great host families Doug Ronson ESQ Educational Services CAPS-I - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to recruit and retain great host families

Doug Ronson ESQ Educational Services CAPS-I presentation May 2015

Why are good hosts – and good homestay coordinators – important?

• Housing is one of the three pillars of student satisfaction, along

with academics and social

• Good hosts will ensure that your students are happy
• Capable hosts will be able to resolve minor issues without

involving the homestay coordinator

• Homestay coordinators are essential to the success of your

program!

Host family recruitment

• Successful recruitment is an ongoing process
• Need to budget time for recruitment – it’s easy to get caught up

in the latest student emergency

• Leverage student interests to recruit potential hosts: soccer,

music, theatre.

• Contact local organizations
• Ask existing hosts to recommend a friend/relative
• Religious leaders may know potential families

Host family recruitment

At your tables: What recruiting tools have you found to be most effective (such as ads, flyers, radio)? Please be specific. Rank the tools:

• 1. Most effective

….

• 7. Least effective

(You have 10 minutes. Please appoint one person to present your rankings.)

Host family recruitment

• Word of mouth
• Ask existing hosts, staff to refer families
• Radio ads
• Mailouts by postal codes in key neighbourhoods
• Facebook ads sorted by postal code
• Door hangers in targeted locations
• Kijiji ads (only about a 30 percent acceptance rate due to

families seeking only a tenant).

Host family selection

Conduct an initial screening by phone to eliminate potential hosts who are unsuitable:

• Determine motivation for hosting
• Assess English skills (no heavy accents if non-native speakers)
• Make sure they will be home for students in evening

(no shift workers)

Host family selection

• Explain application process and expectations in detail. This

ensures that families are serious about hosting

• Have family complete an application
• Conduct home visit and meeting
• References and police checks

Host family selection

What are the top 5 characteristics that you look for in a great host family? (You don’t need to rank them this time) How do you measure these? (You have 10 minutes. Please appoint a different person to present your ideas.)

Host family selection

• Friendly and welcoming hosts
• Interested in spending time with the student and helping them

improve English

• Understanding/acceptance of different cultures
• Resilient and patient
• Bedroom must meet minimum standards (window, bed, desk,

light).

• Quality of home (furnishings, cleanliness, updated bathrooms

and kitchens)

Host family selection

• Food: Must be willing to cook evening meal. Microwaved instant

meals are not acceptable.

• The house should not be under renovation. If a family is

planning renovations, they should wait until completion before hosting.

• Must be available during the entire homestay period (not going
• n vacation).

Host family selection

• Make expectations clear in writing from the start. This will help

potential hosts to determine if hosting is suitable for them.

• Explain that homes and hosts will be evaluated. There usually

are some recommendations for improvement.

• Host need to be patient with students and accept feedback.

(“The land of the hurt.”)

Host family retention

It’s far easier to retain a host family than recruit a new one. What do you do to support and retain good hosts? (You have 5 minutes. Please select a different person to report your findings.)

Host family retention

• A robust orientation program ensures that hosts are well-

prepared to host a student

• Check in frequently to support hosts
• Conduct exit survey/interview with hosts after student leaves
• “Thank you” notes make people feel appreciated
• Watch for signs of burnout. Offer support or give hosts a break

for a month or two

Host family orientation resources

The Essential Guide for Host Families can be a valuable resource for hosts:

• Rights and responsibilities
• Communication
• Household appliances
• Telephone and internet
• Boyfriends/girlfriends

…. And more

Student orientation resources

The Essential Guide for Homestay Students:

• North American customs
• Coping with culture shock
• Food

…. And more

• Available in 8 versions: Arabic, Chinese

Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish

• In printed and e-book formats

Attend Monday’s session

Best practices in host family

• rientation and training

Monday at 9:45 am Grand Ballroom C

Thank you!

To subscribe to the newsletter for homestay coordinators: homestayguide@hotmail.com Doug Ronson 613-888-9560 www.homestayguide.com