Students' Frequently Asked Questions
HOST is a charity (not-for-profit organisation) that gives you the opportunity to spend a weekend or a few days at Christmas in the home of a British resident.
Q: Who can apply for a HOST visit?
If one of the following describes you, you can apply:
- Full time international student aged 18+, studying in Britain for at least 3 months
- British Council managed scholar
- Exchange student
- Engaged in research, from any country of the world
- A volunteer at a subscribing organization (ICYE), or a Language Assistant
- Your husband/wife and children can be included if they are living in Britain with you
You can go with a friend who qualifies for a HOST visit (see Who can go for a HOST visit?).
You and your friend must both complete HOST applications, and in the section about friends you must each enter your friend's name and university, so that HOST will know that you wish to go together. Please do not enter your friend in the 'spouse or partner' section of the application form. This section is for couples where only one person is an international student.
You must only request to go with a friend before your visit has been arranged. After you have received your invitation, please DO NOT ask your host if you can bring a friend with you. Students who ask their hosts if they can bring friends with them may find that their invitations are cancelled.
Q: Can my spouse or partner go with me?
You can bring your spouse (husband or wife) or partner on a visit if they have been living with you in the UK for at least three months. HOST charges a spouse fee of £23.52 (£20.00 plus VAT), but some universities and colleges pay all or part of this fee for you. You may also take your dependant children.
If your spouse or partner is also an international student they will need to submit their own HOST application. In this case they will not have to pay the spouse fee but will pay whatever charge is required by their institution.
Q: How much does the application cost?
- There is an application fee of £42.30 (£36.00 plus VAT). Some universities and colleges pay all or part of this fee for you. To see if you need to pay for your application, click here.
- If you will find it difficult to pay the application fee yourself, you can apply to our Friends Fund which is sometimes able to help.
- If you need to pay your institution, you should contact your international office for more information on how to pay.
- If you need to pay HOST, you can send your payment via cheque or postal order (available at the Post Office) to: HOST UK, Unit 8 Water House, 8 Orsman Road, London N1 5QJ. You can also pay online with Pay Pal. When sending your payment please be sure to give us your name and application number.
Q: Does my Institution belong to HOST?
Click here to find out whether your institution belongs to HOST.
Q: Can I choose the location of my visit?
We do not ask you for your preferred visit location on the application form because we want you to be able to discover someplace completely new. You may tell us if you prefer to visit a certain area; however, please be aware that we cannot guarantee your location because it depends on the availability of hosts who match your preferences. Please remember that HOST visits are not primarily for tourism, which can be done in many other ways, but are designed to introduce you to the British way of life. Your best chance when applying for a HOST visit is to be flexible and willing to go anywhere within your travel budget. All of our hosts all over the UK are lovely and each of them offers something unique - you just might discover your new favourite place!
Q: How much would my travel cost?
- If you are applying for a visit 'near my place of study', you should allow about £25 for your travel.
- For any other location, you give us your maximum budget, and we will find you an invitation in a region which you will be able to reach. To be realistic, you should expect to spend at least £40 for the return journey. A budget of £100+ will enable you to travel to a completely different part of the country.
- Travel is not cheap in this country. If you intend to use trains or coaches more than once while you are here, you should definitely purchase a student rail or coach card. This will save you about 30% of the cost of every journey.
- You can also sometimes reduce the cost by booking tickets at least a week in advance.
- Wherever you buy your tickets, always ask 'is this the cheapest fare?'
- Your campus travel shop can advise you, and there are travel websites on our links page.
Q: When will I have the visit?
We will ask you to give us a choice of dates for your visit. All visits take place at weekends, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. You may like to have a visit on a weekend close to the date of a British festival or one in your culture. You can also apply for a visit at Christmas.
Q: When will I hear about my visit?
HOST will send you an email or letter confirming that your application has been registered. It could be at least four weeks before you receive any communication from HOST. Please keep your chosen dates free, and let HOST know immediately if your plans change.
Most weekend visits begin on Friday evening and end on Sunday afternoon. At Christmas or New Year you may stay for 3-4 nights.
- Our hosts are volunteers – they are not paid to invite you.
- They are friendly, hospitable people who enjoy meeting international students and helping you to feel at home here, and are pleased to show you the area where they live.
- They are interested in you, your country, and your ideas.
- All sorts of people are hosts!
- Some are families with children at home; others are middle-aged and older couples. Some live alone.
- Some are professional people; others work in business, trade, or manufacturing; some are artists and craftsmen; others are farmers. Hosts do all kinds of jobs. Many are retired: they have time to spend with you and a lot of life experience to share with you.
- The success of your visit depends partly on you and your attitude to it. HOST does its best to find the most suitable invitation for you. You can help us by telling us on your application form something about yourself and your interest in having a HOST visit.
- HOST has a volunteer Regional Organiser (RO) in every region of the country. This is the person who will arrange your invitation.
- Our ROs visit new hosts in their homes, before they receive their first guest.
- We also pay careful attention to the feedback students send in after their visits.
- Many of our hosts have been with HOST for a long time and have welcomed many students.
Q: Why do people become hosts?
People offer to join HOST for many reasons:
- Some want to meet people from countries they already know.
- Others find the students give them an insight into places they are never likely to visit.
- Many hosts are proud of their region and traditions, and enjoy introducing them to their guests.
- Some want to introduce their children to people of other backgrounds.
- Others have no children at home, but enjoy the company of young people.
- Some want to forge links with particular parts of the world.
- Others are looking for a little language practice with a native speaker.
All enjoy making strangers welcome, and helping them to feel at home here.
When the HOST office receives your application, we will send it to one of our volunteer Regional Organisers (RO). The RO will probably contact you by email to tell you which region of the country you will be going to. The RO then looks for an invitation for you, and will send you the details as soon as possible. As soon as you are in contact with an RO, you can communicate with them about any changes to your application.
Q: I can't plan a long way ahead - can I have a visit at short notice?
No, HOST really needs between four to eight weeks notice to arrange a visit for you. Please also allow an additional week for your form to be authorised and checked by your institution.
Q: Do I have to accept the invitation?
Regional Organisers take a lot of trouble to find the right invitation for you, and your host will already be looking forward to meeting you. Please remember that hosts are volunteers and have made arrangements to give you a pleasant visit. If you cannot go or do not wish to stay with this host, you must tell the regional organiser immediately. There are always many students waiting for invitations, so please do not waste an invitation by cancelling without telling us. Please be aware that if you decline an invitation, your application may be at risk of being cancelled.
Q: What will I know about my host before I go there?
When you receive your invitation some information about your host will be included. You will be in contact with your host before your visit, to arrange practical details about your travel. This will enable you and the host to start getting to know each other.
Q: How can I be a good guest for my host?
Please refer to this document for tips about being a good guest.
Q: How will I get to the host's home from the rail or bus station?
Your host will probably meet you at the station, so it is essential to let them know the time you plan to arrive. Many hosts live quite far from their nearest station, so they will meet you by car. A small number of hosts do not meet their guests, but tell them exactly how to reach their home from the station. We strongly advise you to have their contact number with you at all times to avoid unnecessary worry if your arrival is delayed.
Q: What will my host's home be like?
- Hosts live in many different kinds of homes. Your accommodation will be comfortable, and you will have your own bedroom unless you have previously agreed to share. You may be sharing the family bathroom. In most, but not all homes, there is a shower – some British people still prefer to have only a bath. If you are visiting in the winter, you may find that the house is not quite as warm as your university accommodation. British homes are heated in many different ways, and many are very warm, but it is also normal for people to put on an extra layer of clothing (such as a warm jumper or sweater) even indoors, when the weather is cold. Nearly everybody has a TV in their home, but some people consider it polite not to have the TV on when they have a guest, and most people would expect a guest to ask before switching on the TV.
- Many people consider it impolite for a guest to spend much time on the Internet or their mobile (cell phone). Hosts are happy to help you contact your family, especially during a festival, but it can be seen as rude to spend time talking with your other friends when you have the opportunity to make new ones.
Q: What should I take with me?
Clothes suitable for the British weather - warm and waterproof! It is a good idea to ask your host's advice. A small gift to say thank you - a souvenir from your country is very acceptable, but chocolates, flowers, or some traditional food from your country are also fine. At Christmas, it may be a good idea to take something which all the people in the household can share.
Q: What will I do while I am there?
Every visit is different, but you can expect to do some of the things in this list; chatting with your hosts; joining in with daily life activities; sight-seeing, walking in the countryside; meeting friends and relatives of your hosts; attending community events.
Q: Who pays if we go to a museum, historical site or theatre or have refreshments when out?
Our hosts are volunteers who invite you from kindness. They are not paid for having you in their homes. Many hosts generously expect to pay for all your outings and refreshments. However, if you wish to pay your own entrance money, or to offer your host some refreshment while you are out, your host will consider it very polite and thoughtful of you to offer. Some hosts will refuse your offer, but some will be grateful to accept. It would be a good idea to have about £10 with you so that you can pay for a ticket or something to drink.
In the pub. There is an English tradition that, in the pub, everyone in a group of people 'buys a round'. This means that the people in the group take it in turns to buy drinks for everyone else in the group. If you are in the pub with a large group of people this can be quite expensive. In this case, don't worry if you can't afford to take a turn. But if you are in the pub with your host(s), you might like to say that you have heard of this tradition, and offer to buy the next round. They will appreciate the offer, and some will accept it.
HOST does NOT expect you to offer your hosts any money for their hospitality at home, nor for their petrol while driving you around. To say 'thank you' for their generosity, it will be most acceptable for you to give your hosts a small present. A souvenir or item of food from your country are ideal presents, but flowers or chocolates are always acceptable.
You will have meals with your hosts, and this may give you the chance to taste home-cooked traditional dishes. If you are not sure about something, ask what it is and take only a small amount at first. If any time you feel hungry, ask for a snack. Many British people eat their last meal of the day very early.
Q: What about religious differences?
Not everyone in the UK is a Christian or regularly goes to church, temple or mosque. If your hosts invite you to accompany them to a service, remember that you are not obliged to go, but it may be interesting to do so, especially if it is church at Christmas. If you wish to practice your religion in any way that may affect the activities planned for you, explain this to your host as soon as you can.
Q: Am I expected to stay in touch with my host?
Immediately after your visit, PLEASE contact your host by phone, email or card, to show your appreciation of their hospitality. Many students, unfortunately, forget to do this, which is very discouraging for our hosts. After that, some students and hosts do stay in touch, some don't. This is your choice. If your host invites you to visit them again, you are welcome to do so. You do not need to apply to HOST for this. You can, of course, apply to HOST for a second visit in a different location.
When HOST accepts your application we undertake to find you a suitable invitation to one of our volunteer hosts. 'Suitable' means that your preferences regarding pets and diet have been taken into consideration, and that the travel costs are within the amount you have told us you can afford. We cannot guarantee that your visit will be in any particular location, even if you have expressed a preference about this. (HOST visits are about experiencing British life and culture, which can be done in any location.)
Your invitation will be for one of the dates listed on your application, or in subsequent correspondence with us. We ask you to give us a choice of 3 weekends - if you cannot give us a choice, we cannot guarantee to find you an invitation. If HOST is unable to find you an invitation on any date you have given, we will ask you to supply more dates if you can.
If you have given us a choice of dates, and it is impossible for us to find a suitable invitation on any of your chosen dates, HOST will refund your application fee.
If your host has to cancel the invitation after you have accepted it, HOST will either:
- arrange a convenient new date for you to visit this host
OR
- find you an invitation for the same weekend (or another suitable weekend) with a different host.
If HOST is unable to re-arrange your invitation after it has been cancelled by your host, we will refund your application fee.
HOST will NOT be able to refund your application fee if you:
- cancel your application after one of our regional organisers has contacted you and started looking for an invitation for you
- fail to reply to our messages or to give us additional information which we may ask for to help us with your application
- refuse a suitable invitation
- cancel a visit after you have accepted the invitation
