By on December 25th, 2015

4 Ways Hosting an International Student Can Help You

There’s no doubt that homestays help international students learn English faster, get to know American culture better, and enjoy a more comfortable, less lonely trip abroad. Did you know, though, that choosing to host an international student can help you as much as it helps your student? In fact, there are quite a few ways that you can benefit from becoming a host family. Here are just a few…

It’s an Unforgettable Experience

First of all, having an international student stay with you is really an unforgettable experience. You’ll welcome a (well-matched) stranger into your home, and before you know it they’ll be a part of your family. You’ll learn about their daily habits and what they do when they’re at home, and they’ll learn about your rituals and habits, too. There’s a real cultural exchange that happens when you live with someone from another country that simply does not happen in just about any other situation.

Make a Little Extra Money

You certainly aren’t going to get rich by hosting international students while they stay in the US, but you can definitely pick up a little bit of side income. All of their living expenses will be taken care of, so you won’t have to worry about your new family member creating a financial burden. In fact, you could find that you have more spending money than you did before.

Educate Your Kids About Their World

Kids are pretty funny when they first learn that the whole world doesn’t function exactly like it does in their home, but exposing them to different people and different ways of life is a great way to help open their eyes to the world around them and how people are so very different but that we’re all ultimately the same at heart.

Bond With Your “Son” or “Daughter”

Finally, we can’t stress enough how much your student may become a part of the family. You and your family will bond with them in a way that you can’t with people who are just friends or roommates. With a lot of host families and students, that bond can last a lifetime.

Are you ready to experience for yourself how becoming a host family can help you? Start the application process with USH today, and you could be on your way to hosting an international student in very little time!