The District 69 International Student Program needs to find homes for 25 international students as soon as possible.
Students from all over the world come to the Parksville Qualicum Beach area to study, improve their English skills and experience Canadian culture, according to program official Angela Cole. She said 130 students have already been placed with host families, but about two dozen more are without a ‘homestay’ family.
“We have more of an aging demographic for population and this program’s been offered for over 25 years, so a lot of our hosts have hosted for a very long time,” Cole said. “Some are downsizing, some are moving, some their situations have changed, so we’ve lost some homestays, also, due to the pandemic and the uncertainty. So we’re quite desperate at the moment.”
To host a student, a single person or family must have a room available, with a place for the youth to study. Apartments, condos and houses can all function as a homestay, as long as the person passes a background check, a home inspection and a visit to get to know the family, according to Cole. For each student, the host receives a $900 tax-free monthly stipend to reimburse expenses.
“We’re looking for basically anywhere that can offer some care and support to a student,” Cole said. There are homestay families in Nanoose and Errington, as well as Parksville and Qualicum Beach.
Most of the 25 students still in need of a placement are from Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Spain and Japan, but the popular program attracts students from a wide range of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
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Hosts do not need to commit to a year, as the program facilitates five-month stays, with students arriving in September and February. They can also say if they prefer a male or female student and what nationality they would prefer to accommodate. The program does its best to match hosts and students based on interests to make it a positive experience for both, Cole said. Homestays and students will be able to get in contact before the student arrives, so they can establish a bit of a relationship prior to arrival.
Students are expected to make two meals on their own, but the host family is responsible for providing the food and the program asks families sit down for one meal per day with their student.
“They aren’t guests in your home, they’re supposed to be blended in with your family. So they do have regular chores,” Cole said.
Students will have opportunities to go on outings to Tofino, Victoria, Vancouver, Whistler and ski trips to Mount Washington. Home stays are also encouraged to show the student around the area and teach them about their interests.
Often a student will stay with a home stay for more than one year. Sometimes a student will arrive intending to stay for one semester, but then end up spending a second because they and the family bond and have a good experience.
Some homestay families have even travelled to visit their student in the home country, including a local couple who recently travelled to Mexico.
On the off chance the relationship does not work out, Cole said the homestay community will do its best to find a new home.