Your Guide to Hosting International Students Enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan Language Centre (USLC) I have met some of the most interesting people, and have gotten to know and love them all. Gladys Taylor and her students: Fan Wu (Emily) and Ayu Asada. CONTENT The Homestay Experience... 2 Homestay Considerations... 3 Family and Student Responsibilities... 4 Accommodations Transportation Language in the Home Family Activities & Outings Spending Time Together Meals & Mealtimes Linens & Toiletries Airport Pickup & Drop Off Household Routines... 5 House Keys & Security Curfews Bath & Shower Times Keeping a Clean Bathroom Laundry Energy Conservation & Recycling Kitchen Appliances Household Chores Emergencies Communication & Activity Tips... 7 Interacting & Engaging With Your Students Some Ideas to Help Make Your Students Feel More at Home Fees & Student Placement... 8 Homestay Fees Homestay Placement Procedures Removing Students Criminal Record Checks If Problems Arise Program Information & Staff Directory... 9 Class Schedules & English Proficiency Assessments Student Lunches Student Activities Staff Directory 306-966-5915
The Homestay Experience The University of Saskatchewan Homestay program provides opportunities for people from different languages and cultures to live & learn together. When our students request homestay accommodations, they are essentially looking for a home away from home. They want to live in a safe and comfortable family environment as they develop their English-speaking skills and familiarize themselves with Canadian culture. The Wallace family with their students, Zong Liu and Bruno Zaballa. When we recruit host families, we are looking for home environments where we know our students will feel secure and welcome, with sensitivity shown toward their culture and individuality. Please do not take students for monetary reasons only. While it is important that our homestay families are compensated, we have learned through experience that if people are in it only for the money, it simply doesn t work. Homestay is more than just renting a room it s about inviting someone into your life. Some students will want to actively participate in your family s life. Others may want to be more independent. Some will be shy. Others will be outgoing. Each student has his or her own unique qualities. There are many differences, both cultural and personal, between our students and host families. We ask both groups to always remember the golden rule treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. Having an international student in your home can be fun and rewarding for you and your family. All it takes is time, patience and a willingness to share your life. 306-966-5915 2
Homestay Considerations Before accepting a student into your home, ask yourself and your family these questions: 1. Will we be at home for the duration of the student s stay? For short-term special programs, homestay families must be in town for the entire duration of the program. For long-term placements, exceptions can be made, but only through consultation with University of Saskatchewan Language Centre Homestay staff. If you must leave town on an emergency, please inform our office at 306-966-5915. 2. Is my family flexible enough to accept a foreign student with language and cultural differences? Keep in mind that language and culture are not right or wrong they re just different. 3. How many students can concurrently live in our home? It is our policy to place a maximum of two students per family. If you have time and space to accommodate three students, please discuss options with our Homestay staff. Keep in mind that three student placements per family are exceptional. Very few families successfully meet the additional requirements. 4. Does our household insurance cover us if we are hosting students? There may be a limit to the number of students you can host or a limitation to hosting at all for that matter. Talk to your insurance broker to learn more. 306-966-5915 3
Family & Student Responsibilities ACCOMMODATIONS Students require a clean, comfortable room equipped with a bed, desk, lamp, dresser, closet, good lighting and adequate heat in the winter. The room must be private and not shared with other students or host family members. TRANSPORTATION Our students rely on Saskatoon Transit services to get to and from the University and need to understand bus routes and schedules. Take the bus with your students to and from the University of Saskatchewan Language Centre and downtown. Point out landmarks along the way. Show them where to purchase a bus pass. Bus passes are their financial responsibility. If you have an extra bicycle that you don t mind lending, a student will appreciate borrowing it. Explain why it is important to have a good lock and show them how to use it. LANGUAGE IN THE HOME Most of our ESL students are here specifically to learn English in preparation for University study in Canada. To help them succeed, we place them in English-speaking homes. Encourage them to speak English at all times and if your family happens to speak another language, please speak English only when communicating with or around students. FAMILY ACTIVITIES & OUTINGS Please invite your students to join in family activities and outings. If there are costs involved that you are not covering, let them know when you invite them. This will help prevent any misunderstanding and let them decide whether or not they can afford to join in. SPENDING TIME TOGETHER Spend as much time as possible with your students. This will help establish a good relationship as they build confidence in their English speaking skills. MEALS & MEAL TIMES Invite students to join your family for meals. Provide three healthy meals per day: breakfast, lunch and supper. Most of our students are young adults with healthy appetites. Have snacks on hand and make them available. Ensure that your students know when meal times are scheduled. If you are going out, let them know that you will not be home and set something aside or let them know what food is available for them. Students are also expected to let you know if they will not be home for dinner. Tip: In many cultures, it is considered impolite to take a second helping the first time it is offered. Ask your student at least twice if they would like more food. He or she may also have distinct food preferences or allergies. Please be sure to ask what they like and dislike. LINENS & TOILETRIES Families are expected to provide clean linens (bedding and towels). Students will purchase their own toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, cosmetics, etc). Families should also supply soap and toilet paper. AIRPORT PICKUP & DROP OFF Families are required to pick up students from the airport. For short-term programs, families are also expected to return students to the airport on their departure day. For long-term programs, families are encouraged to assist students with their departure. Note: For the safety and security of our students, we ask that only homestay parents and family members pick students up at the airport. 306-966-5915 4
Household Routines Remember: sometimes the most obvious things in our day-to-day lives can be foreign to people from other cultures. Each time you take in a new student, clearly explain any household routines and expectations. It is important to make rules very clear from the beginning and to be consistent. HOUSE KEYS & SECURITY Give students a house key and show them which door to use. Show them how to lock/ unlock the door and have them try it a few times. If you have a security system, explain how it works and ask your students to try it out in front of you. Make sure they know to close windows and lock doors when everyone is out. Tip: Explain why it is always a good idea to keep valuables out of sight even at home. CURFEWS If you have house rules such as curfews, please explain them in advance. Remember, these students are young adults and their language skills do not reflect their maturity level. BATH & SHOWER TIMES Show your students which bathroom you want them to use and let them know if there is a specific time you would prefer they bathe or shower (i.e mornings vs evenings). Discuss any shower-length restrictions in advance. Not all countries use hot water tanks so students may not be aware that the hot water supply will run out. KEEPING A CLEAN BATHROOM Students are expected to keep their bathroom clean. You may need to show them how to tidy up and where towels, toilet paper, soap, etc. are stored. Show them where to keep their toiletries and personal towels. If necessary, ensure they know how to dispose of feminine hygiene items. 306-966-5915 5
Household Routines LAUNDRY Students may opt to do their own laundry or have it done as part of family washing. Show them how to use the machines and where to put dirty clothes. If you have household laundry rules, go through them with your student. Tip: Students may feel sensitive about their personal items and might prefer to do their own laundry. ENERGY CONSERVATION & RECYCLING Ensure that your students are aware of your household energy conservation efforts (e.g. turning lights out, keeping the thermostat down or recycling). Tip: Many students come from warmer climates and find Canadian homes much cooler than what they are accustomed to. Extra blankets and a space heater will help them feel more comfortable. Ensure that they understand how to use our bedding (i.e. sleeping between the sheets with the blankets or quilt on top). KITCHEN APPLIANCES Show your students where to find kitchen items and how to use all appliances. Let them know what they can or can t use. Consider anything they need to know if they are the last to use an item or finish contents from a condiment jar or beverage carton. HOUSEHOLD CHORES Encourage students to help around the house with simple chores and to especially do them along side other family members. It provides good opportunities for conversation and socialization. Tip: household chore expectations differ in various cultures and many students may have never helped around the house before. Please show them how they can assist in preparing their own lunches, cleaning up after themselves and other areas you may ask them to pitch in and help with. Students absolutely cannot babysit the family s children. EMERGENCIES If you work outside the home, please let your students know how to reach you in case of an emergency. Provide them with a list of emergency phone numbers for you and your family members. If a student is sick, please call the Language Centre at 306-966-4351 before 9:00 am so their teacher can be notified. If a student needs medical attention, please help them get to a clinic or doctor. Make a list of your student s emergency contacts (i.e. parents, legal guardian etc.) with names, email addresses and telephone numbers from their home country so they can be notified if an emergency arises. 306-966-5915 6
Communication & Activity Tips Interacting & Engaging with your Students RELAX AND ENJOY GETTING TO KNOW THEM. They may be very apprehensive and insecure, likely due to language barriers and cultural differences. The primary goal of our Homestay Program is to help our students overcome these barriers as they learn to communicate more fluently and comfortably in English. There will be miscommunications and misunderstandings along the way. Please be patient. This is part of their learning process. Tip: Often students want to be polite and will answer yes to any question. Try to ask questions that require more than a yes or no response. Some Ideas to Help Make Your Students Feel More at Home Place flowers or a small fruit basket in their room as a nice welcoming gesture. Sometimes comfort foods are appreciated. Try to include foods that would be familiar to them, such as rice or green tea. Ask them if they would like to help prepare a meal from their country. Include them in simple daily activities, such as: breakfast and dinner conversation watching TV or sports setting the table, meal preparation, gardening, etc. Invite them along when you run errands. A trip to the hardware store or supermarket can be an interesting cultural event for them and will help you understand their food preferences. Invite them to join you for a walk, run, or a visit to the library or community centre. Introduce them to your neighbours and friends Create situations that include all family members such as: sharing photos and family albums playing cards work on a jigsaw puzzle together. Help them plan their daily trips. Suggest interesting city events they could attend. Have them plan and teach you how to cook an ethnic dish. Have a picnic in the park or beach. Encourage your students to talk about themselves: ask open-ended questions like What sports do you like? or Tell me about your family speak clearly and a little more slowly than usual avoid exaggerations avoid using broken English and slang. Give instructions in simple language and ask them to tell you what they understood. Avoid asking, Do you understand? as students will always nod and answer yes. Smiles, laughter and genuine warmth and caring are the same in all cultures. Have a wonderful time! 306-966-5915 7
Fees & Student Placement HOMESTAY FEES Please refer to our Homestay Contracts for details. Contracts are available on our website at: uslcstudent.usask.ca/ housing/homestayfamily.php#about. These contracts are updated every term to accurately reflect dates and fees. Please download copies directly from the site. If you have questions about how you will be paid, please contact our office at 306-966-5915. HOMESTAY PLACEMENT PROCEDURES The University of Saskatchewan Language Centre (USLC) Homestay Office will send you a profile for each new student. This document also provides flight information so you know when to pick up your student at the airport. Contact assigned students by email before they arrive and get to know them in advance. This also helps our students and their families feel more comfortable about their new situation in a new country. The USLC Homestay Office provides students with basic information about their assigned family and contact information. These are kept on file. You will also receive the personal profile of your new students before they arrive. Note: Only those students placed in Canadian homes through the USLC Homestay Office are considered University of Saskatchewan Homestay placements. ESL students in Canadian homes on their own or through private arrangement do not fall under the jurisdiction and policies of the University of Saskatchewan or Languages Canada. REMOVING STUDENTS To ensure a rewarding experience for families and students, all participants are screened in advance. On very rare occasions, a student may be removed from a home. This only happens under extreme circumstances that involve harassment, theft, severe personality/lifestyle conflicts, inadequate food, overcrowding, a lack of cultural sensitivity, a lack of communication (in English), a student s inability to follow rules, inappropriate behaviour, and situations where students or families feel alienated from each other. Note: while there is an increasing need for homestay families, placements are based on student enrolment numbers. We cannot always guarantee a student placement or that a replacement will be available if an assignment doesn t work out. CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS For the safety and security of our international students, criminal record checks are conducted for everyone in a homestay family who is over the age of 18. For more information, please download our Criminal Record Check pdf document. International students are extensively screened during their visa application process. Note: To meet criterias set by Languages Canada, students can only be placed with homestay families if and when their file is complete. This includes having all criminal record checks up-to-date. IF PROBLEMS ARISE USLC Homestay staff act as a resource and a liaison for both you and your students. If you have any issues or concerns with your students, please call our office at 306-966-5915. 306-966-5915 8
Program Information & Staff Directory CLASS SCHEDULES & ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENTS Classes run for four hours during mornings (8:30 am 12:30 pm) or for four hours in the afternoon (12:30 4:30 pm). Note: while it is important that Homestay families support and encourage students with regard to their English proficiency, we ask that people refrain from giving personal opinions about a student s level and ability. We have found that doing so may cause problems when students receive their formal assessments. Please encourage your students to discuss any placement concerns directly with their instructors. STUDENT LUNCHES Students bring bag lunches to school on weekdays. The Language Centre provides a student lounge and lunch room. STUDENT ACTIVITIES Students will spend most of their time on campus at the University of Saskatchewan Language Centre. As part of their ESL program and study, an extra-curricular activities program is offered to students. These activities provide learning opportunities through a variety of field trips or cultural, recreational and social events. If you have questions about our Activities Program, please visit uslcstudent.usask.ca/activities/activities-program.php UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN LANGUAGE CENTRE ACCOMMODATION STAFF Please call us if you have questions or concerns. Debra Marshall, Coordinator Accommodation...306-966-5915 Julissa Castillo, Accommodation Assistant/Financial Services...306-966-7054 General Office...306-966-4351 The University of Saskatchewan Language Centre is located in the Williams Building on 221 Cumberland Avenue North. 306-966-5915 9