Written by James McCall, Accommodation Director

Brilliant news. The UK is rejoining Erasmus+, and this signals exactly what we’ve known all along: EU students belong here, you’re valued here, and British families want to welcome you.

I’ve been placing European students with British host families since the early 2000s, and I can tell you these connections are extraordinary. French teenagers arriving nervous, leaving confident and fluent. German students staying in touch with their hosts for years. Italian students who become part of family WhatsApp groups and get invited back for Christmas. Spanish students whose host parents visit them in Madrid. These aren’t just accommodation arrangements. They’re genuine human relationships that last.

Brexit changed policies, but it never changed British families’ enthusiasm for hosting European students. Our hosts kept choosing to open their homes because they genuinely love the cultural exchange, they’re curious about your cultures, they value the experience. That warmth never disappeared.

Now the government is finally catching up. Erasmus returning means EU students can access funded placements again, significant for students who couldn’t afford UK study otherwise. But more importantly, it’s the government acknowledging what’s always been true at household level: cultural and educational connections benefit everyone.

For EU students considering English language study in the UK, you’re coming to a country that’s choosing connection, rebuilding bridges, moving forward. And in homestay specifically, the welcome has always been real.

British families open their homes because they want to. They’re genuinely interested in where you’re from, what you think, how your life differs from theirs. They want to share British culture and learn about yours. They ask about your hometown, practice their rusty French or German, include you in family activities, treat you as part of the household.

Parents often want to know what their children will actually experience in British homes. What I can tell you from nearly two decades placing students is this: your children thrive. They arrive nervous about speaking English and leave confident. They come not knowing what to expect and leave with lifelong connections. They experience authentic British life. Family dinners, weekend trips, British humour, genuine hospitality. In homes with families who choose to host, students flourish.

This Erasmus announcement is part of broader positive change: youth mobility schemes being discussed, energy cooperation developing, cultural ties rebuilding. The UK is choosing connection over isolation, and that momentum matters.

Want the practical details about how Erasmus+ will work for language schools, when students can apply, and what’s covered? I’ve written about the implementation specifics on our UK Study English site.

The door that closed is reopening. The barriers are coming down. For students wanting authentic British English immersion, wanting to experience British home life, wanting to improve language skills naturally while living with a British family, you’re wanted here!

British families have been saying it at kitchen tables all along. Now the government is finally saying it in policy.

This is genuinely good news. Come study with us. You’ll be welcomed.