Homestay Policies

1. Host Family Expectations

Welcoming

• First Days
  * Hosts are to show the student how to get to school by public transportation. Sometimes, if there are other students at the home who also attend VEC, then the other students can accompany the new student to school.
  *The student should also be shown where the local shops, banks, libraries, community centres, local attractions, etc. are located.

• The Home
  * The home should be kept clean and tidy. Communal areas of the house such as the living room, kitchen, dining room, and laundry room are to be open to the student to use at reasonable times of the day.
  * Reasonable chores can be expected of the student, such as cleaning up after herself/himself. However, under no circumstances should the student be expected to do any household cleaning, shopping, babysitting, etc.
  * Local phone calls should be permitted during waking hours.
  * Students are encouraged to buy pre-paid international calling cards. However, we also recommend that hosts put a block on long distance calling; nowadays, companies can add a password to a telephone account.
  - VEC is not liable for any charges made on a host’s phone; however, we will assist in acquiring the fees from the student if a copy of the bill from the phone company is provided.
  * A spare key should be provided to the student so that (s)he is never left to wait outside nor is the household expected to wait by the door at a late hour. Again, the student should be made to feel that this is their home.
  * The student must have a quiet environment to study as well as to rest and sleep.

• Private Room
  * The student should not share a room with any other student unless otherwise approved by the Homestay Coordinator.
  * A clean, furnished room with a window is to be provided for the student.
  - The room is to include a comfortable bed with clean linens (a futon or sofa bed are not acceptable beds), a table/desk with a chair, a lamp, and a dresser and/or closet.

* If the host has decided to do the student’s laundry, then clean linens should be provided once a week and clean towels provided every 3-4 days. If laundry is the responsibility of the student, then two sets of linens and towels should be provided.
* The student’s bedroom door should have a lock on it. The student’s room may be the only private space (s)he may have; please respect this space.

• Laundry
  * A washing machine, dryer and laundry soap are to be available to the student during reasonable hours and at least once a week.
  * The student is to be shown how to operate the machines if the student is to be responsible for his/her own laundry.

• Food
  * A variety of nutritious, mostly home-cooked meals are to be provided every day
  * Mealtime is usually the best, and sometimes the only, time to allow the student to practice and improve upon his/her English skills and the student should be made to feel welcome to the table.
  -Dinner is the best time to eat in a family setting to find out about the student’s day and his/her plans for the evening.
  * Please be courteous and try to accommodate the student’s preferences as much as possible. Cultural palates can be very different, especially with different spices. The student may also have special dietary needs like vegetarian only meals or only kosher meat, etc.
  - Taking the student shopping is a good way of finding out what the student will or will not eat, as well as a good chance to get to know the student.
  * Initially breakfast should be prepared for the student; however, as the comfort level between host and student becomes more familiar, a “help yourself” approach can be acceptable.
  * Lunch (only with the Full Board meal plan) is to be available for the student to take to school during school days.
  - If the student is expected to prepare their own lunch, then this must be explained to them in advance.
  * A reasonable amount of snacks should be made available, such as fruit, yogurt, milk, juice, tea/coffee etc.
  * No alcohol is to be offered to the student in the home with a student who is a minor (18 or under) nor is alcohol to be permitted into the home by the underage student.

• English
  *Students are here, not only to learn about Canadian culture, but also to improve their English ability. Therefore, speaking a language other than English in front of the student in the home is not acceptable.
  - VEC has an “English Only Policy” for all students and staff; this policy should also be applied in the home during the student’s stay.
  *Please inform VEC, at the time of booking, of the nationalities of any other students in the home even if they are from another school.
  - VEC advertises to students that they will be the only one of their nationality/language in the home. Exceptions to this may be made if first approved by the Homestay Coordinator.

• Tolerance
  * Students have been raised in different, sometimes extremely different, cultures; their values, beliefs and customs may differ from the hosts’ experience. Hosts must demonstrate a great deal of tolerance, patience, and respect. This could possibly mean:
  - assisting the student to find a local place of worship
  - asking more than once for the student to join the family in an activity especially if the student is from Japan
  - not asking the student to do something extra because they may say yes so as not to be considered rude
  * These are only some examples of cultural differences hosts may come across. Please keep in mind individual personality traits should not be confused with cultural characteristics.

• Expenses
  * Hosts are paid per night based on the student’s meal plan – Full Board (breakfast, lunch & dinner) or Half Board (breakfast & dinner). All prices can be viewed on the VEC website.
  * A cheque, for no more than 28 days of payment at a time, will usually be issued and mailed out 10 business days from the first day of the student’s arrival. This allows time for any issues to come to light, either by the host or the student, which results in the student moving to a new homestay and reduces the chances an overpayment needs to be returned to the school.
  - Students that receive a scholarship for their school fees usually receive payment late; usually this is sent to VEC mid-month. Therefore, in this case, payment may be sent after the 10 business days.
  * Under no circumstances, should hosts discuss any homestay fees with students. Any concerns regarding finances should be discussed directly with the payments department.
  * Accommodation and food expenses (according to the student’s meal plan), incurred when the student accompanies the host family on a host-initiated excursion, are the responsibility of the host. Any other expenses, such as admission tickets, travel arrangements or personal expenses are the responsibility of the student.

• Lost or Damaged Property
  * Hosts are responsible for any lost or damaged property belonging to the student if the property was in the host’s home or yard at the time of damage or loss.
  * VEC strongly encourages hosts to provide a locked location (either the student’s room, a safe, a desk drawer, etc.) for the student to place valuable belongings in. Only the student and host may have access.
  * If the property of the student was lost or damaged while in a locked location, then the student is responsible for the losses.
  * Some things hosts can encourage students to do are:
  - Label all valuables with name and address
  - Photocopy student visa instead of carrying around their passport
  - Record numbers of all traveler’s cheques, credit cards, etc.
  - Do not carry unnecessary cash or valuables on them and lock them up somewhere safe

2. What Hosts Can Expect of Students

Demographics

* Students come from all over the world, to study in Vancouver. A large percentage of VEC students come from Japan, Korea Mexico, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Other VEC students come from Russia, Thailand, China, Taiwan, South America and Europe.
* VEC students are typically young adults. Occasionally we receive registrations for older adults or children.
- Fees for hosting students under the age of 19 are posted on the VEC website
- Students under the age of 19 are required to have a legal custodian while they are in Canada. Some students will have a custodian from VEC and others will arrange for their own custodian.
* Permission should be acquired from the student’s parent(s) and from the host family for any outings outside of VEC
* Waiver forms that need to be signed for activities need the student’s parents’ signature or the appointed custodian’s signature
- Students under the age of 19 may require more supervision:
* A reasonable curfew should be given
* Hosts should be aware of the student’s daily schedule and the student’s whereabouts at all times
* Students are not to be left alone in the homestay for long overnight or for more than 4 hours at a time
* Hosts should be in communication with the student’s parents
* Students may need occasional assistance with transportation to school and/or outings
* Hosts should notify the Homestay Department of any student absences from the homestay of more than 24 hours
* Students will more than likely need more one-on-one attention

• School Program
  * Students may register for any number of weeks. Fall, winter and spring students tend to register for longer stays and summer students often stay for shorter terms.
  * Most students are enrolled in classes at VEC Monday-Friday from 9:00am – 3:40pm. However, some students only have either morning or afternoon classes or volunteer at a Vancouver daycare centre as well as attend classes.
  * VEC has activity coordinators who organize activities that students may opt to participate in after school.

• Culture Shock
  * Most students have never experienced living immersed in a different culture and some have never lived away from home before.
  * Students may not feel comfortable discussing concerns with their hosts due to their culture; other times their English ability does not allow them to express exactly how they feel. Therefore, VEC encourages all students who have concerns to speak with their language counselor. The Homestay Coordinator may from time to time get in touch with hosts to discuss how things are going or try to work through an issue that a student may have.

• Medical Insurance
  * Students have the option of obtaining medical insurance through VEC for the time they are studying at the school or of obtaining their own private medical insurance.

• Cancellations
  * In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, it is very difficult to obtain a visa and/or flight. Therefore, sometimes VEC receives confirmation shortly before the student is to arrive or sometimes the student must postpone or cancel his/her program. VEC has no control over the policies and procedures of obtaining Canadian visas in other countries or decisions made by Canadian Immigration Authorities.

• Moves
  * If an issue arises and the attempts made to resolve it by the student and the Homestay Coordinator are unsuccessful, then the student will give the host approximately 2 weeks notice (depending on the severity of the issue) and a new homestay will be found. If the issue is with the student, and the host would like the student to move, the same process as above applies.
  * If the student wishes to move for their own reasons, not divulged to VEC, then the student must give 2 weeks notice to the host.
  * In the above cases, a move form is to be signed by the host with an appropriate date on it.
  * The 2 weeks notice given to hosts may be waived and the student may be moved immediately if it is for a health or safety concern.

• Disabilities
  * VEC tries to accommodate all students without discrimination; this means accommodating the growing numbers of students with disabilities interested in coming to Canada to learn English.
  -Disabilities may include mental disabilities like ADHD or physical disabilities like blindness or being in a wheelchair.
  * Please let VEC know if you are capable of hosting a student with any type of disability.

3. What Hosts Can Expect of VEC

* As a new host with VEC, a one-time application fee of $50 will be deducted from the cheque of the first student VEC places in a host’s home.
* VEC cannot guarantee student placements on a regular basis as bookings are determined by:
- the amount of student enrollment in the homestay program
- the best compatible match between the students’ requests and the hosts’ accommodations.
*Students are not confirmed to be booked with a host until an email confirmation is sent by the Homestay Coordinator; however, because of extenuating circumstances, VEC may need to cancel a confirmed student booking in the event a student cancels or postpones his/her program. In this event, notice will be given to hosts as soon as VEC becomes aware; sometimes this is the day before the student’s expected date of arrival. A replacement student will be given as soon as a student becomes available.
* If a student is moved from a host’s home and this results in an overpayment to the host, any overpayments, in full, must be paid back to the school immediately even in the case of little to no notice. A move with no notice does not necessarily mean VEC will no longer place students in the host’s home.
*Hosts may cancel a student booking by giving at least two weeks notice unless an unforeseen emergency occurs in which case, VEC will be as accommodating as possible.
* Termination of a host family may occur if any issue conflicts with this agreement and any attempts to resolve them in a timely manner are not successful. The host will be notified as soon as possible and any overpayments at this time must be paid in full to VEC immediately

Any questions or concerns can be directed to our Homestay Field Representative or Homestay Coordinator.