International Underage Students Studying In Western Australia

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1 International Underage Students Studying In Western Australia Underage students who wish to study in Western Australia need first to be accepted into a school & granted a Certificate of Enrolment (COE). Once a school has been confirmed, Education & Training International (ETI) passes on our details to a Migration Agent & they contact Talkabout Tours (TAT) & request that we find an appropriate host family. After carefully selecting the most appropriate Host family, we notify the Migration Agent & ETI. ETI then grants a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation & Welfare (CAAW). The Immigration Department is informed that the approved accommodation (the Host family) has agreed to house the student and that the student s visa needs to be processed. The next step is for the Immigration Department to issue a visa to allow the student entry into Australia to commence studies. The duration of this process varies depending on the time of the year and the immigration agent dealing with the student s application. There are many occasions when this process is delayed for a number of reasons out of our control and we appreciate your patience and understanding at these times. The Host Family is expected to look after the day to day welfare of their student; however, ETI actually holds the Welfare Letter or guardianship for the student. The Host Family takes on the role of Primary Caregiver and acts on behalf of the natural parents. It is recommended for a host family to stay in contact with biological parents if the language is not a barrier. Underage students studying on a student visa that has been issued with a (CAAW), must live with an authorised host family. If your student plans to move out, please notify TAT & the school immediately. Most importantly, we want both students and Homestay families to have a mutually rewarding, safe and happy time together in Perth. There is a useful site: which can be useful when there is a language barrier. If you are still not having any luck there will be someone at their school to assist you with translation. Either way, help is not too far away. Where the School and ETI cannot be of assistance, TAT can be reached on during office hours and after hours (Emergency only). Alternatively you can us: Liz- liz@talkabouttour.com or Maramara@talkabouttours.com Please read the following guidelines and acknowledge by signing the last page and returning it to Talkabout Tours. It is a good idea to keep them on file for reference should you have any questions. Sincerely yours, Liz, Tim, Matt and Mara 1

2 Guidelines for Hosting Underage Students: Applies to all families These rules are in place to insure the well-being and safety of underage students. As you would understand, not every family or household is deemed suitable to host underage students. We require families that host underage students to be responsible for the following: At Home 1. All persons permanently residing in your home over the age of 18 years must have a current Police Check and Working with Children Card which must be readily available when in the company of the student. This is a legal requirement. 2. Your student needs to have his/her own well-ventilated room complete with bed, hanging space and drawers for clothes and adequate cooling, heating and lighting. A desk in the bedroom is preferable, but a quiet study area elsewhere in the house is acceptable. 3. Access to bathroom and laundry facilities. Ensure student s laundry is done on a weekly basis. This can either be your student s responsibility or you may choose to do it for your student. Please instruct your student on the use of your washing machine and dryer if applicable. 4. Your student requires a caring supportive family environment. 5. Provision of healthy, varied meals. Host families are required to provide breakfast & dinner every day & three meals on the weekend. Breakfasts and lunches can be on a make it yourself basis, but please ensure students are able to prepare their own food & have access to ingredients. On some occasions a packed lunch for school days may be requested, an extra $30 per week is provided to cover costs. 6. Ensure that your student is coping with living in a foreign country and that their mental and physical well-being is being monitored. (Let the school know if you think your student is having problems adapting). 7. Familiarize your student with the local area. Printing a map for your student of the area around your home from Google Maps is a good idea. 8. Ensure that your student is included in family activities and social events as often as possible. 9. Help your student open a bank account if necessary. Students will need to show their passport and visa to the bank. 10.Ensure that your student is never left at home alone overnight. 11.In an emergency, please contact ETI or the School. If they are unavailable to help please call Talkabout Tours. 12.If students are paying you directly, issue them with a receipt. 13.Ensure that your student has a clear understanding of the local transport systems and knows the Australian road rules. 2

3 At School 1. Enrol your student at school if necessary and supply your details and signature to the school. To enrol your student you will be required to contact the school to make an enrolment appointment. Contact details are provided on your students confirmation letter. Please ensure your student brings their passport & visa to this appointment 2. Assist in the purchasing of school materials & a school uniform if applicable & ensure your student wears it to school. This is your student s expense. If a uniform is not required, neat & tidy dress with closed in shoes is compulsory. 3. The school will also need your doctor s details should medical care be needed for your student. It is mandatory for students to have health cover through Overseas Student Health Cover. This is part of the visa requirement and is arranged before the student arrives in Australia. OSHC was designed to mirror Medicare and gives international students similar sort of cover as to what Australian Residents receive under Medicare. They cover the following: - In hospital medical treatment - 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule- (MBS) fee - Out of hospital medical treatment (GP s/radiology/pathology) 85% of the MBS fees - Emergency ambulance 100% of the charge For more information visit the OSHC website Ensure your student knows how to get to school. This usually means travelling with them by public transport on or before their first day of school. It is a good idea to go to the Transperth website and print a copy of the most ideal bus route and timetable. 5. Ensure your student is getting up early enough to have breakfast and get to school on time. 6. Attend parent/teacher nights if possible. 7. Ensure that your student is completing homework on time and attending school. As with your own children, the school must be notified if your student will not be in attendance with the reason given. If you receive an absentee letter from school and you did not authorise the day off, please address this with your student. If this happens three times, please discuss this with the school and contact ETI ( ). 8. Please address absenteeism from school as you would your own child. If your student is NOT sick, do not write them a note to cover these days. Please note that international students need to have an 85% attendance rate at school to fulfil visa requirements. ETI will need to inform immigration if attendance falls below the required percent and your student s visa may be cancelled. 9. Liaise with the school if you feel your student is having problems. 3

4 Your Own House Rules- varied at Host s discretion: Every family has its own set of Rules and Guidelines. Please let students know within a couple of days of arrival your own meal times and house rules. 1. Acceptable times to be at home after school and at weekends: Students need to fit in with your family s timetable which means being home by your allocated dinner time. Curfews are at your discretion; however, we recommend that underage students should not be out after 7pm on week nights and 9pm on weekends. Students must keep you informed of there whereabouts when not at school. They should never be out alone after dark. 2. If you are able to supply internet, please monitor the amount of time spent on leisure purposes. In most families, downloads are not permitted. Please understand your own internet plan and explain clearly the usage available to your student. We recommend that your internet plan is capped so you don t receive any unwelcome excess usage bills. Families generally charge students $5 to $10/week for internet access and this is your responsibility to collect. Talkabout Tours accepts no responsibility for internet usage. 3. Safety, house keys and home security. Please explain your procedures for locking up your home, responsibility for house keys, answering the door and phone etc. 4. Power, water usage and shower times. Please encourage your student to turn off lights, heating, air conditioning etc. when not use. Discuss the best shower times with your student. It is a good idea to explain Australia s water shortage and the environmental impact of power wastage with your student. 5 minute showers are suggested. 5. Use of telephone. Generally students are not allowed to use the home phone unless they have purchased a calling card. These are available at most newsagents. Any calls should be paid for. Please help your student to purchase a mobile phone. Take a note of their phone number and supply your own phone number to your student. It is a good idea to give your student a card with full contact details & local emergency numbers. 6. Household chores. Students are expected to help around the home just as any family member would. Please encourage students to help set the table, clean up after dinner etc. Students need to keep their bedroom and bathroom tidy. 7. Collection of rent. If Talkabout Tours isn t paying you directly, you will need to collect rent from the student yourself. Two weeks in advance is the recommended. Students can either pay directly into your bank account or by cash. Please discuss your preferred option with them. It is a good idea to have a calendar marked with due dates and always issue a receipt. 8. Participation in family activities and socializing with the family. Please find family activities where your student can participate. A chat over the evening meal is always good and please encourage your student not to spend all his/her time in his/her bedroom. Remember- they are here to learn English! If you feel that your student is spending too much time alone, please contact the school. 4

5 Travel and Sleep-Overs: Please note the strict visa guidelines should your student wish to stay overnight at a friend s home or travel without you. A student cannot travel (other than travelling home) while in your care if you are not accompanying them. Please inform ETI if your student is planning to travel with anyone other than you. (A supervised school camp does not fall into this category). If your student does go home for the school holidays, you need to inform the school of his/her travel plans. Sending a copy of air tickets/itinery to the International Student Advisor or Deputy Principal is advisable. If your student plans to travel without his/her host the following procedure needs to be followed: 1- A permission letter from the student s biological family needs to be obtained outlining the exact travel dates, times, flight numbers and destination inclusive of the name, address, contact details and relationship the student has to the person he/she will be staying with. This letter must be signed by the biological parents. 2- This letter must be forwarded to the student s School and to ETI Admissions.ETI@det.wa.edu.au for consideration. Address the letter to the International Student Co-Ordinator or Deputy Principal. NOTE: The School and ETI needs to authorise the travel Talkabout Tours CANNOT approve it. When dealing with ETI, always quote your students number which will be on the confirmation letter and include your student s name and date of birth. Students are NOT permitted to travel to or from the airport in a taxi. If you are unable to take them personally, a transfer must be booked through TAT. Please contact TAT to make the necessary arrangements. A fee is attached to this service & is at the expense of the student. A student must not spend a night away from the home unless in the care of a responsible adult. As the Care Giver it is your responsibility to check that this criterion is met. If your student wants to sleep over at a friend s home you will need to contact the other parent. If you have any doubts please err on the side of caution. If you plan to travel and your student will not be travelling with you, you will need to ensure that there will be adequate supervision arranged. This can mean that your student moves to another Host Family for a nominated period or another person supervises him/her in your home. This person MUST have a Working with Children Card and we must have a copy of this on file. You need to inform Talkabout Tours if you will be away. If your student returns home for the holiday period and wishes to return to your home, they are liable for a room hold fee of $110 per week. If this is acceptable to you, you are not permitted to house anyone in your student s room and their belongings are allowed to remain. 5

6 RULE OF THUMB Treat Underage International Students as though they are your own children. In turn, students are expected to offer Host Families the same respect and adherence to rules as they would their natural parents. If there are any difficulties or you are unsure of any procedures when dealing with Underage Students please contact Talkabout Tours for Homestay issues, your student s School for School issues and ETI for Guardianship issues. Some possible concerns and who you should contact: My student is not going to school, not doing homework, not enjoying school or is having any other school related problems, Ring your student s school and discuss this with the International Student Coordinator. If you still have concerns, phone ETI (Education and Training International) on My student is not following Homestay rules and/or is displaying antisocial, illegal or unsafe behaviour Phone ETI on I think my student is smoking, drinking or taking drugs This is illegal and cannot be tolerated. Please contact the School, ETI on and your student s agent. The agent details will be on your Student Confirmation letter. My student wishes to get a part-time job Students are generally permitted to work up to 20 hours per week while on a student visa. It is a good idea to clear this with the student s biological parents. Please ensure the safety of students travelling to and from work, especially if they are working evenings. They must obtain a Tax File Number and can only work for a registered business. Please phone ETI on for more information. Your student wishes to travel (on holiday) unaccompanied by you or your family (does not include going home) Please follow the procedure listed in Travel & Sleep Over s. You need a temporary or permanent relocation of your student Mara Allan mara@talkabouttours.com or phone Homestay payments not forthcoming Mara Allan mara@talkabouttours.com or phone Student is missing (Emergency) If you are concerned for the safety of your student, please call Under Age Missing Persons Unit on After hours (Emergency Calls Only) Liz Franklyn or Tim Massey Talkabout Tours FAQ s Please refer to our FAQ s for Hosts on our website: for answers to common questions. 6

7 Dear Homestay Family, Thank-you for agreeing to host an underage student through Talkabout Tours. It is a requirement when hosting underage students that you have read and understood our Underage Hosting Guidelines and are willing to adhere by them. You should have a received a copy by post. If this is not readily available, it can be downloaded from our website on the Host Application page. Please sign the form below and return it to: Talkabout Tours 8 Bristol Ave Bicton WA 6157 Alternatively it can be faxed to: (08) I/We have read, understood and will abide by the Talkabout Tours guidelines for hosting underage students: Name(s): Address: Phone Number: Signature 1: Signature 2: 7