{"id":5383,"date":"2019-01-26T11:10:25","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T11:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/?p=5383"},"modified":"2020-07-13T12:30:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T11:30:18","slug":"how-to-make-your-london-homestay-a-great-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/how-to-make-your-london-homestay-a-great-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Your London Homestay a Great Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#e2e2e2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Many of my friends who have studied abroad have had an excellent experience by choosing a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/homestays-private-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">homestay. London<\/a><\/strong> families can give you a chance to immerse yourself in the local culture and improve your English.<\/p>\n<p>Most students who have enjoyed successful homestays tell me that the key to success can be found in thinking about two elements: what your host expects from you and what you should expect from your host.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img width=\"1070\" image_height=\"695\" image_id=\"5836\" title=\"homest\" src=\"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2019\/01\/homest.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-5836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/homest-200x130.jpg 200w, https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/homest-400x260.jpg 400w, https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/homest-600x390.jpg 600w, https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/homest-800x520.jpg 800w, https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/homest.jpg 1070w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 1070px\" \/><\/span><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:10px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p><strong>What Your Host Expects<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>House Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is important that as soon as you arrive (or as soon as is practical) you and your host agree on some house rules. Here are some examples of fairly common issues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Bathroom usage in the mornings<\/em> \u2013 Everyone needs to get showered and get out of the house by a certain time so figuring out a schedule to accommodate this will help you have a good relationship with the whole household.<\/li>\n<li><em>Sleep routines<\/em> \u2013 Find out what time the household members go to bed so that you know when you should turn down your music or TV. <em><em>London has a great night life but do make sure you talk to your host family about when you are planning to come home<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Cleaning <\/em>\u2013 Ask your host about some of the basics for keeping the house neat, such as how to load the dishwasher, where to stack clean dishes and where to find cloths and bin liners. While you shouldn\u2019t be asked to do cleaning, you should still tidy up after yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Courtesy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll get the most out of your experience if you get on with the family hosting the homestay. London is like the rest of the UK where it is normal to say hello and goodbye every time you come and go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What You Should Expect<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Location<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have always believed that having realistic expectations is the secret to being satisfied, and being prepared is particularly crucial for the success of a homestay. London host families usually live outside the centre of the city. The bigger, more residential homes tend to be found in zones 2-5, and this will mean a bus or tube ride to reach the centre.<\/p>\n<p>However, the transport system is superb. Even if you are living in zone there is normally easy access to central London \u2013 and these days quite a few of the tube lines have a 24-hour service<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Living with a family with local knowledge is the biggest advantage of a homestay. London is a huge city with lots of potential, and you\u2019ll get the most from it if you ask your hosts for advice.<\/p>\n<p>They will know how to get to places (like your school) from their house, where to eat, where to shop, etc. They might even be able to recommend some money saving tips. You should make sure you take advantage of their experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Food<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your host family will be providing and sharing some meals with you during your stay and, having a discussion about likes and dislikes right at the beginning can prevent disagreements later.<\/p>\n<p>In my opinion you should be open to trying any local dishes that the family prepares, and you should also expect to have filling and balanced meals. Let them know if you have any allergies or if there are any foods you particularly dislike.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Making Friends with Your Host Family<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Once you have established the expectations of both sides you might want to find ways to become friends as your relationship with each other develops over the homestay. Londoners are usually keen to learn about new cultures, and your family will probably be curious about your life and your experiences.<\/p>\n<p>You could show them photos from your home \u2013 this will give them an insight into how you live \u2013 or you could offer to cook a traditional dish for everyone every now and then. You should also try to join in discussions at meal times. Not only will this help you build your relationship, it will be an excellent way to improve your English.<\/p>\n<p><em>Studying abroad is an opportunity to get exposure to a different culture and to improve your language skills. Nothing achieves these goals more effectively than a homestay. London is full of wonderful families who want to share their homes with international students. At Britannia Student Services we would be delighted to find a welcoming space for you with one of these families. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/britanniastudents.com\/book-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Talk to our team<\/a><\/strong> to find out more.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\tFor a fully immersive experience nothing beats a homestay in London. Find out how to make this one of the best experiences of your life.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[27,19,20,6,21,11],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Make Your London Homestay a Great Experience - Britannia Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Planning to study in London? 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