1. Do I
get lunch on the weekends? Can I buy food for my lunch and take it to school
if I want to?
2. Will I share my room with anyone?
3. Will there be other students in the house?
4. If I am not within walking distance, is there any other
way to get to school besides bus?
5. Is there a deadline for applying for homestay?
6. Can I pay for the homestay with a credit card?
7. What are the ages of people who stay in homestay?
8. May I request a homestay family if I have a friend who stayed
in that homestay?
9. May we request the same homestay for friends or brothers
and sisters?
10. Will my English improve faster if I stay in Homestay?
11. Are the homestays houses or apartments?
12. If I stay for an unusual period of time, is homestay prorated?
13. Is the placement fee refundable?
14. May I use the family's telephone?
15. May I cook some of my country's food if I want to?
16. Will I get a key to the house?
17. Can I get a private bathroom?
18. When do I pay my homestay fee?
19. May I watch TV programs and movies?
20. May I install a telephone in the family's home?
21. Where do I do my laundry?
22. Will the family take me shopping?
23. Will the host family help me with my homework?
24. Will the host family help me open a bank account?
25. Will the host family teach me to drive a car?
26. Can I buy a car? Can I rent a car?
27. Can I smoke inside the host family's home?
28. May I come and go as I please?
29. Is there a curfew (time that the students need to be home)?
30. What will I have in my room?
31. May I use the family's computer?
I
WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE NOT ANSWERED ON THIS FORM.
homestayhouston@yahoo.com
1. Do I get lunch on the weekends? No, lunch is not provided in our program. Can I buy food for my lunch and take it to school if I want to? Yes.
2. Will I share my room with anyone? No.
3. Will there be other students in the house? We have families that have space for more than one student. It is possible that there would be another student or two in the same house, but each student would have his/her own private bedroom. We have a few homes that have 3 or 4 bedrooms available for students.
4. If I am not within walking distance, is there any other way to get to school besides by bus? Yes, we have a limited train service, and some students go to school by bicycle. Transportation is available on a limited basis by the family or by a van service. The cost is $75.00 per week.
5. Is there a deadline for applying for homestay? No.
6. Can I pay for the homestay with a credit card? No.
7. What are the ages of people who stay in homestay? We have hosted people from 14 to 70 years old. The cost for hosting high school students is $700.00 per month.
8. May I request a homestay family if I have a friend who stayed in that homestay? Yes, and you may stay there if they are available. We have many requests.
9. May we request the same homestay for friends or brothers and sisters? Yes.
10. Will my English improve faster if I stay in Homestay? Yes, companies have done studies and have tested businesspersons that stay in homestay verses other housing. The people who stayed in homestay progressed better and faster.
11. Are the homestays houses or apartments? We have families who live in both houses and apartments.
12. If I stay for an unusual period of time, is homestay prorated? Yes, any extra days in homestay are prorated at the rate of $35 per day; any extra weeks are prorated at the rate of $200 per week.
13. Is the placement fee refundable? No.
14. May I use the family's telephone? The telephone may be used for local calls. For long distance calls, students may use a prepaid telephone card, a telephone credit card, or may call collect. Prepaid telephone cards are readily available in grocery stores, pharmacies, gasoline stations, etc.
15. May I cook some of my country's food if I want to? Some families allow cooking. Please state on your application if you would like to cook.
16. Will I get a key to the house? Yes.
l7. Can I get a private bathroom? Some homestays have private bathrooms available, others do not. You may request a private bathroom, and if a homestay is available that has a private bathroom, you may have one.
18. When do I pay my homestay fee? The host family is paid on the day that you arrive, and every month thereafter on the same date.
19. May I watch TV programs and movies? All families have a TV available and most have a VCR.
20. May I install a telephone in the family's home? Yes, you may, and the telephone bill will be billed and charged to you directly. It usually takes one week to get a telephone installed.
21. Where do I do my laundry? All families have laundry facilities available. They will help you.
22. Will the family take me shopping? Yes, they will take you shopping; be sure to ask them in advance.
23. Will the host family help me with my homework? Yes, if you ask them to help you.
24. Will the host family help me open a bank account? Yes, but also some of the schools take students to open bank accounts.
25. Will the host family teach me to drive a car? No, but we have driving schools in Houston that teach people to drive.
26. Can I buy a car? Yes, but you must have a Texas driver's license in order to own a car here. Can I rent a car? Yes, but you must have an international driver's license and be 25 or older to rent from most automobile agencies.
27. Can I smoke inside the host family's home? We have some families who smoke and allow smoking inside of their home.
28. May I come and go as I please? We have some families who are very flexible, and others who have an apartment beside their home available for the student. The student may eat with the family and interact with the family, but also may have additional privacy.
29. Is there a curfew (time that the students need to be home)? Teenagers can be treated as if they were the host family's children. Adult students do not have a curfew.
30. What will I have in my room? A bed, study area (table or desk), closet and/or furniture for clothes, trashcan, study light, all items for the bed, and towels.
31. May I use the family's computer? No, some families have computers but they are not for student use. If you would like to use your own laptop, please bring it. You are responsible to pay for your computer connection to the Internet. Schools also have computers that you may use.
I
WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE NOT ANSWERED ON THIS FORM.
homestayhouston@yahoo.com
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