Being a host family with MyEducation involves opening your home to a young person from overseas and welcoming them into your family home and life. Host families allow high school exchange students from around the world, the opportunity to fulfil their dream to live as a local in a foreign country. With MyEducation, host families across the country are able to show high school students what it means to be British, but also what it means to be English, Scottish and Welsh. Every host family welcomes a young person into their lives in their own unique way.

So, what is a host family? A host family is a very special group of people who are able to welcome a young person into their home and allow the student the chance to enrich their lives while also enriching their own lives. Host families come in all shapes and sizes and live in all parts of the UK. Their main role is to provide support and care for a high school exchange student and to treat them as they would their own son or daughter. It is an experience that families and students will never forget and will build lifelong relationships.

Host families are asked to provide their student with:

• A room in their home with a bed and closet space.
• An area for the student to complete homework.
• All meals – packed lunch for school days (which students can make).
• Love and support.
• A chance to become part of their family and live like a typical British teenager.

Host families are not responsible for paying any further costs for the student.

• Students arrive with their own spending money for activities, school costs, personal expenses, and travel, etc.
• Students have their own insurance policy for medical and other potential costs.

Hosting is a voluntary experience but MyEducation is able to offer a financial contribution to all host families to cover the costs associated with hosting a young person in their home. These reimbursements are paid monthly.

All families will receive the following support:

• Ongoing support from a local Area Representative
• Ongoing support from the MyEducation office
• Host Family handbook
• Hosting information sheets
• Host Family orientation
• Access to a 24/7 emergency number

Our students come from many destinations and are between 16-18 years old. They will attend a local senior school/Sixth Form college and hope to become a part of the local community. With MyEducation our students aim to learn about life in the United Kingdom and wish to adapt to our cultures and traditions. We place students with families in England, Wales and Scotland. Our students all have experience with the English language and hope to perfect these skills while at school and also in their everyday activities with your family and their new school friends.

Hosting a high school exchange student can be rewarding for all members of your family. You might learn some new language skills or learn about another culture, taste some new and delicious food, and discover some new family traditions. You will meet a young person with a keen interest to learn about your lives and interests and will find that they become a member of your family and help you to build global relationships.

Everyone can be a host family in the UK for an exchange student: young, old, couples, single people, married, unmarried, grandparents, parents with older children, parents with young children, parents with children who have moved away from home, or adults without children.

Host families do not need to speak a foreign language, we just ask that you speak English.

The exchange student must have their own bed, but may share a room with one of your children or another exchange student. Students can only share with people of the same gender.