Information for Host Families
Host Families
We are not currently looking for new homestay or houseshare families. However, things do change from time to time, and if you are interested and live within 30 mins public transport from the city, please send us your application form and we will keep it on file until needed. Please send in a current police clearance for family members over 18 with your application form. Send the completed form to Kim Sanderson, Milner International College of English, 379 Hay St, Perth WA 6000 or homestay@milner.wa.edu.au.
Below is some general information for host families about the types of accommodation we offer our students.
Homestay
- $230 per week
- Room containing bed, wardrobe and desk/table
- Breakfast and dinner Monday to Friday. All meals on weekends
House Share
- $160 per week
- Includes all utilities except phone
- Single room containing bed, wardrobe and desk/table
- Students to have access to kitchen, crockery/utensils so they can prepare their own meals.
Ages
90% of our students are aged 18 - 27 years. We take students on Group Tours as young as 13 and 14 years. This usually occurs in the middle of the year. These students usually only stay for 2 to 3 weeks. Most are teenagers but our oldest student has been 75 years old.
Arrival
Students will either have booked airport transfer and will be dropped off at your home or they will catch a taxi. We will notify you a couple of days before the student arrives as to the time their plane lands. You should expect them 1 - 2 hours after flight arrival.
Arrival for Group Tours students is different. You will need to come to the College to collect your student. This will usually be on a weekend day or after 5pm on a week day. We will contact you to confirm their arrival time and where you can meet your student.
Meals
- Breakfast
A cooked one is not necessary, but most students have healthy appetites and like something fairly substantial. In Japan and Korea, substantial breakfasts are traditional. - Lunch
If a packed lunch is required it also needs to be enough to keep the student going for the rest of the day. A sandwich, a snack and some fruit or leftovers is adequate. We have student kitchens where the student can heat up their meal. - Cooking
No special cooking is required - whatever you cook is fine, with the exception of Islamic students, whose religion bans them from eating pork. Japanese students are not keen on excessive dairy products. If we are informed of any foods students cannot eat, we will advise you.
Courses
Students can begin on any Monday and study anywhere from 2 - 48 weeks. The average is 4 - 12 weeks. Students can arrive up to one week prior to their classes to acclimatise. Please ensure that your student is at school no later than 8am on their first day for level testing.
Group Tour students' classes will start the day after they arrive. The students are younger and will need to be shown the way to school on or before their first day.
Holidays
If a student takes a holiday of more than 7 nights, they can either:
a) Pay you $75 a week (in the case of homestay) while he/she is
away to keep the room available; or
b) Pay nothing on the understanding that their room may not be
available upon their return.
Homestay distance
Students overwhelmingly request to live close to the college (or the beach). Long distances increase the difficulty of after hours travel.
Hosting more than one student
We guarantee to our students and agents that there will be no other guest in the family that speaks his/her language. You must accept this as a condition of Milner College placing students with you and it is your responsibility to advise us. No more than 3 students per household.
House Rules
We strongly advise that you explain the rules of your house when you meet the student - some families even find that it is helpful to cross the language barrier by writing the rules in the student's bedroom so that they can comprehend at their own pace. It is much better to tell your guest about meal times, use of the phone, not smoking inside etc. rather than have the embarrassment of saying "don't" later on. Particularly if your student is an adult it is much more effective if you discuss a problem with them rather than having Milner College intervene. Please contact us in the event of major problems.
Emergencies
In the case of emergencies only, outside normal office hours.
All students - call (08) 9485 7530. Emergencies include a student being seriously ill or missing. Missing means more than 1 hour overdue and not being able to contact them directly.
Thank you for only phoning us about critical issues after hours. We are available during office hours on 9325 5444
Insurance
We have never had a case of a student suing a family or vice versa, but in this litigious society of ours, we'd like to draw your attention to the fact that host family insurance is now available. We are not necessarily recommending this insurance, rather reminding you to check your current household insurance to see what your policy covers. Please make sure that it includes Public Liability, which is usually standard.
Nationalities
We have students from
- Japan
- Switzerland (French, Italian and German speaking)
- Saudi Arabia
- Brazil
- Korea
- Western Europe - including Germany, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Turkey
- Eastern Europe - including Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Russia
- South America - including Argentina, Colombia, Chile
- Other Asian Countries - including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand
Notice of leaving the Homestay
In the event a student wishes to move from the homestay to move in with a friend or because travelling time is too much, the notice period is one week. On the rare occasion that the move results from a disagreement or personality clash, our policy is to recommend that the notice period be waived. If you request a student to move immediately, it is customary to refund all the money for the unexpired period of accommodation and not require one week's notice.
Payment
Payment is made directly to your bank account (savings or cheque) the Thursday following your student's arrival. You will usually be paid for the full period or 4 weeks at a time. Please make sure when you accept a student that you write down their name and the duration of their stay so that if the student arrives earlier or later you can calculate what date they have paid. We work on 4-week cycles, not a calendar month.
Police Clearance/Working With Children Check
Please send in a recent Police Clearance with your homestay application for each family member over the age of 18 who lives in your home. We can not process your application unless we have a police clearance.
Placements
Most placements are made over the phone, some by email. We will not usually contact you again until we have the student's flight details ready. Please ask at the time of booking if you would like written confirmation details.
Please understand that homestay may be occasional. Do NOT rely on homestay as a steady stream of income.
Transportation
It is not necessary to drive the students around. You do, however, need to give each student a timetable and detailed instructions of how to catch the bus or train to the College and to get back home again. If possible, please accompany your student on the first day to show them how to get to and from school.
Washing and Ironing
Some host families prefer to do it; others don't. Please explain what you prefer to the student, how to use the washing machine or where to leave dirty clothes etc. Please show your student where the washing powder is if they are to do their own washing.
Overnight stays - of girl/boy/other friends
From experience, we strongly advise that you do not permit your student to have friends to stay over and make it clear as a house rule before it happens.
Reasons behind homestay
Students have chosen homestay as it has proven to be a very effective way to improve their English. Please remember that homestay is a mutual cultural exchange. Make time to talk to your student every day and if you treat them as part of your family, they will more than likely respond in the same way. Although complaints are infrequent, the ones we hear are:
- I did not feel welcome
- The family watched TV more than they spoke to me
- Too far from college
- Too much fast food (and I was asked to pay for my meal)
- The family was only interested in the money
- Food was not good/not enough
- The house was not clean
- Eating meals in front of the TV