You earn while they learn
With the new academic year fast approaching, Itchen College is looking forward to welcoming its overseas students enrolled to study at the College. Fresh with their ambitions of gaining qualifications, improving their English language and to experience English culture, the College wishes to help fulfil the students’ ambitions by finding local families to provide them a ‘home’.
The College is looking for friendly people who have a spare room to accommodate an overseas student by becoming a host family. The students, aged just sixteen to eighteen years, will be arriving here from China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Turkey and Russia.
Whilst the College currently has many host families, year upon year the number of overseas students studying at Itchen has increased leading to an urgent need for more host families to cope with this rise. The College pays up to £105 a week to its host families and hosts can be single people, co-habiting or married, and with or without children.
Helen Richards, Itchen’s International Student Officer and a host also, highlights the importance of host families, “We actively encourage our overseas students to stay with host families so that they can experience first hand how we live. They are often thousands of miles from their home, their families and friends so it’s reassuring for them to be in a family environment here. Plus it’s the simple things that enhance their learning and cultural experience – conversations with host family members helps their English speaking skills; eating English food; watching the UK news; and even watching English soaps!”
The majority of Itchen’s host families report that they enjoy having an overseas student in their home. Itchen College aims to support them, as well as the student, throughout their time as hosts. Carol Lauder from Bitterne first considered hosting overseas students to gain an extra household income when her husband became unemployed. Says Carol, “What started as a means of financial benefit has now become part of our lives as we’ve now been a host family for many years. Most of the students have been really nice and it’s good getting to know them and learning about their culture.”
Families who would like more information about becoming a host family to Itchen’s overseas students are encouraged to contact Helen Richards on 023 8043 5636 or by email hrichards@itchen.ac.uk.
August 2009