Adult Students

Our Students

We welcome students from many different countries each year at our Adult School. Some of our students stay for just a week or two, whereas others stay for several months. The minimum age is 16 and there is no maximum age!

Under-18s in Adult School

Although we have 16- and 17-year-olds in the Adult School, they are still considered to be minors and should be treated slightly differently, with reasonable precautions taken. Here are a few guidelines.

Please ensure that you have your student’s mobile phone number.
Please ensure that they know how to get home and have your telephone number – this will be on their student card as well.
Remind students to let you know when they will be home late and to have their mobile phones with them and turned on.
If you are worried about how your student is settling in or have any concerns about their behaviour or attitude within your home, please let us know.

Information Provided to Students

Before they arrive, students receive the following guidelines about living in a homestay.

Living in a Homestay

Staying with a homestay host can be a valuable part of your language course. All homestays have been personally chosen by us and are regularly inspected. Your host will welcome you into their home and will treat you like a family member.

Your host will:

Provide you with food and a safe place to stay.
Provide towels and bed linen.
Wash your clothes.
Show you how to travel to school on your first day.
Help you learn about British culture.
Help you practise your English.

You should:

Keep your room tidy and make your bed.
Put your dirty clothes where you are asked to.
Make sure you know the bathroom arrangements.
Clean the bath, shower or basin after using it.
Not spend too long in the bathroom!
Not smoke or burn candles/incense in the house without permission.

Please also do your best to:

Be respectful and polite. The British love saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’!
Be helpful around the house. In the UK, men and women often share household chores. It’s a sign of respect to offer to help.
Sit with the host at mealtimes and in the evenings. Try to find things to talk about.
Be respectfully quiet at night.

Please remember that this is a home, not a hotel. Different homestays have different rules. It is important that you take time to understand and respect the rules of your new home. You may need to think about what you say and how you say it. Please ask us for help with this.

If you would like to have friends or visitors, please always check with your host first and make sure your visitors respect the house rules.

Please ensure that you have your student’s mobile phone number.
Please ensure that they know how to get home and have your telephone number – this will be on their student card as well.
Remind students to let you know when they will be home late and to have their mobile phones with them and turned on.
If you are worried about how your student is settling in or have any concerns about their behaviour or attitude within your home, please let us know.

Houses in the UK May Be Different

Tap water is safe to drink in the UK.
Houses may be smaller than in your country.
Air conditioning is not common in homes. If you’re hot, ask for a fan or you can buy one from a shop.
In the winter, the heating is usually switched off at night. If you feel cold, tell your host and they will give you extra blankets.
The bathroom is normally shared with other household members, so please leave it as clean and tidy as you found it.
Bathroom floors don’t usually have a drain, so please don’t get the floor wet!
Toilet paper can be flushed in the UK but please don’t put anything else in the toilet.
Toilets don’t have a hose. Bring a travel hose if you don’t wish to use toilet paper.

Meals

Half Board & Full Board

If you’ve booked half board, your host will provide breakfast and dinner Monday to Friday and all meals at the weekend. With full board, your host will also provide a packed lunch on school days.

If you’re not at home for lunch on Saturday or Sunday, your host will give you a packed lunch. Remember to ask for one!

Food Preferences & Dietary Requirements

The food may be different to what you normally eat in your country, so please be open-minded and try it!

However, do tell your host if there are certain things that you don’t like to eat. If you require a special diet such as vegetarian, vegan, Halal, no pork, coeliac or lactose-free, you must indicate this on your booking form.

Pets

The British are animal lovers, so many hosts have pets in the house such as dogs or cats. These animals
are loved and treated with kindness. If you’re nervous around animals, politely let your host know. Pets
are trained to use the bathroom outside or in dedicated areas. They are vaccinated against diseases such as rabies, worms and parasites so are more hygienic than wild animals.

We ask you for your preferences regarding pets on your booking form and we provide details of any pets
with your homestay confirmation letter.

Keys

You will be given a key to enter and leave as you wish. Please be respectful and make sure your host knows if you will be coming home late at night, missing a meal, or going away for the weekend. If you don’t let them know, they will worry!

Important Information

Problems or Concerns
If you have any problems or concerns, please discuss these with your host first. If these cannot be resolved,
tell our Welfare staff at Reception, who will be able to help you. It is important to deal with any concerns
as soon as possible.

Payment
All accommodation payments must be made to the school, not the host. Unused accommodation fees
are refundable.

Damage
You must pay for any damage you cause, even if it was by accident. Please tell your host if you have damaged something – they will respect your honesty.

Changes to your Booking
If you would like to make any changes to your booking such as changing from full board to half board, requesting a special diet such as Halal, or changing your departure date, you must discuss this with the
school. You are required to give one week’s notice if you leave your homestay earlier than your original leaving date. Special reasons for leaving are treated separately.

If you have any questions before, during or after your stay, please contact us – we are here to help you.