In a homestay setup you will be treated like family; therefore, we ask you to adhere to house rules like most member of that family. We gathered some homestay guidelines that will help you realize a happy homestay.
Always ask questions if you are not sure about something! It may take a few days to get know each other.
Do not bring strangers to the house without permission from the host family.
If you want to bring a friend home, please ask your homestay family in advance if it is all right to do so. Do not forget to confirm the visiting hours with your host family.
Always let your host family know what time you will be home. Host families can get extremely worried about your safety.
If you plan to eat out, please call your host family at least 2 hours in advance and let them know that you will eat out.
Find out when you can receive calls and for how long you can keep the phone busy. If you make long distance calls from the host family's home, you must use a calling card or make collect calls.
Washing your laundry - consult with your host family upon arrival about how and when you can wash your laundry.
Bathroom – If you are sharing a bathroom with other members of the family, please find out when is the best time to have a shower and for how long. It is your responsibility to provide your own bathroom supplies such as towels, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste etc…
Cleanliness – You are responsible for keeping your room clean. You are expected to remove your plate and utensils from the table after meals. However, you are not required to do home chores such as baby sitting, gardening, house cleaning…etc
Don't forget to turn off the lights! Turn off the TV or radio when you are not using them.
Dial 911 in emergency situations to reach an ambulance or the police.
You should have medical insurance that covers any medical expenses that may happen during your stay in USA. Make sure to show proof of insurance and emergency contact details to a SHA representative and the host family upon arrival. Insurance can also be purchased in USA within the first five days of your arrival.
Neither the host family nor SHA-Seattle Homestay Agencytakes any responsibility for your medical or emergency medical expenses.
Also SHA–Seattle Homestay Agencydoes not assume any responsibility for any injuries you suffered while in the host family's care. Please consider getting insurance that covers both health care and emergency medical.
If any physical or verbal abuse occurs, the student or visitor will be removed from the home immediately. The incident will be reported to the police and legal actions taken. (Applies to both the student/visitor or host family)
If you have any concerns that you cannot discuss with your host family, please contact your Seattle Homestay Agency Representative and/or your parents or your guardian as soon as you can.
If you accompany your host family on holidays, outings, or trips, you must pay for travel arrangements, admission tickets and personal expenses. The host family will pay for accommodation and food.
America's multicultural society is what international students are bound to learn and experience on a daily basis. At SHA in Seattle, we make sure that we accept families that are willing to speak English with the student at all times in order to improve the student's English language skills.
International students who do a American homestay must be willing to learn about and accept possible differences in USA’s multicultural society.
