Young learner accommodation in Torbay
Host families for students 12 - 17 years old
Staying in a Torbay home is a great opportunity for young people to improve their English quickly and the ideal way of getting to know the English way of life - children can practise what has been learnt in the classroom with their hosts. Trust our years of experience and our justified reputation for care and consistency as we arrange for young learners to stay in carefully selected homes.
We find the student a shared room in a home that provides all meals and matches their specific requirements. All of our hosts live in Torbay, so you do not need to worry about long journeys from outside the borough.
"Member of the family"
Students will take part in their hosts' everyday life and be treated as a "member of the family", therefore they should be prepared to adapt as much as possible to their hosts" daily routines and habits.
Meals
To help both host and student to make the most of their stay, students are encouraged to tell their hosts what kind of food they like or dislike. As students are booked on full-board basis they will receive a packed lunch and have dinner together with the family where they will be able to learn about the "family life" and practise English with their hosts at the same time. Students are not normally expected to use the kitchen or take food from their hosts' cupboard or fridge without asking.
To be independent, teenage students are usually given their own house key. The family will provide bed linen and assistance with laundry can be offered. The students themselves should bring bath and beach towels.
"Back home" Times
12 to 15 years: 22.00, except if they are on an organised activity
16 to 17 years: 22.30
18 years and older: Reasonable arrangements to be agreed between the host family and the student.
Selecting host homes
Many of our host homes have been caring for our students for many years and are inspected regularly by our Accommodation and Welfare Officers.
Distance to school: Usually less than 30 minutes on foot or by local transport
To ensure that we can place the student with the most ideal family possible please always send as much information about your student as possible such as:
- Date of birth
- Diet requirements
- Nationality
- Country of birth
- First Language
- Other languages spoken
- Allergies to food/ animals/ chemicals etc
- Flight details
- Religion
- Smoker/Non-smoker (16 yrs +)
- Sex
- English Language Level
- Any other needs
It would be helpful if we were provided with the name and telephone number of the responsible parent or Guardian in the case of emergencies.
Household pets are quite common in many European and British homes. If students have an allergy or fear of a specific animal type, please be as accurate as possible on the registration form. Please be advised that where we receive a booking requesting accommodation with "no pets" in the household, we will take this to mean, no cats and dogs, as it is not possible for us to exclude all homes where animals may reside.
If you have medical conditions such as asthma please inform us about it. Some of our host families are smokers, though most usually smoke outside the home or away from students.
In all cases we will aim to comply with individual student's needs. Where we are unable to match a specific criterion, we will endeavour to inform you with as much notice as possible.
