At CLLC we believe that there is no better way to learn English than with a family in Canada. In addition to receiving a quality education, the key to a complete and successful immersion in the English culture and language also involves your home life. You need to have everyday contact with English speaking Canadians. Therefore, we have gone to exceptional lengths to provide our students with continued education in a quality family homestay program. The homestay program is a beneficial learning experience which gives you an opportunity to use the tools you learn in class to interact in a natural English environment.
A homestay family’s support is an important resource for international students. CLLC homestay families continually strive to provide the best environment possible for you. The quality of homes and food provided to our students is well above the average which you may find at other schools or cities. Students of CLLC have also been thoroughly impressed with the quality of cultural exchange which occurs when living in a homestay. Students and families often develop very close and long lasting friendships and the time you spend with your family is sure to be cherished forever.
Being part of a homestay means that you are a part of a family. You will have the chance to be involved in everyday routines and experience Canadian life in a natural setting.
In a homestay you can expect:
A furnished room for privacy and study and 3 healthy meals each day. Breakfast is usually self serve, a packed lunch is provided for you and dinner is served each night together as a family, a great opportunity for natural conversation. You can also expect to spend quality time with your homestay family. Approximately two hours of each day will be devoted to quality interaction with your family. You can join the family in activities as they help you discover Halifax, which is an excellent way to practice your new language skills!
Homestay Managment Team:
Should you decide you want to learn English with a family in Canada as a part of your program,CLLC has its own full time Homestay Director to manage the Homestay Program. This means that we have continued and dedicated support in managing the family and students, taking care of the individual needs of students and ensuring the comfort of everyone. All questions and complaints should be directed to the school administration. CLLC takes great pride in providing an excellent homestay program and we immediately deal with all complaints, no matter the size, to ensure that our students enjoy all aspects of life in Canada; the school environment, living in Halifax and our homestay homes.
How does CLLC match students to Homestay families:
All of our families are carefully chosen by the Homestay Manager to provide the best homestay experience and we are confident that they will provide you with an enriching and enjoyable homestay environment. You will be asked to provide information on the application form which will allow us to find the best homestay available for you. We have an exceptional selection of homestay families who are caring, respectful, supportive, and interactive. Our host families are hospitable and open their home to invite students to share a great part of their lives. It also provides the student and his family with the peace of mind and the satisfaction they need. All of our homestay families are English speaking which gives students a great opportunity to talk about their day, their experience and improve their English daily while being part of a real Canadian family. We do our best to match students and families in a way that ensures everyone’s comfort and safety.
Guidelines for Homestay requests:
Most of our families live in the Dartmouth area. You should be prepared to travel by bus everyday. It is not always possible to be placed within walking distance to the school. Commuting from homestays to the school can take up to one hour in the morning and evening. This is a typical part of the Canadian lifestyle especially among Canadian students.
Most Canadian families have pets, usually a cat or a dog. It may not be possible to place you in a family without a pet. If you have allergies to a specific animal, it is important to inform the school on your application. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
We can not always accommodate requests for specific family size. The typical Canadian family will have one or two children. A large family household often does not have room to host a student. You should be prepared to stay with other typical Canadian families. Many host families have no children or their children are adults living away from home. Many host families are single men or women.
Some host families may host more than one student from CLLC at the same time. You should be prepared to live with another student from the school. We try to avoid placing two students of the same language in the same house.
Most of our homestay families have non-smoking households. If you smoke, you may be asked to smoke outside the home only
The Homestay Placement Fee is non-refundable. This cost will cover the work done to find and place you with a family (interviewing families, visiting homes, matching student and family profiles)
Homestay fees: Our homestay program eliminates most hidden expenses and gives you one price for all services. All homestay fees are paid to CLLC who, in turn, then pays the family. Fees are due to the school a minimum of 1 week in advance. CLLC requests 2 weeks notes and replacment fees for Homestay change request. Fees are charged by the week. Therefore, one month at CLLC is actually 4 weeks (28 calendar days).If a student stays any extra nights they will be required to pay $30/ night or $35/night for PM, under age and/ or non food program.
Alternative Options: Some CLLC students also get their own apartments. After you arrive in Halifax you will be able to search for this type of living and possibly share an apartment with another student.
