Homestay consultancy for colleges and universities

Build or strengthen your institution’s own homestay programme with practical support on host recruitment, assessment procedures, documentation and staff training.

London Homestays can support a complete programme or a defined part of one. Your institution continues to operate the service under its own name.

Discuss your programme

When institutions come to us

Some institutions are setting up homestay accommodation for the first time. Others already run a programme but need more hosts, clearer procedures or additional assessment capacity.

You may need support because:

• you cannot recruit enough prospective hosts in the locations your students need;
• your existing assessment process needs to be reviewed or documented more clearly;
• you are establishing a new homestay programme;
• your staff need training before taking responsibility for recruitment or assessment;
• you want an experienced external view of your current procedures and records.

We do not assume that every institution needs the same service. We begin by looking at what you already have, what is working and where additional support would be useful.

How the consultancy works

1. Understanding your programme

We first discuss the students you accommodate, the locations where hosts are needed and how your institution intends to operate the programme. Where a programme already exists, we also look at the procedures and documents you currently use.

2. Agreeing the scope

We identify the work London Homestays will carry out and the responsibilities that will remain with your institution. The consultancy may cover the full programme or a specific area such as recruitment, assessment procedures, documentation or staff training.

3. Carrying out the work

We complete the agreed work and provide the documents, reports or training included within the scope. Where London Homestays carries out remote host assessments, each assessment is recorded in a written report for the institution.

4. Handover

The aim is to leave your team with a programme it understands and can operate consistently. Any continuing support, licence terms or future review work is agreed separately rather than assumed.

How we can help

Each of the following is included only where it is agreed as part of the project scope.

Recruiting prospective host families

We can help recruit prospective host families in the locations where your students need accommodation. The recruitment approach is agreed with your institution. It can support a new programme, an expansion into another area or an existing programme that needs more applicants.

We do not act as the institution’s agent. The respective roles of London Homestays and the institution are agreed before recruitment begins.

Developing your assessment process

We can develop an assessment process for your own staff to use. Depending on your requirements, this may cover:

• host applications;
• identity and documentation checks;
• references;
• property information;
• assessment questions;
• written assessment records;
• local home visits carried out by your staff;
• final host approval.

The process should make it clear what must be checked, who completes each stage and who makes the final decision.

Remote host assessments

London Homestays can carry out the remote elements of the assessment as a paid service. This may include a video walkthrough of the property, documentation and reference checks, and a written report on the prospective host.

We do not carry out in-person home visits for consultancy clients. Where an in-person visit is required, it must be completed by the institution’s own local staff. We can build that stage into the assessment process and train staff to carry it out and record it consistently.

London Homestays provides advice, assessment reports and recommendations. The institution always makes the final decision on whether to approve a host.

Policies, agreements and records

We can prepare or review the practical documents needed to operate the programme. Depending on the agreed scope, these may include:

• host agreements;
• assessment and review records;
• roles and responsibilities;
• safeguarding procedures;
• complaints and incident processes;
• host and student guidance;
• record-keeping requirements.

The documents should reflect how the programme will work in practice. They are not produced simply to create an inspection file.

Staff training

We can train the staff who will recruit, assess and support hosts. Training is based on the process agreed for your institution and the responsibilities its staff will take on. It may include conducting assessments, recording decisions, carrying out home visits and maintaining suitable records.

Programme framework and licensing

Institutions that want to operate the programme internally can do so under their own name, using materials supplied by London Homestays.

Each agreement is bespoke. Materials may be licensed to the institution for the duration of the contract, or we may create and supply bespoke materials under separately agreed ownership and usage terms. The proposal will explain what is included and how the materials may be used.

London Homestays does not act as the institution’s agent or operate the programme on its behalf.

What your institution may receive

The exact deliverables depend on the agreed scope. They may include:

• a review of your current or proposed programme;
• practical recommendations on areas requiring further work;
• a host recruitment plan;
• application and assessment forms;
• assessment checklists and record templates;
• host agreements and operating documents;
• remote assessment reports;
• staff training;
• a clear handover of the completed process and materials.

The proposal should state what London Homestays will deliver, what your institution must provide and which responsibilities remain with your own staff.

Two ways to use the service

Some institutions ask London Homestays to provide practical support with recruitment and remote assessment. Others want to build the capability internally. In those cases, we develop the framework, documents and training needed for the institution’s own staff to run the process.

We have supported both approaches. For a further education college in Scotland, we recruited and assessed prospective host families. We also adapted the programme materials to reflect Scottish law and the institution’s own requirements. An independent school in south-east England used the framework and documentation while its own staff carried out the assessments.

The aim is not to make your institution dependent on an outside provider. It is to leave your team with a clearly documented programme it can operate confidently.

Experience behind the consultancy

London Homestays has been placing international students with London host families since 2009.

We are registered with the British Council for our London homestay provision. Our consultancy draws on the experience and procedures developed through that service, but the consultancy itself sits outside the scope of the registration. A programme operated independently by a client is not covered by London Homestays’ British Council registration.

“We partnered with London Homestays to help us verify and assess homestay hosts we were recruiting for our international students in Glasgow. Their expertise in vetting hosts to British Council standards gave us real confidence in the quality and safety of the accommodation we were able to offer. The team were professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with throughout. We would highly recommend London Homestays to other colleges and universities looking for a knowledgeable and reliable accommodation partner.”

— Lucia Murray-Rapuano, Global Skills Development Manager, City of Glasgow College

Discuss your homestay programme

Contact us if your institution is planning a new homestay programme, reviewing an existing one or trying to recruit hosts in a particular area.

It helps if you tell us:

• whether the programme is new or already operating;
• where hosts are needed;
• which students the programme will accommodate;
• what support you are looking for;
• when you expect the programme or project to begin.

We will use that information to understand your requirements and arrange an initial conversation. If the service is suitable, we can then agree the proposed scope and provide a quotation.

Discuss your programme