Accommodation at Canterbury Christ Church University

Homestay

WelcomeStudying at Canterbury Christ Church University may be your first experience of living in the UK and we want this to be a happy experience for you. These guidelines have been prepared to help you adapt to living in Homestay accommodation while studying with us.

What is Homestay?

Homestay accommodation is where you live with a local family based in Canterbury or nearby towns. This is one of the most popular choices of accommodation for international students enrolled on General English or other short courses at Canterbury Christ Church University. This is because Homestay offers students the opportunity to practise their English and experience British culture.

Many British people enjoy providing international students with a place to stay and value having someone from a different country living in their home, sharing their daily life and integrating with their family.

It is important to engage with your host to fully appreciate your experience whilst studying at Christ Church. Please feel free to join your hosts in their daily routines and always ask questions if you are unsure of British customs.

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Part of the host family experience is exposure to UK culture. Please maintain an open mind and enjoy your opportunity to learn more about British culture. If you have questions please ask your hosts. British people like to chat about British culture. Most British people are extremely tolerant of other cultures and expect you to be equally tolerant.Being friendly and polite at all times will help make integration easier.

It is important that you inform your homestay if you intend to stay out late at night and you should try to give an approximate return time. If it is late, when you return, please do so quietly without disturbing the family. If you would like to have a guest you need to get your host’s permission in advance.

Most students adapt well to living in the UK but some can experience homesickness or may feel shy or nervous when they first arrive. This can be caused by differences in environment, routine, study and family life. If you experience homesickness, please do not be afraid to discuss this with your host or Student Support.

Try also to get involved with activities with fellow students or the Students Union.

Your host may have different religious beliefs from you. Please respect your host’s religious beliefs. Your host will be expected to respect your beliefs also.

Cultural differencesLiving with a host family in a different country can be a very different experience from living at home in your country – it is part of the experience of travelling and studying overseas that you encounter such differences!

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You will be given your own private study bedroom, which will contain:

• A comfortable bed

• A table/desk

• Storage space for your clothes and personal belongings

Your bedroom will be a safe environment and hosts will respect your privacy.

Your bedroomHomestay facilitiesEvery Homestay host and home is different. Hosts may be families with children, grown-up children, single people or couples. All make wonderful hosts.People have different lifestyles and each Homestay will have its own ‘rules’ or ways of doing things. If you are unsure about anything, please ask your host. Things may be very different to what you are used to and it is important to be flexible and try to adapt to your Homestay.

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Communal areas and facilitiesYou will have access to the main communal areas of the house including the living room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.

Bathroom

Access to the bathroom should be unlimited and you will be able to bathe every day. However, you may not have sole use of the bathroom and please remember other members of the family may have specific times for using the bathroom. Please agree a convenient time with your host to shower or take a bath.

Although it is the responsibility of the host to clean the bathroom, please try to leave it in the condition you found it and do not leave wet towels or dirty clothes.

Please note most bathrooms in the United Kingdom do not have a drain in the floor – only in the shower or bath. Therefore, please remember to keep the water inside the shower or bath as spillage can damage the room below.

In the UK, toilet paper is flushable but sanitary items should be wrapped and placed in a bin.

Cleaning and laundry

A weekly laundry wash, cleaning of room and change of bed linen is included. Laundry facilities can vary according to hosts’ preferences.

If you require extra washing, it is at the discretion of your host to charge a small fee. Please note your host will expect you to have a full load of clothes when using the machine as it is not cost effective to wash one or two items at a time.

An ironing board and iron will be provided for your use.

Internet access

We require all our hosts to provide access to internet at their homes for our students but you should discuss what the download limits are.

Internet access is provided around the campus 24 hours, 7 days a week except for public holidays when limited opening hours may apply.

Telephone

You should not use the telephone without the permission of your host family. Some families may provide Skype for you to speak to your family.

If you obtain a United Kingdom number for your mobile phone, please remember to update your details on the University Student Records. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact the i-zone to ask for help. Go to www.canterbury.ac.uk/faq, call 01227 782222, or visit the i-zone desk in Augustine House.

Heating

British families do not usually keep the heating on all day and all night. Hosts will want you to feel comfortable but if you feel cold, especially at night, please ask your host for extra blankets or bed covers.

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Where meals are included with the host family, please let your host know if there are any items you do not like, or cannot eat when you arrive as this will make things much easier when planning meals.

If you are going to be late for a meal or do not require one, please give as much notice as possible so that your host does not prepare a meal and then have to throw it away.

With all options you will have light use of the kitchen to make yourself a sandwich, possibly use any microwave and make a drink etc from food you buy.

The Catering options that are offered are as follows:

Bed and breakfast

The ‘bed and breakfast’ option offers a daily breakfast. This could be fruit juice, cereal, toast or an egg with tea/coffee. It is no longer customary to offer a full cooked English breakfast and often hosts will leave food for you to prepare your own meal.

Half board

The ‘half board’ option includes breakfast but your host will provide an evening meal each day – you will join the family at meal times.

Catering optionsHomestay accommodation gives you a choice of catering options.

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Electrical equipment

You are responsible for use of the electrical equipment in your room.

For example, hair appliances need special care and attention. Never leave these items on your bed and always make sure they are switched off after you have finished using them.

Please do not put wet items of clothes over electric heaters as this is a fire hazard. Please ensure that laundry is not dried in the kitchen and communal areas or on radiators, which can present a risk of fire or mould from condensation.

In the UK, the electricity voltage is 230 V.

Non-Smoking

All our university-managed accommodation is smoke-free. This is for both health and safety reasons. It is not reasonable for us to ask guests or hosts to share with someone who smokes. Ask your host if you can smoke outside.

Breakages

If you break anything please inform your host directly. Hosts are very understanding but you will usually have to pay the host for any damage.

Insurance

If you plan to bring any valuable items with you on your visit to Canterbury, please check you have a valid insurance policy to cover theft, loss or damage that may occur whilst you are in the United Kingdom.

If you do have anything stolen, you should always report it to the police and ask for a Crime Report Number which you will need if you are going to make a claim on your insurance.

Please note the University is not held responsible for loss, theft or damage to personal possessions.

Other useful informationYour Host family will be happy to explain anything you are unsure of.

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Student SupportWhat to do if you have a problem?

Most students will have a happy Homestay experience. If you have any problems or complaints during your stay, please discuss these with your host first, as many problems can be easily resolved by speaking together. However, if you feel uncomfortable discussing a problem with your host, please contact a member of our Accommodation Team at homestay@canterbury.ac.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Changing your homestay arrangements

You may find after arriving at your Homestay, that you wish to extend your stay, leave earlier than you had planned, change to a different Homestay family or move to university residences. The University will do its best to help you, and we understand your happiness and wellbeing are important, especially while you are studying with us.

However, please be aware that the University or your host family may not be able to easily change the arrangements in all cases. If you extend your stay, you may need to move to different accommodation. If you wish to leave early or change Homestay, then it is important to discuss the reason with the Accommodation Office well in advance. We cannot guarantee alternative accommodation will be available, and you may have to pay additional costs including paying a notice period if you wish to leave early.

We understand the difficulties for international students, and if you have unavoidable reasons for wishing to change your Homestay arrangements we will be flexible as far as possible. If you have any questions, please contact the Accommodation Office. The Homestay Terms and Conditions can be found at www.canterbury.ac.uk/homestay

Homestay FeesFor most short stay courses, the Homestay fees will need to be paid in full at the time of accepting the offer online.

Information on paying for your accommodation

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www.canterbury.ac.uk/accommodation