Homestay families for international students needed urgently on North Shore

This story has been amended since first posting to clarify a statement regarding payments to homestay hosts.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, North Shore school districts saw their international student programs crater.

Programs that had been built up over decades to attract fee-paying students from around the globe quickly nose-dived as borders closed and many students returned home.

A year and a half later, demand from international students is rebounding in North and West Vancouver schools.

This time, the programs face a new kind of challenge – not enough local families have been signing on as hosts for those students when they arrive.

That’s left local school districts and homestay agencies who work with them scrambling to find suitable placements.

“There's just a large number of kids that still need a home and will be arriving in the next 15 days,” said Cheryl Lee, managing director of MLI, one of the agencies that co-ordinates homestays for students in North Vancouver.

Homestays urgently needed

In North Vancouver alone, Lee said she’s still looking to find about 40 homestay families.

Before the pandemic cut a swath through international programs, North Vancouver School District would typically host between 625 and 725 fee-paying international students a year, while about 525 students would typically choose to study in West Vancouver.

Those numbers dipped dramatically last year to below 400 students in each school district, but have since been climbing again.

“The international sector has rebounded nicely. I get daily inquiries from students wanting to come,” said Michael Frankowski, administrator of the international student program in West Vancouver.

“There's almost like a backlog of extra students trying to get in before they graduate from high school,” said Lee, noting most students opt to come to high school in Canada between grades 10 and 12.

That some countries like Australia aren’t accepting international students has made the demand even higher, she said.

Demand by international students is rebounding

But at the same time, the pool of potential homestay families has been shrinking. In some cases, families have downsized, or may have had elderly parents or young adult children move back in with them during the pandemic, said Frankowski.

In some cases, people who are working from home now may have turned a former student bedroom into an office.

Others are just grappling with additional uncertainty that the pandemic has brought. As some long-established homestay families decide to take a break, not enough new families have been stepping in to replace them.

Vaccination status can be complicated

Fully vaccinated students are certainly preferred by homestay families. But with students coming from around the globe, not all have received a jab recognized by Canada. In some countries, like Brazil, vaccines being used have Canadian approvals but vaccination rates are low. Some countries may also not have approved shots for teens under 16, for instance.

Students who don’t meet Canadian vaccination requirements have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival, either at their homestay or under supervision at a hotel.

All students – even those coming to Canada for a stay of less than six months – are also now required to have a study permit – something that wasn’t required for short stays prior to COVID.

Despite the challenges, the essence of being a homestay family hasn’t changed.

Key qualities involve a genuine desire to help and to welcome a teen into your family.

“They are minors, they are not adults. And so we are obviously looking for folks who understand that,” said Lee.

Many family types can host

A “family” also doesn’t have to fit traditional definitions, said Lee. “It can be a single mom, it can be a single person, it can be people who are retired. Family as a definition is pretty broad.”

Those considering being homestay families can indicate their interest online, following which a more detailed application including a home visit follow. If there’s a match between a student and a family, both parties have to agree to it before anything is finalized.

Homestay families are expected to provide students with a room, with meals and to welcome that person into their family activities, whether that’s handing out candy at Halloween or going to a movie on a Friday night. They aren’t expected to be tour guides, Lee notes, although some families enjoy taking on that role.

Nora Iliakis is a North Vancouver mom who is preparing to welcome an international student this school year.

Her family has previously hosted a number of international post-secondary students, said Iliakis. Now, after a year off during COVID, “We’ve decided to try it again.”

In the past, the longest a student stayed was six months. This year will be the first full year with a high school student – a Grade 11 student from Germany.

Patience an important quality

Patience is an important characteristic in a host, said Iliakis, particularly in the early stage of getting to know each other and introducing a student to household routines as well as to the community.

In the past, she’s had students willing to get up at 5 a.m. to watch a kid’s hockey practice as well as be eager to join the family on hikes on local trails. “We try to include them when we can,” she said.

Host families are compensated by for out-of-pocket expenses. Amounts can range from about $800 to $1,500 a month depending on the school community.

But those who work with students emphasize doing it for cash is not a good reason to become a homestay family.

“If you were an accountant, and you would parse out the hot water, the Wi-Fi and a giant boy eating all the spaghetti, you're not doing it for the money,” said Frankowski. “There has to be some altruism involved.”

Connection often lasts for years

The connection between students and host families often lasts years beyond the time they live under one roof – many stay in touch online and some even end up visiting the student and their families in their home countries.

During their time on the North Shore, “They really feel as students, like they're part of our community. They become residents of this community while they're here, and the family that supports them makes all the difference,” said Lee.

Anyone considering becoming a host family in North Vancouver can find out more on the North Vancouver School District's homestay information webpage. 

Families in West Vancouver can also get in touch with the international education program through their online application process.