Homestay Accommodation

Homestay Guide

At IH Manchester, we are very proud of our homestay accommodation. We have found the best hosts that we can who will welcome you and look after you during your stay. They have a responsibility to make you feel welcome and “at home”, but you also have a responsibility to be a good guest. Your host will treat you as a full member of the family, eating together and sharing the common living areas.
Good communication is needed. On arrival, exchange telephone numbers with your host. Always text or call your host if you are going to be late for dinner or talk to them if there any foods you don’t like. If there is something which you do not understand or if something makes you feel uncomfortable, tell your host immediately. Our hosts are experienced with hosting students from all around the world and are here to help you feel at home.
If you are unhappy about something, but do not feel comfortable discussing it with your host, please speak with Julie, our Accommodation and Welfare Officer – [email protected] Remember, most hosts and their students form a genuine friendship that can last for the rest of their lives!

What to expect:

A clean bedroom equipped with a bed and storage for your clothes
Wifi
A desk or table somewhere quiet to do your homework
Daily access to a bathroom
Fresh towels and bed linen each week
Weekly laundry arrangements
English must be the main language spoken in the house

Homestay rules

A homestay is not a hotel. Please respect the rules applying in your new home.
Always keep your room tidy.
Lock the house door and shut the windows in your room when you leave the house in accordance with your house rules. DO NOT keep your key with your host’s address in case you lose it.
Do not use the telephone without permission.
If you wish to invite friends or schoolmates, always ask your host for permission before bringing them home.
No loud noise, speaking on Skype or music at night
Alcohol, smoking and drugs as well as bad language are prohibited.
Always try to use the English language whilst at your host family, unless communicating with your family back home.

More advice:

It is important to try to spend time with your host and make an effort to learn about them. It is also polite to volunteer to help with family chores e.g. washing up, setting and clearing the table etc. Find out when you are allowed to use the bathroom in the mornings and evenings and when are the regular family mealtimes.
Finally, remember that your host might not be of the same ethnic or religious background as yours. Please remember that you will never have to take part in your host’s religious life. However, your host will help you should you wish to practice your religion.
Curfew
Students under the age of 18 must be home before 9pm every day, without exception. If you are not home by this time and your host or the school have not heard from you, your family will be called and this will trigger the on-call team to look for you. The police might also get involved if this does not get resolved quickly.
Students over the age of 18 do not have to be home at any particular time but it is important to inform your host of an approximate time where you will be home and to be quiet if you are going to be home late.

Meals

Breakfast will be provided every morning.
Dinner will be provided every evening and eaten with your host.
Lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday (all week for full board).
You are not allowed to use the kitchen unless you have been given clear permission from your host.
If you are going to miss or be late for mealtimes, please inform your host.
More advice:
Every host is different and so each family will have different food on offer. However, please feel free to tell the family if you have any preferences.

Laundry

Your host will be doing your laundry once a week.
Do not wash your own clothes without permission or dry them in your bedroom.
More advice:
It is possible that they offer to do so more often but please discuss this schedule with them, and try to re-wear non dirty clothes – it will be good for the planet!

finally…

You must remember that people in Britain may do things differently to what you are accustomed. It is easier to misunderstand a situation when communicating in a foreign language. If you are unsure about something, ask your host family or Julie in school.