Become a Homestay Family
Hosting international students in your home can be a fulfilling experience, giving you an opportunity to share your city and culture with a student who is here to study and explore. Becoming a homestay family of Edusmart Canada will give you the chance to:
- Discover a new culture and make new memories as you connect with your homestay student
- Play a part in a transformative experience of your international student for life
- Access 24/7 support service that you need from Edusmart Homestay team
How does our homestay program work?
Step 1.
Fill out the initial information of you and your family to show your interest. You will be contacted by phone or email to go through our initial consultation process with one of our homestay team members.
Step 2.
After the initial consultation, you will be asked to fill out a Host Family Application and sign a Homestay Agreement Form. Our Homestay team will review your application and if you meet the requirements, we will contact you to set up a home visit.
Step 3.
A member of the Homestay team will conduct a home visit. This is a chance to get to know you and see if your family and home are suitable for hosting an international student.
Step 4.
After the home visit, you will be asked for a criminal record check and references. Once we have all the necessary documents from you, you will be added to our homestay family list.
Homestay rules and expectations
- Provide the student a clean private room with adequate bedding, door (with or without a lock), window(s), dresser, closet, desk, chair, and table lamp.
- Supply extra blankets during the colder months. Canadians tend to keep their homes cooler than what many students are accustomed to.
- Provide soap, toilet paper and detergent to wash clothes. Students supply their own toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, cosmetics etc.)
- Prepare or offer three healthy and adequate meals per day with access to snacks. Check in regularly with your student to make sure they are getting enough food.
- Encourage and be available to have dinner with your student as often as possible.
- Teach your student about your pet – many students have never lived with a pet
- Provide a key or code so your student can come and go from your home
- Provide internet access.
- Show your student how and where to catch public transit and help them buy a Compass Card.
- Be clear about house rules and meal schedules, laundry (at least once a week), shower times (for example, no later than 10 pm), how to not disturb the family when coming home late, keeping their room tidy, etc.
- Try not to assume your student knows things – show more than tell