奥克兰大学英语语言学院
新西兰最大的留学服务机构——新西兰教育联盟金牌留学专家冯霞老师介绍，奥克兰大学英语语言学院家庭住宿指南STUDENT HOMESTAY GUIDELINES。
STUDENT HOMESTAY GUIDELINES
Homestay living is a valuable part of an international student’s learning experience and should be enjoyable and rewarding. It is a popular form of accommodation for students wishing to learn another culture while improving their English language. Homestay Coordinators are constantly updating our homestay database to improve the matching of student to families and making sure that students are placed with families that best meet their needs.
Homestay students stay with a New Zealand family in Auckland within a 45 minute bus ride of the school. Host families are carefully assessed for their suitability and they must provide character references before they can register as a homestay provider.
We are not able to change your Homestay accommodation once it is booked unless the accommodation host is negligent. Student must be able to prove the Homestay is negligent in terms of misconduct, improper behavior or inability to provide the student with adequate accommodation as explained in this document.
·Please share your interests with your homestay family members as much as you can. Homestay families are keen to know about your academic study, college life and different language and culture. Please bring a photograph of your family, university, or your hometown to share it with your host family.
·It is important to understand that it is sometimes necessary to change your family as a result of a domestic inconvenience such as family member’s sudden death/sick, involvement in a traffic accident, or unexpected family visitors.
·All homestay families are carefully selected. However, you will need to adopt a flexible attitude towards your homestay family and to recognize that your family may not be exactly as you expected.
·If you need to share your homestay accommodation with other international student(s), please take full advantage of this opportunity to learn about their language and culture.
·Please try to help your homestay family as much as you can.
What is a typical New Zealand family?
Many of our homestays are a family unit of two parents and children. However, we also have single parent families as well as single people who offer homestay accommodation. Most New Zealand households also have pets - cats or dogs which are a very important part of the family.
Usually the student will have the opportunity to join in family activities and outings.
General Manners
It is very important to remember to say “please” and ‘thank you” and to talk with your homestay hosts.
Be considerate:
·Turn off appliances if not in use
·Call if you are not going to be home for dinner
·If you are going to be home late and you would like your homestay host to keep your dinner, please contact the homestay host and ask them to keep your dinner.
Transportation
Your homestay family will help you to travel to the English Language Academy on your first day and they will also show you how to get home by bus. You will need to be at the English Language Academy, Level 5, 67 Symonds Street, by 8.15am on your first day. Please make sure you have your homestay address and telephone number written on a piece of paper and kept on your wallet. Your homestay family or our homestay coordinators will assist you to buy the correct weekly or monthly bus pass if necessary. You will have to pay the cost of any transport yourself.
Meals
Homestay accommodation includes your own room and two meals (breakfast and dinner) Monday to Friday, and all meals for weekends and public holidays.
A typical New Zealand breakfast consists of cereal, toast and a hot drink. It is normal in New Zealand families to ‘help yourself’ to breakfast. If your homestay host asks you to help yourself to breakfast, you can,
·Take the food out of the kitchen cupboards
·Prepare your bowl of cereal and milk
·Put the bread in the toaster
·Get a cup out of the kitchen cupboard and pour coffee, tea or hot chocolate into your cup
Lunch is often a cold meal that can be made up of bread, cheese, salad and chicken. In winter, there is often hot soup available. Lunch is provided by the homestay host at weekends and on public holidays only. At the weekends, your homestay host will prepare lunch for you or may ask you to ‘help yourself’ to lunch.
Dinner is the biggest meal of the day in New Zealand. Families in New Zealand usually eat dinner in the evenings between 6pm and 8pm. It is a hot meal and can include chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, noodles or potatoes. This is often the time when families sit at a table and talk about the day’s activities
If you miss your own local food, there are many ethnic cafes in the city where you can purchase your lunch.
Cleaning
It is your responsibility to keep your own room and bathroom clean and tidy. Please do not store food in your bedroom. It is acceptable to keep your door closed sometimes if you want privacy. It is not acceptable to hang wet clothes in your bedroom. In New Zealand, children from a young age are taught to help with the household chores and you may be asked to help in some way, it may be doing dishes or cleaning your bathroom.
Showers
In New Zealand we pay for the water we use and the electricity to heat the water. It is normal to shower for 7-10 minutes only. Please do not stay in the bathroom for more than 15 minutes. There may be other people who need to use the bathroom. You are required to provide your own soap, shampoo/conditioner and toothpaste. Ask your homestay family the most convenient time to have a shower or bath. It is not recommended that you take a shower or bath after 10:00pm.
Communication
Be a part of the family, join the family on outings and family gatherings when invited to do so. Communicate with your homestay family frequently to avoid any misunderstanding between you and them. If you do not understand things clearly, please ask your homestay family to write it down on a piece of paper. Building a good relationship with your homestay family is a key to the success of your stay in Auckland.
Keys
Your homestay family may give you your own key to the house. It is your responsibility to take care of this key. If you lose it, you will have to replace it.
Laundry
Please consult with your homestay family how and when you can do your laundry. Some families may be happy to do your laundry but others may prefer you to do it. If you want to wash your own clothes, please ask if this is possible.
Safety & Security
It is important if you want to go out either after class, in the evening or during the weekend that you leave a contact telephone number and approximate time that you will return with your homestay family. If you intend to stay out overnight, please make sure your homestay family have a contact name and telephone number. No student under the age of 18 years may stay away from their designated homestay without written permission from the English Language Academy. Please check with your homestay family in advance if you would like to bring your friend(s) over to your homestay for a visit.
Smoking, Drinking & Drugs
You must NOT smoke anywhere inside the family home, unless members of the homestay family smoke. Drinking is not allowed in a homestay situation unless the host parents have approved it. Please inform your homestay parents of any medicines you need to take. Also, please bring any medication you need to take on a regular basis.
Telephone
Please consult with your host parents when to make an international call or a call outside of Auckland. You must pay all telephone calls other than local ones including mobile phones. It is recommended that you use your own mobile phone or a prepaid international telephone card when you want to phone overseas. The card can be purchased at the pharmacy on the campus. You should not engage your host’s telephone for more than 5 minutes. The English Language Academy will not be responsible for any bills you have run up while staying with your homestay family.
Computer
Not all our homestay families have a computer or access to internet. If you bring your notebook, you may or may not be able to use it in the Homestay. However, wireless is available at ELA.
Homestay Team
All students and families will be monitored to ensure they are compatible. However, if a problem does arise, please contact your Accommodation Coordinators: English Language Academy, Level 5, 67 Symonds Street.
For all emergencies contact us on 0800 864 737 (only for emergencies)
