Homestay Program

Homestay accommodation is available to students in the fee-paying international students program. All students under 18 years of age must live in homestay accommodation unless they will be living with a parent or legal guardian. Primary school students must live with a parent.

Your Tasmanian Homestay host family

Students are placed with a suitable homestay host as near as possible to the school or college at which they are enrolled.

Homestay is provided by a wide range of Tasmanian families. Some Homestay host families have a mum and dad and children, others are single parent families, others again are retired people and couples whose children have left home.

Homestay hosts taking care of international students studying in Tasmanian government schools have their ethnic origins across every continent on earth, with many of our hosts tracing their family histories back to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Irrespective of their ethnic origins they are all Tasmanian families.

Why do Tasmanian families become Homestay hosts?

There are many reasons why families become Homestays hosts. The main reasons are that they want to:

What your Homestay host will provide

To become a Homestay host approved by the Department of Education to take care of international students, a family agrees to provide you with:

• accommodation, meals and other facilities;
• opportunities to learn about and experience Tasmanian life and society;
• support for your learning program, especially help with conversation in English;
• support and assistance for your health and welfare;
• assistance for you in communicating with your school and International Services Office;
• clear rules for their house, including limits to the usage of phone and internet;
• agreed holding fees if you are will be returning to the Homestay host's house after the summer holidays;
• transport where they can; and
• working hard to solve problems if they arise.

More information is provided to assist students with settling into their new homestay family after arrival. The homestay coordinator will contact you soon after you arrive to make sure that you are settling in well and to provide assistance if required.

Living happily with your Homestay host family

To understand what you can do to have a good relationship with your Homestay host family you should view them as if they were your family or your friends. When Homestay hosts are unhappy with their student it is usually because the student has not treated them like a friend, but like a servant.

Ways that you can help to make homestay life happy for you and your host family are:

• spend time with your host family every day - meal times are a good opportunity;
• use English as much as possible;
• try to learn about and follow Australian customs in the home;
• if there is something you don't like about your homestay always talk about it with your host family first - most problems can be easily fixed and your host will expect you to tell them;
• it is normal for Australian children to help with household "chores" - you may be asked to help by your host, or even better, you could offer to help;
• talk to your host family about the differences you notice between your country and Tasmania;
• read the Homestay living agreement and talk to your host family about what it means;
• respect the house rules included in the Homestay living agreement;
• go through the Broadlearn™ Welcome to Tasmania program;
• read "Say G'day to Homestay".

Homestay Fees

Homestay fees are payable - in advance - to Department of Education, which arranges payments to the host families. The homestay fee must be paid in full for the short holidays in Easter, June and September. A holding fee will apply for the summer holiday (December, January, February). Homestay fees are available in the application package fee schedule.

Moving to a new Homestay family or to independent accommodation

If you wish to move to a new homestay family or to independent accommodation, you must discuss this with your homestay coordinator.  Remember that you must give your homestay family at least two weeks notice before moving.  You must be at least 18 years old to move to independent accommodation.

Change of Address

If you live in independent accommodation, and plan to move to a new address, you must advise International Services Office of your new address.  Use the Change of Address form (40kB) for this purpose.

Your Homestay coordinator

All homestay placements must be arranged and approved by International Services Office.  Remember that you must give at least two weeks notice to your homestay if you wish to move to independent accommodation or to a new homestay family.

International Services Office have two Homestay coordinators. One is based in Launceston and helps students and Homestays hosts in Launceston and Devonport. The other is based in Hobart and helps students and Homestay hosts in Hobart. Contact your homestay coordinator if you have any concerns about your accommodation.