Host Family for students
International students attending universities in Philadelphia are looking for a host family to support them as they pursue their education in America. Will you answer their call? Right at Home Homestay is looking for new host families for students with easy public transportation to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, St. Joseph’s, Temple and Jefferson—neighborhoods including University City, West Center City, Yeadon, Lansdowne, Upper Darby, Fairmount, East Falls, Wissahickon, Roxborough, Cobbs Creek, West Germantown, West Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Make a difference to a foreign student staying in your home while supplementing your income.
Becoming a Host Family for Students…What’s in It for You?
Becoming a host family for students gives you the joy and satisfaction of sharing cultures with students from around the world. Foreign students staying in your home also offers a steady source of extra income—about $1000 per month for each spare bedroom you can offer a student.
What does this look like?
Students apply for homestay for as little as one month or as long as a full semester or even a year at a local university. Host families can choose to host long-stay or short-stay students. Hosts plan two meals per week with their student(s) to bond with them and help them converse in English. They include them when possible in family gatherings and occasionally plan activities together. These can be as simple as a walk in Fairmount Park, a craft night, attending a neighborhood event, or a trip to Amish country. Hosts treat their international students as family members. Students with off-campus housing in PA keep their rooms and shared areas tidy and help as much as you allow in the kitchen.
Housing exchange students isn't a one-way experience. Students are eager to talk about home. You’ll learn new customs, cuisines, and music and swap family histories.
Many of our hosts are still raising families. They find their children learn to interact with the foreign students with ease. They thrive on the attention and become confident and comfortable living with diversity. Families learn how foreign families are different—and the same.
Many hosts are retired or empty nesters . Hosts with no children enjoy the companionship of their students and the broadening of their interests. Hosts are influential in a way that is both life-changing for you and your students and have a global impact.
It is difficult to measure, but living with young people preparing for careers in a foreign country has a profound impact on students who otherwise know America only by what they see and hear in the news. It is not uncommon for foreign students staying in your home to whisper in their hosts’ ears as they share a departing embrace, “I will never forget you.”
Apply to Host Students Today
Ready to become a host family for students? Once you submit your inquiry, we'll be in touch to confirm your eligibility for a homestay fee for hosting foreign students staying in your home. Fill out our host inquiry form to get started.