Host information
What our guests are looking for
Homestay Network guests are looking for an Australian experience during their stay regardless of the duration of the stay.
Our guests are seeking a home life, that is the sort of accommodation, meals, family lifestyle you would like to imagine your children receiving were they to stay with host families interstate or overseas. If you believe you have what it takes to provide this for students, mostly from a non-English speaking background then read on.
Provider of Residential Services
Homestay Network is a provider of residential services to children and young people as defined by the NSW Department of Community Services. This places a mandatory reporting obligation on Homestay Network in relation to Children (guests we place with our hosts who are under 16) and a reporting requirement for Young People (guests we place with our hosts who are aged between 16 and 18). Homestay Network takes seriously any report of inappropriate behaviour against Children and Young People we placed in your care.
This may mean:
- a guest could be removed from a host with little or no notice
- forfeiture of any and all amounts paid in advance for accommodation
- a report being lodged with the appropriate authorities.
For more information, please call our staff for a confidential discussion.
Minimum requirements - Basic homestay
The following items are included in basic homestay:
- Comfortable living environment in a single room (or shared if requested) with a wardrobe, study desk and lamp;
- Meals, breakfast and evening meal, are to be provided 7 days per week;
- Light lunches are to be provided on weekends where requested;
- Fruit, light snacks and noodles should be made available for the guests to snack on;
- Laundry - that is the student's can expect to either have access to the washing machine to wash their clothes. Girls typically like to wash their own clothes(this varies with culture), whilst depending on culture boys would look to have their clothes washed with the family washing
- Inbound telephone calls - it is advisable that you let the student know that calls need to be received before 10:00 PM Sydney time (not reverse charge).
The following items are not included in the basic homestay fee:
- Internet access;
- Outbound telephone calls, local calls can be made at your discretion - we advise students to purchase telephone calling cards to make mobile, interstate and overseas telephone calls.
Questions?
Groups/Short duration homestay
Short stay is typically a duration of only a few nights with the host family. This is because the students are arriving as part of a group for study purposes and they have their own itinerary for sight seeing. Our most common groups are from Japan and China, however they differ depending on the global economy. Host families usually provide homestay for 2 to 4 guests at a time. The amount paid to the host family can differ according to the package Homestay Network has negotiated with the client.
Medium duration homestay
Medium stay guests tend to stay for greater than 4 nights and less than two months. Our most common medium stay guests are either teachers from overseas taking part in an exchange programme, travellers, students who are attending a high school for a small period of time as part of the schools' curriculum or professionals from interstate.
Long duration homestay
Long stay guests stay for 8 weeks or longer, it could be two, 3 or 6 months or up to a year or longer depending on the guests needs.
Host Forms
As part of registering to become a host with Homestay Network all hosts are asked to complete the Working with Children Background Check. The forms are available below for hosts to complete. Both Working With Children forms are to be completed for all people aged 18 Years and older living in the host home.
| Apply Now - Online | Working With Children Consent | |||
| Apply Now - PDF | Working With Children Declaration |