We are always looking for Host families/couples or single professionals for a Host Family Project for Foreign Students who will be studying at New College Durham. We do not discriminate family set-ups, as long as you meet the basic requirements you will be accepted whatever your family set-up.
We have been doing the Host Family project now for 6 years and over time have expanded dramatically from just 30 students to requests in excess of 80 students a year.
We have a large number of projects on the go and receive students from Norway, Denmark and all areas of Asia.
The students range from 16 years upwards and the length of stay varies enormously depending on the project they are from. A large number arrive in September and stay until June. Some come in January for just 8 weeks, others stay for 1 year, duration is dependent on which project they are from.
Requirements of a host:
- You must have your own home.
- Have a welcoming and friendly home, support and integrate a student into the family life and home.
- You will need to provide the student with breakfast (e.g cereal/toast/fruit) and an evening meal. Lunch during the week is the responsibility of the student although if they are around on a weekend then this is to be included. We expect students to fit into family life, enjoy chatting over evening meals and being part of the family.
- You must live within easy commute to New College Durham, so you must be able to get to the college on public transport within a sensible travelling time.
- Unlimited Wifi access
- Have experience of teenagers either through your own children or your work and have an interest in being a host family.
What we offer:
- You will receive support from our company Accommodation Officer and this is available 24/7
- There is a dedicated member of support staff at New College Durham who is allocated to each project. You will receive support from that member of staff along with our support.
- We will pay you directly into your bank account each week. Rates are dependent on project and explained during your visit.
Process
Initial enquiry: You call or email us to register your interest. Even if you are not sure that you meet the requirements please do not hesitate to ask anyway. Never know, till you ask.
Screening process: We will ask you a number of questions on the phone to establish if you qualify or not. This will involve asking you about your experience, work commitments, location etc. Please do not worry if you have never done this before, you have to start somewhere!
Home Visit: If you meet all the basic requirements we will carry out a home visit to get to know you better, explain the projects in more detail, allow you to ask any questions and for us to see the room you have on offer and a general look around the house. At this stage we will let you know if you are successful or not.
What next?
We will keep in touch and let you know what we have on offer. We always need families who are ready to take students. We have families where the matching hasn’t worked and personalities have clashed and therefore students need relocating. Holiday cover is always required for those hosts on longer projects and have booked holidays. Emergency cover is also required.
Once we have a student for you then we will get in touch with lots of information for you including a profile about the student and email addresses to allow you to make contact.
Interested? Contact us here!
