The Dos and Dont's

There are a few things your need to be mindful of if you are going to stay at someone's house for any length of time. The longer you are staying the more conscious you need to be of how you are interacting with the family.

Chores

If you are going on a short homestay (around 2 weeks) then you will probably be considered more of a guest than a member of the family. This changes if you are in the same place for any longer than 2 weeks.

Short-stay Homestay

Because you are only staying for a short time it is very unlikely that your Host Family will ask you to do much while you are there. Before you arrive in Australia you are probably told that you should ask if you can help them. Many students will ask "Can I help you?" and the normal reply is something like "No, it's all right. Thank you anyway." This is usually because, by the time you have asked to help, the person has already started on the task and has planned out in their head the steps they are going to take to complete it.

Some better ways of asking are:

"Can I help you with dinner tonight?" (Said an hour or so before dinner preparations start.)

"I would like to help with dinner tonight. What can I do?"

"What do you need help with around the house?"

"Can I vacuum for you?"

"Can I hang out the washing?"

"I would like to water your garden tomorrow. Is that all right?"

Try one or all of these phrases and see which one works best for your host family. Remember, make sure to ask in advance.

Long-term Homestay

Whether you are long-term or short-term homestay you should still ask the questions that have been suggested above. It is also very likely that your host family will ask you to do some regular chores for them around the house e.g. washing up the dinner dishes or vacuuming around the house.

It is important that you remember that you are not a guest but are being included as a member of the family and it is important that you pull your weight. This means that if the dinner dishes have been done and the floors are clean you shouldn't offer to do something else. If there are groceries to come in from outside make sure that you are helping with those.

If the bins need emptying or the cat's litter tray needs emptying, make sure that you offer to do it, or better yet go ahead and do it. Your host family will be most appreciative. Just as you would have to do chores around the house at home you will be expected to do chores in your Host Family.

In Australia, nearly all children, whether they are rich or not, are taught to do chores. There are no excuses for not being able to do something, and Australian children are taught to ask if they do not know how. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.

We do suggest that you not use the excuse

"Oh, I don't have to do that because my mum/dad/servants do it."

and just carry on with the task. You are here to experience the Australian lifestyle, not make excuses for not carrying out a task.

House Rules

Short-term & Long-term

Just like your house back at home, your Homestay house will also have its own set of rules. Usually, these will be explained to you at the beginning of your stay, but if you are unsure you can always ask:

"Are there any house rules you would like me to follow?"

We have listed some of the most common ones below.

Take your shoes off at the front door.
Keep your room tidy.
Wash up your breakfast dishes.
After eating, put your dishes etc. on the sink to be washed.
Make your bed each morning.
Turn the door handle to close the door. (Do not just pull them shut)
Keep the toilet and bathroom doors closed.
Close all windows/doors if the heater/ air conditioner is on.
Do not make a noise while eating (e.g. slurping noodles etc.)
Do not eat food off of your knife.
If you are washing your clothes, remove them from the machine as soon as it is finished.
Separate your rubbish into the appropriate bins.
Change the sheet on your bed once a week or once every two weeks.
Do not drink from the milk carton.

Interacting with your Host Family

Short-term & Long-term

Your Host Family will understand that when you first arrive you will be very tired. They may have prepared a big dinner for you and be all excited to get to know you. For some students, this can seem overwhelming and they do not know what to say or do.

If you are not very hungry you could say

"Wow. It looks delicious, but I am not very hungry. I will just have a little, please."

or,

"You have gone to so much trouble. Thank you. I am not very hungry, just very tired. Could I please just have a little?"

These are polite ways of letting your Host Family know that you would like to rest.

Short-term Homestay

From your first real day with your family, you will be expected to interact with them as much as possible. Usually, the host family will have games and activities planned and you will be quite busy.

If you would like to have some quiet time to yourself we suggest telling them the day before.

"I am getting really tired. Could we please have a quiet day at home tomorrow?"

Another example might be if they have games planned for the evening but you want to rest.

"I am feeling really tired. Could I please go and rest in my room?"

Long-term Homestay

Because you are here for a much longer time there is not the rush to do as many activities as there is with a short-term homestay. There is also the understanding that you will use your initiative to go sightseeing and explore the city. Your host family may take you to a few tourist spots, but generally, you will be expected to go on your own.

At home, the pressure to socialise with the family is not quite as significant. You will be considered as a son or daughter of the host and will be treated as such. Your time to come and go will be yours and you may only see your host family at breakfast or dinner times.

On the weekends, if everyone is at home, it is nice to come out of your room and talk to your Host Family, or perhaps ask them if they would like to play a game. Your time will generally be yours, but make sure that you try and interact with them when you can.

Spending time in your room

Short-term Homestay

Usually, your Host Family will have plenty of activities planned and you will have very little time to just relax in your room. If you do happen to have a morning or afternoon off make sure that you when you do wake up, you go out and say hello to your Host Family, as they will probably want to help you with breakfast and discuss any plans for the day. You can always go back to your room after and relax.

Long-term Homestay

Because you are staying longer and there is no need to show you around and entertain you as there is with a short-term homestay, you will be able to wake up and go to sleep whenever you like. The only thing we suggest is that if your family are early risers (they wake up early), you make sure you go out and say good morning as soon as you wake up. This is even more important on weekends as it is the time that most families do their household chores. In general, the family will try to be as quiet as they can until they hear you wake up, then they will start to get busy. We would suggest waking up no later than 9:00 or 9:30 am on the weekends, as by this time everyone is usually awake and ready to start their day.

If you are choosing to stay home and rest, especially on a weekend, we suggest having the door to your room open slightly so that your Host Family knows that you are awake. Generally, if the door is closed it means that the person is sleeping and they will not want to disturb you.

Also, if you tend to have a sleep in the afternoon and you often sleep past dinner time, it is a good idea to let your Host Family know if you would like to be woken up.

"If I am asleep at dinner time, please knock on my door and wake me up."

or, you can tell them if you would like to continue sleeping and eat later.

"If I am sleeping at dinner time I will eat later if that is okay?"

Make sure that you come out of your room every few hours to interact with your family, even if it is just to get a drink of water, so that your Host Family knows that you are alright.