; Have a friendly personality; Are flexible; Are good communicators; Have acceptable moral and social values; Have some experience dealing with young people; Have had some experience with people from different cultures; Can provide a stable environment; Are located near public transport; Have a balance in their judgment between the need for an income and the welfare of a student ; Can provide clean and tidy accommodation; To ensure that in the event of illness the student receives medical attention; To ensure that the student is home at agreed times and their whereabouts known at all times.. HOMESTAY AUSTRALIA