What can be the problems for foreign travelers when they live with a host family in a homestay?

Live by their rules

Living in a homestay means following the rules and regulations set by the host family. Host families will have different sets of rules to follow, but it’s important to take whatever they say seriously as a sign of respect. They could have a curfew set up, guest restrictions, noise policies, or even restricted areas of the house. If you’re considering staying with a host family, make sure you’re prepared to abide by whatever rules you’ll need to live by.

Feeling out of place

As much as a host family can make you feel in sync with the local culture and atmosphere, you’ll need to deal with feeling “out of place”, especially in the beginning. There’s also the risk of feeling isolated from other students or travellers who are also new to the country and have common woes or things to discuss.

What you lack in the traditional ‘student’ lifestyle, though, you make up for in other ways such as a warm house come wintertime. Trust us, you’ll value this in New Zealand!

Dependency factor

For some people, being dependent on someone else for food, laundry or even cleaning can be too excruciating. It’s okay to be the type of person who likes to live independently or can be a little picky about the way things should be done (laundry, for example). Maybe you simply don’t like the idea of having to depending on others too much, and that’s fine, but you’ll need to figure out what situation works best for you.

Make the right choice 

Having read through it all, weigh your personal requirements against the pros and cons and decide if you would like to live with a host family while you study courses in New Zealand. Don’t go by what others have to say or choose. After all, your choice would lay the foundation for your first few weeks of experience in a new country. If you have any doubt or are simply stressed out, contact us at student services and we might be of help!