taking on foreign students.... is it worth it

PlymouthMaid

I think it can be a lot of aggro and the ads I have seen here for language students want you to give them brekky and dinner and possibly drive them to a few places. I would want a bit more dosh for that disruption and there may be bigger problems than you expect.

VanyaHargreeves

OP, I'm not sure where you live but to give you an idea, I'm a student in one of the most notoriously expensive student cities in the country.

I rent from a private landlord and got a very good deal with him as we're on good terms. My rent, excluding all bills, is £88/week. That's a bargain for my region.

For my friends who live as lodgers paying for rent and bills only, they pay anywhere between £120-£160/week. They do not get anything included in that.

But bear in mind that my city is ridiculously priced.

[Deleted User]

Usually these short-term language students are meant to live as part of the family, part of the experience is to soak up the English way of life along with the language.

My friends used to take students every summer and loved it (in most cases;)). They didn't have to 'entertain' them all the time, there were events and activities put on by the organisers but not all the time. My friends used to make the visit a happy experience and take their students to local places of interest etc. They often had to ferry their students back and forth to their organised events/activities though. What is expected of you will be laid down clearly beforehand.

Often, these short-term visitors are very young (often school-age or just over), often have never been abroad or maybe even away from home before. As I see it, the ideal way is to treat these students exactly as you would want your own children to be treated by foreign families if they went abroad to learn a language in similar situations. Would you want your own children to be given the minimum/cheapest food and be provided with just the bare essentials by someone who was obviously only doing it to make money?

It shouldn't be just a way to make a bit of extra cash:eek: and providing as little as you can get away with. Oh, and be prepared for homesickness and tears!

Good Luck:beer:. Let us know how you got on.