Experience different cultures within your own home
Have you ever thought of opening your home to an international student? Not only can you make a huge difference in a young person’s life—it could be the best thing you’ll ever do for yourself and your family! When you welcome an Educatius student into your home you make their dream possible—and experience a new culture without leaving home!
Become a host familyFour reasons why
Connect with the world
When a young person joins your household, it broadens your horizons right away! You’ll learn how a person from another culture thinks and feels, and you can share their excitement as they learn about your country and culture.
Support your local school and community
Increase diversity, cultural experience and internationalism at local schools and within the community.
Ongoing help and support from Educatius
Become part of the Educatius community of families in your area, widen your social circle and receive ongoing support and advice from our highly trained local staff.
Earn a stipend to support your family
All of our host families receive a monthly stipend for hosting our students that can help with cost-of-living increases.
Stories from our families
Rewarding experiences
We welcome all kinds of host families: large or small, single parents, empty nesters and retirees—everyone is welcome to apply. There is no ‘typical’ family. Some host for the whole school year, or a term or semester, while others prefer to be a welcome family for a few weeks when students first arrive and are not yet placed with their long-term host family. Students are enrolled full-time in secondary school or college, so they will be busy much of the time with their own activities.
Our SELECT high school programmes allow students to choose their school and we seek host families within a reasonable commute of their school. Our Classic exchange high school programmes provide an affordable option for international students looking for a more flexible alternative.
Contact us to see if we have a student coming to a school near you.
Meet our amazing students!
Students from countries around the world are eager to learn from their British or Irish experience. At this age (14-18) they are curious and open. They soak up everything, want to share, and evolve quickly. Their time with a host family helps them become more self-reliant and mature. This is a gift to them, and you will experience the satisfaction of making a huge difference in their lives.
These students already speak English and must meet all the requirements of our partner schools. They come from many countries including Brazil, Taiwan, France, Spain, Norway, Italy and Germany.
Be a Local Coordinator
As a Local Coordinator, you will place international students with host families and be the backup support if the family is traveling without the student or if there is a crisis. These relationships have proven to be very rewarding for our Local Coordinators, who truly make a difference in these people’s lives.
Read moreFrequently asked questions
We welcome applications from all kinds of families—there is no ‘typical’ family.
To ensure the quality of the experience for both families and students, the household must be English-speaking. Families are required to offer the student a bedroom with their own bed and wardrobe, as well as a quiet place to study and three meals a day. Students may share a bedroom, but only if it is large enough to accommodate both comfortably.
Our application and interview process includes a criminal background check.
Yes! If your family can’t commit to hosting for a full year or semester, you can host a student for a term (three-month program) or become a “welcome family” and host a student upon their arrival for six to eight weeks while we work to secure a long-term home for the student in the same community!
Our students are between the ages of 14-18 years old, and they speak English. Before they’re accepted into one of our programmes, they must submit comprehensive applications with personal, academic and health records. All students must be accepted into a school prior to being matched with a family. They are fully insured with medical and other liability policies. During their programme, students are required to maintain good academic records and performance.
Yes, many families host two or three international students at a time. However, the students must speak different native languages to ensure they’ll only use English in your home. In the UK and Ireland, students may share a bedroom but only if it is large enough to accommodate both comfortably.
We have a lot of experience in placing students with families, and we provide extensive support throughout the year, beginning with an orientation to prepare for the student’s arrival as well as 24/7 local and head office support, with an emergency number. We will try and work through adjustment issues that can be common. However, if the placement does not work out satisfactorily, Educatius assumes responsibility for moving the student to another family.
