welcome to icte-uq homestay

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1 Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) welcome to icte-uq homestay Dear Applicant, Thank you for your interest in becoming an ICTE-UQ homestay family. The information provided in this pack is designed to give you a basic understanding about what is involved in hosting an ICTE-UQ student. If, after reading through the enclosed information, you would like to apply to become an ICTE-UQ homestay family please complete the attached Homestay Application Form and return it to us. Our Accommodation Officers will then contact you to make a time to come and meet with you in your home. This meeting will be an opportunity to discuss homestay arrangements in more detail and to talk about how to best match our students with you and your family. It is important to note that students are offered the final acceptance of any homestay placement and your acceptance by ICTE-UQ as a homestay family does not guarantee that students will be placed with you. It is also strongly recommended that you investigate with your current home insurance provider your legal liabilities should a student living with you, and paying you for accommodation, cause property damage or suffer an injury for which you are held responsible. We look forward to receiving your application and to welcoming you as an ICTE-UQ homestay family. Kind regards About ICTE-UQ Homestay Homestay is a unique, and often once-in-alifetime, opportunity for ICTE-UQ students and program participants to live with and become an active member of an Australian family. Homestay can be a positive and rewarding experience for families and students alike, and often lifelong friendships are forged. Homestay provides international students with an opportunity to learn more about the Australian lifestyle and with increased opportunities to improve and gain confidence in their English language skills. Homestay also provides international students with a safe and welcoming home environment while they are in a foreign country. We hope that the homestay experience will give you, as a homestay host, a chance to learn about the cultures of the students who stay with you as well to learn more about Australian culture through sharing it and experiencing it from a different perspective. At a basic level, a homestay host provides their student with breakfast and dinner every day and lunch on weekends, a furnished bedroom with clean linen and access to shared bathroom and kitchen facilities inclusive of gas, water and electricity utility costs. A homestay family is also expected to treat their student as a family member, including them with their family meals, chatting with them about their day and being concerned for their welfare. We appreciate the care and consideration that our homestay families provide to ICTE-UQ students and program participants. We d like the experience to be fun and rewarding for you, and that the cultural exchange will ultimately enrich your own family life. The ICTE-UQ Accommodation Office Team

2 homestay family responsibilities All ICTE-UQ homestay families are required to provide their students with: A private bedroom and use of living areas, such as lounge, dining, kitchen, toilet and bathroom and a key to the house. A quiet study area with desk, chair and lamp the student s bedroom is a suitable area. Breakfast, a home cooked evening meal and lunch (at weekends), ensuring adequate nutritious food by means of a regular variation of the diet. Household materials, such as towels, sheets, blankets and eating/ cooking utensils, as mutually agreed. General cleaning services for living areas and maintenance of the physical environment in a tidy and hygenic manner. Laundry services may be provided as agreed by both parties. Correct information for using public transport to and from the UQ St Lucia campus. Homestay providers are also expected to welcome the student as a valued member of the household and students, in return, are expected to show consideration and courtesy to others in the household and to participate in the family environment. In order to establish and maintain a harmonious relationship, it is the responsibility of both the homestay provider, and the student, to develop a set of expectations for mutually agreeable standards of household behaviour. These expectations might include such aspects as: Telephone rules when the phone can be used; if overseas calls are allowed; how payment is to be made for overseas calls (phone cards); etc Meal/ bathroom/schedules Household tasks When and how students are expected to tell you where they are going and when they will return Entertaining of visitors Use of household utilities, eg washing machine, stove, TV etc. welcoming your student As most students will be very tired and perhaps confused when they first arrive at the homestay, it is preferable to spend the first day getting to know each other in a relaxed way and establishing basic expectations. Other issues are probably best discussed the next day. You will soon learn the level of your student s English. Do not panic if he/she has very little English. One of the reasons he/she has come to the program is to learn English and you have an important role to play in this process. Even with very limited English, names can be exchanged, food can be offered, and the student can be introduced to the members of your family and the routines of your house. Be creative, use mime and other ways of communicating that do not require language. Some students may have a small computer, which has a translation function. This can be a very useful device during the early days. You may also find he/she is very shy and perhaps as nervous as you are about the first encounter. Your enthusiasm, friendliness, and patience will do much to help the student gradually feel at ease over the first few days. Soon after arrival, take your student around the house indicating where things are, how they work and what facilities can be freely used. Consider everything from the kitchen, the telephone, the TV, the laundry, drawers and wardrobe space, linen, soap and toothpaste, how items in the bathroom work, etc. To ensure that the student has understood most of what you have said, ask him/her to show you what has been learnt, eg how to use the washing machine, the TV, the shower, etc. This is especially important if he/she speaks and understands very little English. These learning experiences can be frustrating and/or humorous for the student. Be sensitive to how he/she is feeling and proceed in a relaxed and undemanding way or conduct the session in stages. Sometime during the first few days when he/she is with you, provide information about nearby shopping facilities, post office and banking, facilities and how to access these. Students should also be provided with a card with your name, address and telephone number on it. Other helpful information could be included on the card eg the number of the bus stop closest to your house, the name of the train station/s they will need to use, etc.

3 THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: SHARING BELIEFS AND BEHAVIOURS Each student is an individual with his/her own personality, interests, likes/dislikes, ideas, behaviours and feelings. Each student also brings concepts and ways of behaving learned by being brought up in another family and country. Part of your experience will be learning these things about the student, just as the student will learn about you and your own set of beliefs and behaviours. The following information may be useful in this learning process. Food This can be an area of concern to students. Initially, because of the novelty of the situation and out of politeness, students may be happy to eat whatever they are offered. However, it is helpful to question your student about what he/she eats at home, how often it is eaten, and whether he/she would like to eat the same or similar food here. One way of discovering the student s food preferences is to take him/ her along when you do the weekly shopping. Encourage him/her to select familiar, liked foods. Students will take time to adjust to the eating habits of Australians just as you may need tolerance and patience to adjust to their ways of eating. If you expect the student to prepare his/her own breakfast or get his/ her lunch on the weekend, it may be necessary, at first, to show him/ her how this is done and to explain the range of food available and where it can be found in your kitchen. How to use the stove may also need to be taught. When teaching tasks such as this, it is important to demonstrate the task yourself and then to watch him/her perform it. Shower/bathing Bathrooms and how one uses them can differ from country to country. For example, in many Asian countries, people soap- up and rinse-off while standing on the floor of the bathroom not in the shower or the bath. You might like to take the time to explain how your bathroom works, including the length of time a normal shower might last, the amount of hot water available, etc. Your student should be informed of arrangements for the disposal of sanitary napkins. She could be too shy or lacking in vocabulary to ask. Verbal language Even students who speak adequate English when they first arrive may have some difficulty understanding the Australian accent and the colloquialisms and words we use. You may discover that the student understands written English better than oral English. In this case, initial communication may need to occur in this medium. If it is apparent he/she is having difficulty with English, try to speak a little more slowly and use fairly simple words without being patronising. The use of a bilingual dictionary is most helpful. These can be purchased at large bookstores, although the student is likely to have brought one to Australia. The use of non-verbal communication, especially mime, will be useful in the early days. Never assume that a student who is having difficulty with English has understood an important instruction just because the response is Yes or a nod of the head. If the instruction is important, ask the student to repeat or demonstrate it. In this way, you will be assured the instruction has been understood. Expressing emotions In most Asian countries it is very important to maintain harmony between people. Consequently, it is inappropriate to openly display emotions or to openly disagree with other people. For this reason, your student may not tell you when he/she is unhappy or upset. You may need to look for other cues (eg withdrawal) to know how he/ she is feeling. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment has serious consequences in our society and can be most damaging to a healthy family environment. According to The University of Queensland guidelines sexual harassment may include: Leering, patting, pinching, touching; Sexual suggestions Displays of sexually offensive pictures, posters and graffiti; Dirty jokes, derogatory comments, and offensive telephone calls; Offensive written messages, and electronic images; Groups of people ridiculing, leering, wolf-whistling or making sexual comments at a person or group of people; and If such behaviour makes a person feel Offended, Intimidated, and/or Uncomfortable then it may be unlawful. Most of our students are given a briefing about our society on their departure from their own country by their agents or institutions However, sometimes some cultural characteristics are misinterpreted and what is regarded in some societies as affectionate behaviour, such as touching someone, wearing of scant clothing, can be taken as quite the opposite in another society. To avoid any misunderstanding arising, you are advised to be careful how you greet or farewell your student and to be sensitive to their reactions. Religion Some families may see providing homestay accommodation as a way to share their religion. We would ask those who are religiously motivated to think this issue through very carefully. Each person places a different value on spiritual values and practices. Religious beliefs are very personal and the belief system (or absence of one) of the student needs to be respected. They may be invited to attend a church service with you but it is their choice to whether or not they join you. Privacy It is essential that students have privacy and that their room is their castle. He/she needs a secure personal space and a secure place for valuables. As your bedroom is your private domain, you would feel uncomfortable if a student entered without your permission. The same consideration should also be given to the student. Any children should be told to leave student s property. Entering the student s bedroom should be negotiated, eg cleaning, linen changing, removing furniture, etc. Cultural adjustment An adjustment period is normal for most people who come to live for a period of time in another country. Most students cope with adjustment very well. Some however, have difficulty with it and can experience severe cultural shock. Cultural shock has been described as disorientation and a feeling of being overwhelmed by the differences experienced in another culture. Symptoms of culture shock can be physical (sleep disturbances, weeping, eating problems, frequent illnesses) and psychological (severe homesickness, loneliness, boredom, isolation, hostility, withdrawal). Homestay families can help students by being understanding and supportive during this time. During orientation programs, students are told about cultural adjustment and are given strategies they can use to help them through this period. However, if the situation does not improve, homestay families should contact the Accommodation and Activities Officers.

4 Homestay Family Application Form Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) CRICOS Provider No: 00091C Please return completed form to: Post: ICTE-UQ Accommodation Office The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072 Fax: FAMILY DETAILS Host Mother: Ms Miss Mrs Other (please specify)...occupation... Surname... Given name... Date of birth... Country of Birth...Number of years in Australia (if born overseas)... Languages spoken fluently (other than English)... Do you smoke No Yes Do you have a Blue Card No Yes > Number... Expiry Date Work phone... Mobile phone... Host Father: Mr Other (please specify)...occupation... Surname... Given name... Date of birth... Country of Birth...Number of years in Australia (if born overseas)... Languages spoken fluently (other than English)... Do you smoke No Yes Do you have a Blue Card No Yes > Number... Expiry Date Work phone... Mobile phone... home address & telephone number: Street address... Suburb...Postcode... Home Phone... other people living at this address (eg children, grandparent, friend, tenant): other guests regularly staying at this address Do you host students from another school/organisation? No Yes > Name of school/organisation... Do you have any other frequent visitors who regularly stay at your home? No Yes >Please provide details below. pets kept at this address: family RELIGION: Faith...Do you attend church regularly? No Yes > Name of church...

5 2 INTERNET FACILITIES Homestay hosts are required to provide students with free internet access. Reasonable restrictions can be applied to this access such as prohibiting large file downloads. Please advise of any restrictions you would like to apply in the section provided below. Type of internet service in your home Dial-up Cable Wireless Details of any restrictions to student internet usage 3 PUBLIC TRANSPORT FACILITIES Using the online journey planner at please provide a copy of the best journeys to UQ St Lucia from your home that arrive before 8:45am. Please provide the journey details either as a screen shot,.pdf copy of the web pages, or in hard copy. 4 YOUR HOME Please write a brief description of your home, including any particular features students may be interested to know about such as a pool, and any local features (eg; parks or shopping centres) nearby. 5 YOUR FAMILY Please write a paragraph to introduce your family (eg family activities, hobbies and interests) that can be sent to students who are placed with you. 6 PROSPECTIVE STUDENT DETAILS How many students can you accommodate in separate rooms?...(maximum of 3) Preferred gender Male Either Would you be prepared to accommodate a couple? No Yes Smoker No Yes > Outside only Inside Vegetarian No Yes Is any member of your family a vegetarian? No Yes Would you be prepared to host a Muslim student? No Yes > Male Either > Would you be able to provide Halal food? No Yes How did you first learn about ICTE-UQ homestay? If another host told you please write their name... Privacy Information The information on this form is collected for the primary purpose of considering your request to host students for ICTE-UQ and, should your application be approved, to create or modify a record on a database accessible by ICTE-UQ administration staff and to appropriately place students with you. Information collected about you on this form, and during the time that you are listed as an ICTE-UQ host, will be provided to students placed with you, their agents and/or the Institute s client partners. When you accept an offer to host a group program student, your contact information may also be supplied to the other families hosting on that group to enable families to consult with each other, help their students or make group travel arrangements. In other instances, information collected on this form, or during your time as an ICTE-UQ host can be disclosed without your consent where authorised or required by law. For further information please consult the UQ Privacy Management Policy at