Our Homes

We work closely with many host families to find accommodation for our students. Every home is different; but the most important thing to remember is that living with an English family is not like staying in a hotel so you should expect to be treated as part of the family.

We have homes in many different areas but the vast majority of students must travel by bus. There are two bus companies: Yellow Buses and Wilts & Dorset. Every host family lives near a bus stop so there is no problem travelling to and from school.

Your Room

If you want to stay with one of our host families, you will normally have your own room. The only exception is if you'd like to come with a friend; we can then find you a shared room with a family. This is often popular for younger students who would feel more nervous living alone. No more than 2 students may share a room.

When you fill in our enrolment form, it's important to tell us whether you are allergic to anything, as many English families have pets.

Your Food

English food has a bad reputation! We hope that you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find when you come to stay.

The stereotypes do exist - fish and chips, sandwiches and lots of tea - but every family is different and you might discover dishes you've never tasted or even heard of before! Cornish Pasty, Toad in the Hole, Shepherd's Pie ... these are all delicious and definitely British!

Our families are happy to cater for special dietary requirements so please tell us if there is anything you cannot eat. Typical examples would be students who do not eat pork, students who are vegetarian and students who are allergic to specific foods such as nuts.

When you enrol, you can choose between Full Board and Part Board. Full Board gives you three meals a day, every day. Breakfast is often "help yourself" although some families sit down for breakfast together. A packed lunch is normally provided from Monday to Friday as you are at school rather than at home during the week. Dinner is eaten with the family. Part Board allows you the flexibility to buy your own lunch if you don't want the family to provide packed lunches during the week. The family will still provide three meals a day at the weekend but only breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday.

Please note that the Part Board option is only applicable to students who are 16 years of age or over.