Posted on 11th December 2013 by New College Group

What is it like to live with a host family?

At New College Manchester we offer a range of accommodation options and advice for our students; after all, while one student might be thrilled at the idea of living with other students in halls of residences, another might prefer to live with a welcoming British family.

Of course, some of our short-course students might only be with us for a week or two, so we’re happy to recommend convenient hotels too – there’s literally an accommodation option for everyone who wants to study one of our English language courses.

We can imagine that you’ve all stayed in a hotel at some point and you’ll probably be familiar with the concept of student residential halls, but our home stay accommodation is a little different to how students may live in your home country.

Having a ‘second family’ for support is a great way to spend your time with us, so this week we’re putting the spotlight on what it’s like to live with a host family. Of course, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

So, what’s home stay all about?

Our home stay students live with a British family throughout the duration of their course and if you choose this option you’ll be treated like a member of the family. You’ll eat breakfast and evening meals with your family in the week and either have your own private room, or a shared room if you prefer. At weekends, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided and you’ll be responsible for keeping your own room clean and tidy.

Will my host family live near New College Manchester?

New College Manchester is located right in the heart of Manchester city centre and is very close to both a large bus station and train station. Your host family are likely to live just outside of central Manchester, in residential areas we call suburbs or small towns. Travelling into the city centre is very easy from the residential areas and your host family will be able to show you exactly how you can get to New College and what travel passes will best suit you.

The British way of life

There are certainly stereotypes about the British way of life (i.e. that we eat a lot of fish and chips!) but you will usually find that many families aren’t ‘typically’ British in terms of cuisine or norms – you’ll generally find we’re a nation that very much appreciates cultural variety.

In the UK, a large proportion of people follow Christian tradition even if they aren’t religious themselves. This means that over Easter (a spring holiday) and Christmas, many people will celebrate. Muslim and Hindu families may also celebrate these holidays to some extent too, especially if their children were born in the UK.

In the UK, for most office workers and those in the public and private sector, normal working hours are between 9am-5pm, but many professions also require staff to work shift patterns too. Punctuality is expected in the UK and your host family will expect you to be in time for dinner and return home at the time you specify.

How do you match students with host families?

We take all of your requirements into account when matching you with a host family, so please don’t worry that your host family won’t be well suited to you; chances are they’ll share your interests and do their utmost to make you feel at home. For more information, please take a look at our new home stay YouTube video, where you can meet some of the families and see what our existing students think about living with a British family.