Student Accommodation

What is a Homestay?
Homestay is when a student lives with a family in their home and joins in with all the daily routines of the family. Homestay has many great benefits and provides many challenges for the student. Secondary schools will require students to live in a homestay or school hostel if any places are available. Most secondary schools require a student to live in a school administered homestay until they finish at the school. Homestay is also the preferred option for English Language students.

Homestay Benefits
- Homestay provides the opportunity to practice English in real-life situations and helps English development.
- Homestay enables students to become familiar with New Zealand people, life-style and culture and contributes to their personal development and understanding.
- Homestay is a great way to make friends and to join in a wide-range of social and sporting activities.
- For older students homestay can save time and cost in renting and setting up a flat including telephone and electricity accounts.

Homestay Challenges
Homestay presents a range of personal and physical challenges which students need to overcome. These challenges will make the student a stronger and more understanding person and provide a solid foundation for their future life. The main challenges are
- different values and customs
- homesickness
- the family can talk in English which students may not understand
- a need to be sensitive to the people in the home all the time
- the food is different

The New Zealand Family
Many students expect their homestay family will be made up of a mother, father and several children. This image of a typical New Zealand family is now less common than before. Firstly New Zealand is a multi-cultural society and it is no longer appropriate to think that New Zealanders have all descended from the British people who first arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries. New Zealand people now get married later, have less children and over a third of marriages now end in divorce. As a result families may consist of, for example, a divorced mother and her children, an unmarried couple or an elderly couple.

New Zealand law treats a husband and wife equally and many women also work in regular jobs. Housework is often shared between a husband, wife and other members of the house and the homestay student will also be expected to help. New Zealand families do not have servants although sometimes they may have contractors to mow the lawns and do gardening.

New Zealand law also forbids discrimination on the grounds of religion, sex, marital status, race or ethnic origin. Because of this law accommodation managers at institutions cannot choose one type of family over another family. The most important requirements of homestay families are good English, a safe, warm and comfortable family home, and a friendly and caring parent(s). Every family and home will be different and some families will be able to do more things with a student than other families.

Living in a Homestay Family
Students are welcomed into the home and accepted as a member of the family. The family should help the student settle in and make sure they are comfortable and the meals are okay. They should involve the student in family activities, talk with them about school and life and make them feel at home. Students have a responsibility to assist with the smooth running of the household, and along with other members, help with normal household jobs.

The homestay will have some rules which they will explain and every homestay will have some different rules. All students should keep their room clean and tidy and put out their dirty clothes regularly for washing.

Your Room
Most New Zealand homes will not have locks on bedroom doors so do not be surprised. People should knock on the door before entering but sometimes young children may enter without knocking and it will take time for them to learn. Remember before your came this room was free to play in. Do not change the furniture in the room around or put anything on the walls unless the homestay says it is okay.

It is unusual to have TV in the bedroom but a small stereo is okay but keep the noise down at night and turn it off before going to sleep. More students now have a computer in their room and this is becoming normal. To get the internet connected you must have a separate telephone line. This will cost about NZ$30 per month and the homestay family must give permission first to have this telephone line installed.

Do not smoke in the bedroom
Smoking makes the room smell and can be dangerous in the bedroom. If you must smoke it is likely the homestay will ask you to go outside. It is generally not acceptable for secondary school students to smoke.

Food
Do not store or eat food in the bedroom as it will attract mice and pests. It is also very easy to spill food on the floor and mark the carpets. It is okay to eat some small snack foods but do not take meals in the bedroom.

Washing
Do not dry clothes in the bedroom or place underclothes under the bed to dry. Most homestays will ask you to regularly put your washing in the laundry together with the homestay washing. Do not dry clothes on heaters as this may cause a fire.

Meals
Homestay normally includes breakfast and dinner meals for everyday of the week and lunches in the weekends. Secondary school homestays will also include school lunches for the student to take to school although it can also be normal practice for the students to make their own school lunches from ingredients supplied by the homestay.

It is important students try the new foods available as this is all part of the overseas experience. If there is any food you cannot eat due to religious, health or other reasons you must tell the homestay parents who will do their best to make the changes. There will be times when the student will have the opportunity to cook a meal from their own country and to introduce the homestay to their favourite foods.

Breakfast
A New Zealand morning meal breakfast, usually consists of cereal (rice bubbles, Weet-Bix, cornflakes etc) and milk, toast/bread, and a drink of tea/coffee/Milo/milk or juice. Sometimes there is fresh or canned fruit and some families may occasionally, normally in weekends, have a cooked breakfast of eggs, sausages, tomato or similar. Noodles are also a quick and easy meal that can be eaten for breakfast. Breakfast is a very informal meal and everyone in the home will probably have their meals at different times because the morning is very busy. The homestay will show the student where the breakfast foods are kept and it is probable that students will make their own breakfasts. It is good manners to put the ingredients back and to clean up after you have finished breakfast. Especially put the butter, margarine and milk back in the fridge. Breakfast is usually eaten between 7am and 8am depending on what time you need to leave to go to school.

Lunch
At school lunch is normally taken from 12:30pm to 1:30pm and this is the same in the weekends. School lunches usually consist of sandwiches, a piece of fruit or cake and a drink. Lunches in the weekends can be very casual because everyone is more relaxed and have their own plans. Often no formal meal is prepared and family members may make their own lunch.

Dinner
Dinner, the main evening meal, is normally served between 6pm and 7:30pm. Dinner is the most formal meal and everyone is expected to sit down together at the same time to eat dinner. Most dinners consist of a main course and sometimes, but not always, dessert or ice cream. It is normal to help clear the table and help with the dishwashing after the meal. Sometimes the family will have takeaway food on Friday night like MacDonald's, KFC, Pizza or Chinese. Where the takeaway food is replacing the normal meal the cost should be paid by the homestay. However if there are times when the student cannot be home for the meal and they eat outside the homestay this is at the students cost.

It is very, very important that the student tells the family a long time in advance if they are not going to be home for any meal. For the dinner meal the student must tell the family at breakfast time. Do not tell the family 2 or 3 hours before the dinner time as all the preparations for the meal are already underway.

Bathroom
Most bathrooms have a shower or a shower over the bath and a hand basin. It is common for the toilet to be in a separate room but it is sometimes also in the bathroom. Use the hand basin for washing your face or cleaning teeth. There will be a bathmat which is like a small, heavy towel and this should be used to stand on when stepping out of the shower or bath to avoid getting the bathroom floor wet. Once you have dried yourself please hang up the bathmat. You will have your own towels supplied by the homestay and you should hang up your towel after each use so it can dry. Towels are normally replaced only every 4 or 5 days.

Some houses will have a ceiling fan or window which should be used in the bathroom to stop the room steaming up. Toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet and not put in the rubbish basket.

Students are expect to buy and use their own soap, toothpaste, toothbrush and hair shampoo.

Do not spend too long in the bathroom as other family members will also wish to use the room. Especially do not use the shower for more than 5-10 minutes as the hot water is limited and expensive. Many homestay families will become upset easily if you stay in the shower too long.

Male household members are expected to lift the toilet seat when going to the toilet and to put the seat back down when finished. Female household members should wrap sanitary pads in paper and put them in the rubbish bin. Do not flush these down the toilet. Tampons can be flushed down the toilet but not the wrappers and applicators.

When you have finished in the bathroom ensure it is left tidy and leave the door open.

Laundry and Washing
Every homestay will have a different routine for clothes washing and this will be explained soon after your arrival. It is normal for the homestay to change and wash the bed linen each week and to wash all clothes together.

You will probably need to place all your dirty clothes in the linen basket so they can be collected and washed regularly by the homestay. The day the washing is done will often depend on the weather and how busy the homestay is.

Some students may want to hand-wash their own underwear and this should be done in the laundry and not in the bathroom.

Clothes are usually dried outside on a clothesline and in the winter the homestay may use a clothes dryer or hang the clothes in the garage.

Electricity
New Zealand uses 240 volts electricity and adaptor plugs can be purchased so international appliances can be used. Students should turn off the lights, stereo, heater etc in their room to save on electricity when they are not in the room. At night everyone sleeps with lights out and students must do this also.

Some students may find it cold in the winter. And it is important to wear warm clothing and a sweater or jacket. Many students complain of being cold but they only wear t-shirts! Heaters should be used carefully as they can start a fire and the electricity they use is expensive. Never leave a heater unattended and do not ever go to sleep with the heater on in the bedroom.

Homestay Telephone
In almost every homestay the telephone can be the greatest problem. There is normally only one telephone in each homestay so phone calls should be kept short. However if you are talking with your parents overseas it should be ok to talk a little longer. Because overseas telephone calls can be expensive it is a good idea to have your family telephone you at the same time each week so they pay for the call.

New Zealand telephone accounts are itemised and the cost of each call can be calculated when the monthly account arrives. However many homestay families become quickly concerned at the high cost students spend on the telephone and there have been situations where the students have not paid or are slow to pay the homestay for their telephone use. It is therefore understandable why some families may not allow students to make international calls from the homestay telephone.

Many students now have their own mobile phone or use phone cards or coded access to make their calls at their own cost and this is a good option.

Do not use the telephone after 9:30pm and please ensure your family and friends overseas are aware of the time difference so they do not wake the homestay in the middle of the night!

House Key
After you have been at the homestay sufficient time to show you are trustworthy it is likely you will be given a door key. Please look after this key carefully and do not give it to anyone else. You will be asked to lock the door and make sure all the windows are closed and the home is secure when you are the last person to leave the house. This is an important responsibility.

Homestay Payment
It is normal for the homestay fees to be paid to the school or agent prior to your arrival. The homestay payment can be different between schools and cities but is normally between NZ$150 and NZ$200 per week. It is also normal for a once-only homestay arrangement or registration fee to be paid and this can be between NZ$150 and NZ$450. The homestay is generally paid in advance every 2 weeks and the payment is set by the institution/agent.

All secondary schools will insist the student remains in a school-administered homestay where the homestay fees are fixed but the situation with students at tertiary institutions is more flexible.

Problem Solving
There will always be issues with which students and homestays will need guidance and assistance. Remember you are living in a family home and the emphasis is more on the student to adapt to the new living conditions. Most problems are a result of poor communication and it is important students make every effort to understand the homestay requirements as best they can. It is difficult to improve communications if a student does not speak or stays in his/her room all the time.

If there is a real problem you must talk with the International Student Dean or Homestay Manager at your school. Often you will find what you thought was a big problem was really something simple. However the priority remains that you must try your best to be a member of the family and only then will you find how successful and enjoyable homestay can be.

Leaving the Homestay
It is important you tell your school/agent several weeks in advance of when and why you will be leaving the homestay. This may be for the holiday or if you are finishing school. You should pack all your belongings and leave your bedroom clean and tidy and pay any accounts or telephone costs before you go. Because homestays receive their payment in advance you may not get a refund of fees if you do not give at least 2 weeks notice of moving. Always leave another address so the homestay can send your mail to you and they can keep in contact with you.