Homestay in Adelaide for School Students

Lou-Ann comes from France, and while she has been studying in South Australia, she has lived...

Settling into South Australian life

Lou-Ann comes from France, and while she has been studying in South Australia, she has lived with homestay family Kathryn, Richard and their three girls.

“Lou-Ann has fit in well with our three girls, there is always giggling and laughter coming from the bedrooms.”

“She has joined one of our girls at her girls football training, which Lou-Ann is loving and she is going to start attending Tea Tree Gully gymnastics for the term as well. She has held a Koala and we have done a few other ‘tourist-type’ activities.”

Lou-Ann definitely helps around the house and offers to cook meals, she has also cooked crepes for us and also for her school class. Lou-ann talks about some friends she has at school so as far as I am aware all is good there too.

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Homestay stories

Have you ever thought about hosting an international student? We asked one of our homestays, Anna,...

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Q&A with an experienced homestay

Have you ever thought about hosting an international student? We asked one of our homestays, Anna, about her experiences hosting international students in her home.

When did you first start hosting international students and why?

We started in 2014 when we moved to Brisbane for 1 year due to work commitments. We thought it would be a good idea to host international students as our 5-year old son was on his own and we thought it would be good for him to learn different cultures as he was an only child.

What countries have you hosted students from?

Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil, China, Korea, German, Norway, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam.

How long does it usually take for a student to feel settled in and part of the family?

We feel it takes about 4 weeks.

What has been the most rewarding experience about hosting?

Watching them grow as a person and discovering the Australian culture as well as improving their English and knowing that they realise that they have grown into a better-informed person.

What have been some of the challenges?

Homesickness, shyness, and students not meeting people or wanting to go out exploring.

Are there any particular activities that your students have most enjoyed?

Yes, we take our students to Black point (Yorke Peninsula) for the weekend about twice a year and they love the peace, serenity, beach, and just having fun for the weekend. As well as Gorge wildlife park, extended family get-together’s, any kind of celebration that we have in Australia e.g. Xmas pageant, Halloween, Easter and eating different foods

Do you have any handy hints for other homestays in our program?

Make them feel welcome and part of the family, the long life friendship is rewarding.

If someone was thinking about becoming a homestay for international students, what would be your advice and recommendations?

Just do it!! It’s a learning experience for everyone!! Learning about different cultures and showing them what a great country we live in and the bond and friendship we create is phenomenal. We are strangers at first that turn into family.

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Homestay stories

Wendy and Phillip have been hosting students for over 15 years and have made some lasting...

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Catching up with past students in the UK

Wendy and Phillip have been hosting students for over 15 years and have made some lasting friendships with their students. They recently returned from her UK trip which where they met up with their ex-students. Here are some of their photos and stories:

This is Alke, our first ever student 15 years ago, who is now a Doctor of Paediatrics in Berlin. Alke and her partner Harry spent last Christmas back in Adelaide with us.

Natalie from Frankfurt has returned to Adelaide twice since staying with us as a 16 year old. Natalie also studied 1 year in Scotland, and she flew to Edinburgh when she knew we would be travelling there. It was lovely to catch up with her in August 2018. She is working for an advertising agency in Frankfurt after studying her business degree.

We also had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful Julie (below photos), meeting her mother Cecile and also her grandparents Helene and Norbert and we were lucky enough to stay with them in Montpellier. Julie is now studying a double degree and is very much a world traveller having recently travelled to Nice, Shanghai, America and attended the Cannes Film Festival as part of her studies, and a trip to Korea is coming up.

Both Julie and Natalie have formed a friendship since meeting 7 years ago (on a return visit to see us in Adelaide) and the students have also visited each other numerous times in their respective cities of Paris and Frankfurt.

We love following our rather large ‘family’ on their respective journeys from their teens through to adulthood and have found providing homestay for the past 15 years to be a wonderful and extremely rewarding experience.