What should I know about homestay in Australia? An experienced person explains in detail!

Hello everyone. I’m @olivertomolife and I’ve studied abroad in Sydney!




If you’ve arrived here, could be not sure and you’re worried about homestay in Australia.




I also had some anxiety when I did a homestay in Sydney.




However, I believe that if you pay attention to the following tips, you will be able to have a fulfilling homestay experience.




I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of homestay, as well as five points to keep in mind.

I experienced studying abroad in Sydney for a year starting in 2018. Now I am writing a blog about that experience.




By reading this post, you’ll get to know about homestays in Australia!




If you are not sure about choosing an agent in Australia, I recommend the following article.

Advantages and disadvantages of homestay in Australia

Advantages

1 Easy to ask for advice about living in Australia

When you first start studying in Australia, you may have a lot of worries.




Your host family will be able to help you with those worries.




They have been living in the area for a long time, so they will be able to help you solve your problems from various angles.




When I was a homestay student in Sydney, I often asked my host family for recommendations on places to visit on weekends because I had time.




I remember they told me about places that only the locals knew about.




The advantage of this is that you can ask any question you want.

2 You can live in your own room

In a homestay, you can live in your own room.




I think this is a comfortable option for many people who are not confident in their language skills at the beginning.




Most homestays have a single room, so I can personally recommend it.

3 You won’t have to cook for yourself

The cost of living in Australia is very high by global standards, so many international students live by cooking for themselves.




Many homestays provide breakfast and dinner, so you don’t have to cook for yourself.




However, if you want to have dinner with friends, you need to inform your host mother in advance, so don’t forget!




By the way, breakfast in Australia is usually cereal, so I used to bring fruit with me to language school.

Disadvantages

1 Costly

Homestays are convenient, but the downside is that they are expensive.




Some houses will let you use their kitchen, so if you save on lunch, you may be able to save on that cost.




Just try to cut back on what you can when you apply!

2 It may be a long way from your house to the city

Many people would like to live as close to the city as possible when attending a language school.




However, most homestay houses are located in the suburbs, and it is often a long distance to the city.




In fact, my host family’s house was located in Penshurst, and it took me 15 minutes to walk from the house to the train station, and about 30 minutes to get to Sydney by train…




I had to spend an hour to go to school every morning.




I spent an hour to get to school every morning, so I couldn’t go anywhere when I came home because of the distance between school and home during the three weeks of homestay…




So, I recommend you to check if the distance to the school is far in advance.

3 Your host family may not have the same personality as you

Basically, host families are tolerant of international students because they have been screened by agents, but sometimes they are not.




They are human beings and their personalities may not always match.




My agent allowed me to change my host family midway through the program, so make sure you check if you can change your host family.

Five points to keep in mind during homestay

1 Bring a souvenir from your home country as a gift

Many host families accept many international students, so they are interested in many different countries.




Therefore, they will be happy if you prepare a gift that they can only buy in their own country!




As an example, snacks and folk crafts that represent the country are recommended.

2 Practice a minimum of self-introduction

The first day you meet your host family is very important, so make sure you can say at least a few words about yourself.




It would be a good idea to explain about your country, your hobbies, and what you would like to do in Australia.




I’m sure your host family will be very interested in what you have to say about yourself!

3 Understand the manners and culture of your host country

Each country has its own rules and culture, so make sure you understand them before you go abroad.




In extreme cases, you could be fined or arrested for breaking the rules without knowing it.




In Singapore, it is forbidden to eat gum on the street and there are strict punishments for smoking.




In Australia, smoking is not allowed indoors, and there was once a siren that went off when someone smoked indoors in a building that housed a school.




If you don’t want to pay a hefty fine, make sure you know the rules!

4 Be assertive

This advice is for Japanese people, so other people can skip it if you want.




Although it varies from person to person, Japanese people tend to be less assertive than other people in the world.




One way to improve this is to try to say the conclusion first.




Keep in mind that in English-speaking countries, conversations often start with a conclusion!

5 Be grateful to your host family

They are accepting you with the obligation to protect the safety of international students.




I suggest you express your gratitude to them!




It is also recommended to write a letter on the last day of your homestay.

Conclusion

This is a summary of what to look out for in a homestay!




If you take care of the above, you will have a comfortable life in Australia.




I hope you will have a fulfilling life in Australia.




Please stay tuned for more information about Australia in the future.




Thank you for reading to the end!