Families

 

 

 

Introduction

Being a host family for an International Presenter should be a fun, rewarding experience. The visitor will be keen to experience family life in your country - the perfect complement to the professional and educational insights they gain working with the school. In return, IIP hopes the family gets just as much out of the experience. Opening your home to a visitor will provide a wonderful cultural opportunity for you and your family to enjoy too.

 

Requirements

Naturally a few key conditions will need to be met but a successful hosting will typically be one conducted in the spirit of friendship. The requirements are very simple and can be found in our program documentation (please see below). Presenters will not be expecting anything 'fancy'. A simple, homely environment is best - if you have the space, a little time plus the interest to participate, you are probably the ideal host already.

While presenters are highly responsible individuals with a fair degree of independence, a little support will always make a difference. Finding your way around a new country can be a challenge when you are also busy with program activity. Everything will be made easier if the host is able to spend some time with the visitor and the majority of presenters greatly appreciate being involved in regular family life. Ideally a host family will be one with an active home life plus a schedule the vistor can fit in with around their school duties. It is no coincidence that the majority of host families are those with children attending the school, but this is by no means a prerequisite.

Simple is certainly the key - it should never be necessary to treat the visitor as a special guest. Rather, if they are contributing to, and sharing in, family life the visitor can better absorb lifestyle in the host country. Helping with household duties such as cleaning, cooking, shopping and so on merely adds to the depth of experience.

A contribution (in most cases paid monthly) will be made to the host family to defray costs. The amount will naturally vary according to circumstance, and in particular, host country. It is important to note the presenter will be doing a great deal to support the school and local community through their placement they will receive no financial compensation for their work. As a volunteer the presenter is largely supporting him or herself. IIP therefore aims to make program costs manageable for all and the home stay contribution is likely to cover only the most basic costs. For this reason we encourage viewing the experience as a enriching opportunity for the host family and stress the importance of not treating the visitor as a special guest.

 

Further Information

Details of costs, host requirements, visitor responsibilities and more can be found in our documentation. Please download the Host Application Form for your country and the Program Guide for Hosts. All relevant documents can be found here.

In addition, the FAQ page may be helpful in finding out more.

 

Communicating with IIP

It is probable you first learn about this opportunity through the school since IIP coordinate each placement with our contact within the school itself. For this reason we suggest interested host families or individuals discuss initial questions with the school. IIP will provide the school with the necessary details, including the presenter's profile, and the school should then be in a position to discuss the requirements with the family directly. Families are still welcome to contact IIP directly, however we request you include the school contact wherever possible (such as cc'ing them in emails) so that all parties remain in the loop.

Once a placement is agreed, IIP will seek to connect the family with the visitor as soon as possible. Initially we will ask the presenter to email their hosts (both school and family) to introduce themselves and allow everyone to get a little acquainted before the program starts. At the is stage, it should be possible for IIP to 'step back' a little and allow the presenter to start taking over some responsibilities for their placement. Naturally IIP will continue to communicate with all parties as necessary and we will be monitoring things throughout the visit. If an issue or difficulty does arise at any point, IIP will always be available to assist. Again, we would encourage coordinating communication with the school contact whenever possible to avoid crossed wires or information gaps.

Thank you for your kind interest. Please let your school contact know if you have any questions or difficulties accessing the information online.

We look forward to working with you soon!

 

copyright 2010 - International Internship Programs (IIP)