With more Japanese students arriving soon in Lismore, the Australia Homestay Network (AHN) is desperate to find places for them to stay.  

AHN general manager Cris Rey said the students will be studying at Southern Cross University and need accommodation for two to four weeks.

“We need another 15 homestays,” she said. “Households can receive between $245 - $275 per student per week for hosting the students.”

“Some Japanese students prefer to be the only student in a household and that’s called a single homestay and the payment is a bit more.

“Hosting an international student can be rewarding, but it’s a big commitment.

 “It’s a cultural experience for them and you need to be around to share meals with them and talk to them. It’s not just giving them a room.

“You need to provide meals and give them transport to school and bring them back.

“The community minded people who do it are not just doing it for the money. It can be very rewarding and provide company for families if they have young children or are retired.”

“Because it’s a cultural experience for them, we like to feed them the same things we eat. So, if you have eggs and toast or cereal for breakfast, that’s fine – sometimes, they just like to eat rice. 

“For lunch, we often encourage people to make extra food the night before and give it to them for lunch. It’s good for them to sit around the dinner table with you and practice speaking English as part of the cultural exchange.”

If you are interested in hosting an international student, Cris said AHN will send an interviewer to visit you and have a chat about what is needed. 

“You also need to be over 18 and have a working with children check,” she said.

 “Once you’ve hosted a student, it can be difficult to remember your life without them in it. In a very short time, people from opposite corners of the globe, so to speak, go from strangers to being family. We know from experience that most host families and their host students stay in contact long after the student returns home. 

“Whether it’s phone calls and Skype, email and letters, or return visits to Australia and trips overseas, not a week goes by when we don’t hear at least one wonderful story about how host families and their international family member remain connected for months, years, and even decades after their exchange experiences have ended.”

For more information, you can phone 02 9264 0470 or email lismore@homestaynetwork.org

You can also visit https://www.homestaynetwork.org/