When you first arrive, your homestay host will do their best to make you feel welcome and help you to settle in to your new home. Below are some of the things they will do when you arrive:

• Talk to you and spend time getting to know you
• Find out what you would like to eat
• Help you to contact your parents to let them know you have arrived safely
• Make sure you know how to use public transport
• Exchange mobile numbers and email addresses with you
• Talk to you about the local area, and show you nearby places of interest (bus stops, banks, shops, etc)

We encourage you to interact with your host as much as possible, to improve your English, learn about Australia culture and enhance your homestay experience.

• Your Homestay will treat you as a part of the family.
• Please be considerate and accommodating of your Homestay Host’s lifestyle.
• Your Host will inform you of all household rules at the start of your stay. We encourage you to clarify these rules if you have any questions.
• Show initiative in helping out around the house with little chores – it’s a great way of initiating interaction and learning about the Australian culture.
• Please remember to be polite and say “please” when asking for something, and “thank you” when something has been done or given to you.

• All Homestays provide the following:
  • A standard size (Single or larger) bed and bedside table. Please see the below table for standard Australian bed sizes

• • Adequate storage space
  • A decent size desk (approximately 1m x 0.5m or larger) with a lamp, and a chair
  • Clean and presentable bed linen and towels
  • Toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent (Note: if you want specific brands of toiletries or beauty products, you will need to purchase these yourself)
• Shared rooms may be available if 2 students apply together. Both students must be in the same age range and same gender, and sharing is only possible if the host family approves. The host will provide separate beds, desks and wardrobes for each student sharing the room.
• You are responsible for keeping the bedroom clean and tidy. Your host will provide you with all the necessary equipment to do this (vacuum cleaner, duster etc), and are aware of how to use this equipment. The room should always remain in a tidy and clean condition. Please clean your room on a regular basis.
• Smoking is NOT allowed inside any Study Vision homestay. If you smoke, the host will let you know where you should go outside the house when you wish to smoke. Your host will also show you where to put your cigarette butts when you have finished smoking. Do not leave them on the ground, as littering is not allowed.
• Your Host has the right to enter your room, to check on the condition of the room, as long as they inform you, and you are present when they enter the room. They can also enter your room without informing you and/or without you being present if there is an emergency. Please cooperate with your host in these cases, to avoid any issues between you and your host. If you have any concerns, please contact Study Vision by email at [email protected].

• There should always be sufficient hot water for a shower once a day. Due to water restrictions in Australia, your host may set a reasonable time limit for showers, usually around 10 minutes. Please respect that your host family and any other students also need to be able to use the bathroom, so do not stay in the bathroom too long.
• Bathroom habits vary from family to family as well as country to country and your host will explain the house rules about bathing and washing. Please leave the bathroom and toilet as clean as you can.
• Your host will show you how to use the laundry facilities.
• Female household members are expected to wrap sanitary products in paper and place them in the rubbish bin.
• It is your responsibility to clean the toilet after you have finished when necessary.
• Turn off the tap when you clean your teeth
• Use a bin for rubbish – Do not put anything down the toilet or sink!
• Use the half flush button on the toilet when possible
• Do not stand on the toilet.

• You should use your own mobile phone for all phone calls. We recommend that you purchase a SIM card at the airport when you arrive, or your host may be able to help.
• Your host will provide internet access. If there are any issues with the internet access, please calmly speak to your host, and they will do their best to resolve the issues. Note that this internet access is only available for email, text and voice chat, and basic web browsing. Large downloads are not included.

• We want to ensure that our students stay healthy and eat nutritious meals.
• If your Homestay Package includes meals, your host will provide:
  • Breakfast every day. Usually, breakfast in Australia is cold and self-served. This includes cereal, toast, fruit, juice, tea or coffee, but some homestays will have a cooked breakfast on the weekend.
  • A cooked evening meal including meat, poultry or fish (individual arrangements are made for those with special dietary requirements), and vegetable and fruits sufficient to the needs of the student. Your host will let you know when dinner is normally served. If you will not be home for dinner, please let your host know as soon as possible.
  • Light lunches on Saturdays and Sundays. You will need to organise your own lunches on weekdays, but your host may be able to provide them for you for additional fees.
• Please remember to let us know any special dietary requirements when you apply. If you do not inform us of your requirements, your host may not be able to accommodate them.
• Your host will normally eat dinner with you. Please speak to your host during the meal, as this will help you improve your English and better understand the local culture. Remember, it is precisely this social and cultural interface that differentiates a Homestay from other types of accommodation.
• The evening meal is normally served around 6.30pm to 7:00pm. If you will be late, please remember to phone your host as soon as possible, to let them know.
• If your homestay package includes meals, you are not normally allowed to use the Host’s kitchen. If you wish to cook your own meals, please get permission from your host. Please remember to use the kitchen safely, and clean the kitchen well after each use.
• If your homestay package does not include meals, your host will allow you to use the kitchen to prepare your own meals, and will provide you with a section of the fridge and cupboards to store your ingredients. Please remember to use the kitchen safely, and clean the kitchen well after each use.

Your friends are not allowed to spend the night at your homestay without permission from your host.

• All guests are responsible for their own health care expenses.
• Travellers should have Travel Insurance that will cover their health expenses.
• International Students will have Overseas Student Health Care (OSHC) insurance. This is your responsibility under the terms of your student visa. If you do not understand this insurance, please speak to your school/university.

It is best for you and your homestay hosts to work through issues directly with each other. Communication is a challenging but important part of staying with a homestay. When you need extra help, please feel free to contact Study Vision by email ([email protected]) and we will do our best to help you resolve your issues.

Your host will make sure someone is at home on the day of your arrival to greet you. If you are not using Study Vision’s Airport Transfer service, please contact the host family as soon as you arrive in Australia to inform them that you are on the way. If you will be delayed, please let the host know when you expect to arrive at their home.

For Australian homestays:

• All Rental and any other fees are to be paid to Study Vision for the entire period that you stay with your homestay. No fees or rental should be paid directly to the host.
• Study Vision will send you an invoice for your next rental period one to two weeks before the end of the current rental period, and the new invoice should be paid within 7 days to ensure that you can continue to stay with the host family and avoid any issues with your stay. If you do not receive an invoice on time, please contact Study Vision by emailing [email protected].
• For more information, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

For New Zealand homestays, please refer to the booking terms in your Accommodation Agreement.

• Please notify Study Vision of any intended holidays by email to [email protected], as soon as possible. We will inform your host and make the necessary arrangements.
• If you are under 18 years old, you will need permission from your parents, your Guardian, your school and Study Vision before you can go on holidays for any length of time.
• For details about payments while you are away, please refer to our Terms & Conditions.

• 2-weeks’ notice is required to end any Homestay arrangement, whether you intend to move out of your homestay, or your host would like you to move out, unless it is a special situation requiring you to move out immediately.
• You must notify Study Vision by email to [email protected] at least 2 weeks before you plan to move out. The 2-week notice period will start from the next business day after Study Vision receives your email. If you do not notify Study Vision 2 weeks before you move out, you will need to pay additional Rental to cover the 2-week notice period.
• If you move out before the end of your currently paid Rental, no Rental will be refunded.
• Note: If you are under 18 years old, you will need permission from your parents, your Guardian, your school and Study Vision before you can move out of your homestay.
• On the day you leave, you will need to have all of your luggage packed and moved out of the homestay by 10:00am – 11:00am. You should also return any keys to your host by this time. Make sure you have left your bedroom in a clean and tidy state before leaving.

Study Vision has a 5-point Policy, as follows:

• Study Vision shall strive to immediately attend to all complaints raised by Homestay Hosts, Students, Parents, Agents or Education Institutions.
• Study Vision shall attentively listen to and try to understand all points of views from all stakeholders of any complaint. Our motto here shall always be: “There are two (2) sides for any story.”
• Study Vision employees shall be attentive, prompt, compassionate, understanding, communicative and most importantly, decisive, whenever handling any complaint.
• Complaints that cannot be resolved quickly and amicably, to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, shall be immediately handed over to Study Vision’s management.
• Every attempt shall be taken to document complaints received, including details of actions taken and outcomes achieved. Lessons learnt shall be discussed in our daily staff meetings for all staff to share.

How can you reach Study Vision if you need help?

• We value your feedback, as this will help us improve our service to you, and react faster to any issues you raise. While you are in one of our homestays, you will receive periodic emails asking you to provide feedback about your homestay experience, your hosts and your accommodation.
• We also encourage you to contact us immediately in emergencies, or if you have a critical issue to discuss (such as any sexual, physical or cultural abuse). You can reach us on:
• Our 24/7 emergency line (+61 410 691 761)
  or by email to [email protected]
  or other social media avenues (see our Contact Us page).