Accommodation · Move and Study
With a host family, you live with people from the city where you are studying. You have your own room in their home, you share the meals of your plan with them and, from breakfast to the evening meal, you hear the language as it is really spoken. It is the choice of those who want to keep learning once the school door has closed.
Why choose this option
You speak the language every day, about things no classroom covers: what is for dinner, which bus to take, last night's match. You see the country from the inside, its timetable, its cooking and its habits, which no student housing can show you. You do not arrive at an empty flat: someone is there to welcome you and you have company from the first evening, which matters on a first stay abroad or when you travel young. The meals of your plan are cooked for you: no shopping or cooking to organise, and a budget that is easier to keep to once you are there. In return, you live at the pace of a home that is not yours, with its mealtimes and its rules: that is the price of immersion, and it is better to know it before you choose.
A host family does not always look the way you imagine. It may be a couple with children, but also a couple whose children have left home, a single parent or someone who lives alone.
What is included and what is not
Item / With a host family
Included
- A furnished room in a local home, for the dates you book Included
- Booking and follow-up by the school Included
Not included
- Meals outside your plan (lunch on half board, for example)Not included
- Travel between the family home and the schoolNot included
- Airport transferNot included: an option at many schools
- Your journey and insuranceNot included
Depends on the school
- The meals of the plan you bookIncluded: breakfast only, half board or full board depending on the school, as shown on its page
- Single or double roomDepends on the school: shown on its page
- Private or shared bathroomDepends on the school: shown on its page
- Bed linen, towels, laundry, internet accessDepends on the school: we confirm it with your quote
Any compulsory accommodation fee charged by the school appears on your quote, next to the price of the accommodation.
Compare with the other accommodation options
| Other option | What changes compared with a host family | Better if |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | You have your own room in a student building. Your neighbours come from other countries, not from the city, and you usually sort out your own meals. | You want your independence and the company of other students. |
| Apartment | You live alone or with a few flatmates, you do your own shopping and cooking. Nobody is waiting for you in the evening. | You are staying several months, or you care about keeping your own hours and your own cooking. |
| University campus | You live on the site of the school or of a university, a short walk from the classrooms. Few schools offer it. | You want no commute and you enjoy communal life. |
Frequently asked questions
How are host families chosen?
It depends on the school. Some work with an agency that specialises in homestay accommodation; others have their own department that recruits the families. We can ask the school you have in mind how it goes about it.
Which meals are included?
Those of the plan you book. Depending on the school, a host family is booked with breakfast only, on half board or on full board; a few schools also offer a room with a family and no meals. Each school's page lists the plans available, and your quote shows the one you chose.
Will I have my own room?
A single room is the most common arrangement. Several schools also offer a double room, for two people travelling together: say so in your quote request so that the price is worked out for two. The bathroom is private or shared depending on the school and the plan; the school's page says which.
From what age can you stay with a host family?
It depends on the school. Several adult schools place students with families from 16, with a plan designed for under-18s. The minimum age is shown on the school's page when the school has given it. For younger students, supervised stays are presented in our Junior section.
Does the family live close to the school?
The distance varies from one family to the next, and travel is not included in the price. In a few large cities, the school offers several plans according to how far out the family lives. Ask us how long the journey is likely to take before you book: we put the question to the school.
Will there be other students in the family?
There may be: a family can host several students at the same time. If you would rather be the only speaker of your language in the house, write it in your request. We pass the wish on to the school, without being able to promise it.
I have an allergy or a special diet: is that possible?
Tell us as soon as you ask for a quote, along with anything else that matters to you: pets in the house, smoking, children. We pass it on to the school with your enrolment and tell you what it can offer.
What if living together does not go well?
Talk to your school first, on the spot, and let us know. We liaise with the school to find a solution with you.
Schools with this accommodation
The schools below offer host family accommodation. Open a school's page to see its plans, then ask for a quote: the price of the accommodation is worked out for your dates.
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