For many families in China, sending their children to primary and secondary schools in the UK is an important choice to open the road to elite education for their children. When parents can‘t accompany their children to study in Britain for a long time, the host family becomes a warm harbor for their children to live in a foreign country.
For many families in China, sending their children to primary and secondary schools in the UK is an important choice to open the road to elite education for their children. When parents can't accompany their children to study in Britain for a long time, the host family becomes a warm harbor for their children to live in a foreign country.
一、Why do you need a host family?
The school year of primary and secondary schools in Britain is usually divided into three semesters. The first semester lasts from September to December, followed by the second semester from the end of December to the end of April, and finally the third semester from April to the end of June. After three semesters, there are relatively long holidays. During the long vacation, international students still have the opportunity to return to the motherland to reunite with their families and enjoy the warmth of family ties. However, the problem is that there is a mid-term holiday of about 10 days in the middle of three semesters, which makes international students whose parents are not in Britain in trouble.
As soon as the school is on holiday, students leave school and return home, and teachers also start the holiday mode. The campus is empty and there are almost no special people to take care of the international students who stay in school. At this time, if the child stays at school alone, not only will no one ask about his diet and daily life, but he will be isolated in case of emergency. The existence of host families just fills this gap, just like a bright lamp illuminating a child's lonely short vacation time.
Host families provide a temporary but warm "home" for international students, so that even if they are in a foreign country, they can feel the warmth and care of home in a familiar family atmosphere, spend a short holiday with peace of mind and comfort, and not wander in helplessness. This is the key reason why international students need host families when they study in boarding schools in Britain.
二、In general, what kind of family will become a host family?
In Britain, the screening of host families is strictly regulated, and not all families are qualified to accept international students. Usually, those successful host families have the following commonalities.
On the one hand, from the level of qualification examination, British authoritative institutions such as the International Student Guardianship Association (AEGIS) strictly control. The most important point is that the host family members are required to have no criminal record in the past three years. This is an insurmountable red line, which guarantees the personal safety of children and the purity of the living environment. Moreover, the home must be equipped with complete designated facilities, such as a clean and tidy, warm and comfortable bedroom, to provide children with a quiet rest place; There are also desks, chairs and lamps that meet the learning needs, so that children can study with peace of mind after class without being disturbed by the environment. More crucially, the host family should have a good communication and feedback mechanism, always pay attention to the children's daily mood fluctuations, whether it is homesickness or anxiety under academic pressure, they can be keenly aware and inform the school and parents in time, and truly protect the children's growth in all directions.
On the other hand, from the perspective of family background and motivation, most host families come from the ranks of ordinary families in Britain. They are involved in the homestay business, and there are multiple motivations behind them. Some families are eager for foreign cultures, and they are eager to enjoy the customs around the world and broaden their horizons by receiving international students without leaving home. For example, some British families have a special liking for the traditional culture of China. When welcoming young guests from China, they will discuss the customs of the Spring Festival and the mysteries of Chinese characters with their children with great interest, and they will gain a lot in cross-cultural communication. At the same time, many families regard it as an ideal "part-time job", and on the premise of ensuring their own life in an orderly way, they can improve their quality of life with this extra income and kill two birds with one stone.
Moreover, in order to ensure the quality of boarding service, a strict supervision system continues to operate. International children will receive a detailed satisfaction evaluation form after boarding time, covering the details of accommodation, the temperature of caring and companionship, the smoothness of daily communication and many other areas. Once the evaluation is not good, it means that the family may lose boarding qualification. Such a strong restraint mechanism urges host families to do their best to care for boarding students like their own children, and carefully create a "second home" full of love and warmth, so that children studying in foreign countries can always feel the warmth of home. Therefore, on the whole, those who can become host families are warm harbor families that have undergone many tests and sincerely welcome international children to integrate.
三、What are the benefits of a host family?
For international students who go to study in the UK, the benefits brought by homestays go far beyond the simple accommodation and become a solid boost for their growth in foreign countries.
First of all, host families can greatly help international students integrate into the local environment. When I first arrived in a strange country, everything around me seemed so fresh and disturbing. While staying with local families, children seem to have found a shortcut to integrate into a new life. Starting from the daily life, the members of the host family will patiently teach their children how to take the bus, how to go shopping in the supermarket and get familiar with the surrounding living facilities. When children get lost in the street, or are confused about a local custom, the host family members are their most intimate guides, answering questions at the first time, allowing children to quickly adapt to the new environment and reducing anxiety and anxiety caused by strangeness.
Secondly, immersed in the English environment created by the host family, children's English level can be improved rapidly. Every morning, I am awakened by greetings from British English, and I can talk freely with my family members at dinner and share their daily interesting stories and campus experiences. This all-weather English communication scene is hard to replicate in any classroom teaching. Children are no longer mechanically reciting words and practicing grammar, but unconsciously mastering authentic English expressions in natural and smooth conversations, and their oral ability is advancing by leaps and bounds, laying a solid language foundation for future academic development.
Moreover, host families can also give valuable guidance to children in making friends in life, learning and development. Most members of host families have rich life experiences. They have witnessed the growth of countless children and accumulated a lot of experience. When children meet the problem of making friends at school and don't know how to get along with classmates from different cultural backgrounds, the elders of host families can rely on their own wisdom in life to make suggestions for children and help them establish good interpersonal relationships. If children encounter bottlenecks in their studies and are confused about their future professional choice and career planning, host family members can also provide some unique insights based on their own experiences to guide children to find the way forward.
Although the host family is mainly responsible for the children's daily life, their care and help are like bundles of warm light, illuminating the children's way of studying in a foreign country, so that children can still thrive and gain full knowledge and love when they are away from their parents.
四、How to apply for a host family?
When it is determined that the child needs a host family, it is very important to understand the application channels. At present, there are three main ways for parents and students to choose.
First, apply through the school. This is one of the most common and worry-free ways. Students submit their applications for homestay families to their schools. By virtue of their rich resources and in-depth understanding of the families in the surrounding communities, the schools can accurately find a highly matched homestay family according to students' personality, habits, hobbies and other needs. Schools usually maintain long-term and stable cooperative relations with many local families. These families have been screened in the early stage of the school, and they have certain guarantees in terms of living conditions and personnel quality, which can provide children with a relatively secure living environment and let parents have no worries.
Second, with the help of agencies. There are many professional host family agencies active in the market, which hold a large number of host family information resources and can provide students with diversified choices in a short time. However, it should be noted that the agency will charge a certain service fee during the service process, and the price range varies from institution to institution. When choosing an agency, parents must carefully identify their qualifications, word of mouth and past successful cases to ensure that they are entrusted with non-people. A reliable agency can not only help children find suitable host families efficiently, but also help to deal with all kinds of unexpected problems during the follow-up stay and ensure the smooth progress of children's boarding life.
Third, look for it yourself. Some parents or students want to have more initiative, and they will choose to find a host family through website search or friend introduction. Using the Internet platform, you can find some websites that publish the supply and demand information of host families, which list the detailed information of many families, including address, family members' composition, accommodation expenses, etc., so as to facilitate parents' screening. Introduction by friends is also a way. If there are friends who are familiar with the local situation in Britain, the host families recommended by them are often more credible. However, there are some risks in this way of self-searching. Whether it is the authenticity of online information or the limitation of friends' recommendation, parents and students need to be extremely motivated and do a full background investigation in advance, such as verifying family identity information and field visits to the living environment, so as to ensure the safety and comfort of children after moving in.
The cost of applying for a host family is generally about 50-100 pounds a month, which usually covers accommodation and food, and the overall cost performance is relatively high, which can reduce a lot of financial burden for students' study trip in the UK. The fees charged by different regions and families may be slightly different. Parents can comprehensively consider various factors when choosing, weigh the pros and cons, and choose the most suitable host family for their children.
五、What are the precautions for living in a host family?
When a child is lucky enough to stay in a host family and start a journey of family life in a foreign country, knowing and observing some precautions can make the child get along more harmoniously with the host family and make the experience more beautiful and unforgettable.
First of all, it is the most important thing to respect and abide by the rules of the host family. Different host families may have different living habits and requirements. At the beginning of check-in, children should communicate openly with host family members to learn details such as the schedule of three meals, dietary preferences, and whether to allow eating in the room. If children need to stay late or even stay home because of special circumstances, such as attending school activities or class reunion, they must report to the host family in advance to let them know their whereabouts and avoid family worries. Similarly, if children want to bring friends home as guests, they must obtain the consent of the host family in advance, which is not only a respect for the host family, but also a necessary measure to ensure the order of family life.
Secondly, maintain good personal hygiene habits and take good care of the articles of the host family. Children should tidy up their rooms regularly, keep them clean and tidy, clean and dry their clothes in time, and make their beds smooth. For public areas at home, such as living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc., attention should also be paid to cleaning up after use, leaving no garbage or stains. When using furniture, electrical appliances and other items, we should cherish them more. If they are accidentally damaged, we should take the initiative to inform and sincerely apologize and negotiate compensation. When eating, follow the table manners of the host family, such as eating quietly and using tableware correctly, to show your manners and qualities.
Furthermore, actively integrate into the atmosphere of host families and actively communicate and interact with family members. Boarding life is not only to solve the problem of accommodation, but also a good opportunity for cross-cultural communication. Children can use their spare time to participate in family daily activities, such as watching TV programs together, discussing news hotspots, or helping to do some housework within their power, such as washing dishes, sweeping the floor, mowing the lawn, etc. This can not only enhance each other's feelings, let the host family feel the sincerity and enthusiasm of the children, but also alleviate the children's own homesickness and find a sense of belonging in a foreign country.
When parents choose a host family for their children, they can not only consider the hardware factors such as living conditions and geographical location, but also understand the soft factors such as family atmosphere and members' personality through early communication with the host family, so as to make a more suitable choice according to the children's personality characteristics and ensure that the children spend a happy and fulfilling time in the host family.