How to be a host family for students
What do you have to do to be a host or host family?
We have already spoken before about the figure of the host family (or hostess) and how this greatly helps the affective, academic and social integration of foreign students who decide to visit our country to reinforce their second language or who simply want to know others countries while learning.
Host families are a safe haven for those students from other countries and especially for their parents, who invest in peace of mind and trust, since they know that a family is taking over the comprehensive care of their children.
However, sometimes it is difficult to understand what steps we must take if we want to be part of this select club of host families and we get lost in the bureaucracy and the necessary permits.
In this article we will try to shed some light in the dark, and help interested families make the leap into this incredible and enriching world.
How to be a host family
In each country, the necessary permits and documentation, as well as the steps to be taken, differ slightly. That is why we always recommend that, as far as possible, this task be delegated to a specialized agency for these purposes.
In the case of Spain, the essential requirements are the following:
Have enough space in the family home to comfortably host the guest.
Make Spanish the language spoken at home
The family nucleus must be made up of at least two people
The fact of being a host family is disinterested, although this entails a right to compensation for the expenses that are caused by the normal course of the host's life.
Have insurance that covers any unforeseen event related to accidents or medical causes.
Preferably the student has an international health card
Documentation related to the legal representation of the minor (if so)
Apart from these items, there are some additional requirements depending on the country of origin of the student and the country of reception, since here we have expressly referred to Spain as the recipient.
Host family abroad
In the same way that certain obligations are imposed on us as a receiving host family, families who carry out these tasks in other countries, such as Ireland, are bound by the same conditions.
It must be taken into account that in the same way that we will have a series of requirements to be able to be a host family, the student will also have a series of requirements for normal coexistence with our own family, such as maintaining order and cleanliness of your stay, cover your leisure expenses, or abide by the rules of the home where you are staying, as if it were another member of the family.
conclusion
As we have seen, being a host family is a simple task, but it requires certain previous steps before being able to start doing it.
Relying on the services of a specialist in this task or an exclusively dedicated agency can be a good way both to contact families interested in sending their children to Spain, and to "offer our candidacy" to said families.