December 18, 2019
What is a Homestay?
A homestay is a travel time period where a student stays with a local family in a foreign place. For example, if you travel to Cape Town and stay with a local South African family during your visit, then you and the family are both participating in a homestay programme. You are the visitor, and the Cape Town family is the host family. They allow you to live in their home and often participate in family events such as meals and gatherings.
Another unique aspect of homestay programmes is that you live with your English teacher. Students will effectively get to learn English at home. This immersive approach to English language learning provides a quicker way to learn English compared to traditional classroom learning. It allows you to dive deep into the new language within every feature of your life. Your home is your classroom which gives plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn through natural conversation. Your English teacher will almost always be on hand to answer questions and help guide you through your educational journey.
International language homestays give students a place to live and learn English all in one place. but you will also get the benefits of having your tutor live with you, you will get the opportunity to see the foreign city with a local. By exploring a city with a local, you get the opportunity to see their home through their eyes instead of through your own “tourist” eyes. Staying in a homestay enhances your travel experience in more ways than you could ever imagine.
Home tuition gives students a lot of time to practice their English. When you live with your teacher, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in English conversation with someone who can help along the way. Having a private English teacher also keeps students accountable for their work and for the time they spend practising English. Homestay English tutors will be present much of the time and will make sure that students get the most out of their travel experience. Students also get the opportunity to create long-lasting bonds with their teacher and their teacher’s family. Students can use their host family as a resource as they navigate a new language and a new city. Many students build life-long friendships with their host families and stay in touch with them long after they have left the homestay.
Whether you are learning English in South Africa, or in an English homestay UK, you will gain valuable experience and insights into the English language and your host city. English language homestays will give you the ability to learn the language in a new and adaptive way that is much quicker and more fun than a traditional classroom.
Homestay Teachers
Teachers that choose to welcome students into their home are very passionate about teaching and love what they do. Teaching English isn’t only their day job, but also their way of life. Because their students are with them more than just during classroom time, they get to know the students on a deeper level. Connecting and building relationships with the students allows the teachers to build tailored lesson plans that are unique to their students. When a teacher understand how a student learns best, they can create individual learning plans and challenge the student in the best kind of way. Each student is unique in their language level and learning style. So if teachers can make custom lessons, students benefit by getting exactly what they need and nothing that they don’t.
The student also gets to know the teacher’s family which gets them more comfortable with the teacher and with the foreign city. When students are comfortable, they are confident and able to focus on learning. When the tutors are teaching English, the family gets to be involved which gives the student multiple sources of English to learn from. When there are familiar faces around, students gain the confidence to practice their English in day-to-day use. English lessons blend into family life and family life blends into the English courses.
Teaching students becomes a lifestyle for these teachers and they stop seeing tutoring as a job and see it as more of an exciting programme that allows them to meet new people and gain new friends. When teachers are happy, they can better serve their students which makes the programme more enjoyable for everyone.
Participating in a homestay with an English teacher is a great way to get a well-rounded education and travel experience while learning English. Experience a new way to learn and travel when you live with your teacher. Develop English language skills quickly through immersive learning and family living. Living with your English teacher will get you miles ahead in your language learning.
