Homestay is a cultural exchange between a local individual or family (called a host) and a visiting international student (guest). A homestay allows guests the opportunity to stay in a warm, welcoming Australian household, rather than in an impersonal apartment, dorm, or hotel.

Traditional families, non-traditional families, single people, roommates and friends living together – any person or group who is willing to share daily life with an international guest can be a host. As an AHN homestay host you must:

• Make yourself and your home available to your guest. Our hosts must be able to provide a clean, comfortable and private bedroom for guests.
• Hosts must speak clear and correct English in the home.
• Help your guest settle into a comfortable and safe home and help them to learn. You will be willing to make them feel at home with conversation, support, inclusion in family activities and personal warmth. Ideally, you’ll have a sincere interest in other cultures and a desire to connect with new friends from around the world.
• Provide healthy food for your guest (if this is included in their service, please see “what levels of service can I offer” for more detail.)
• Show your guest around the community to assist the guest to become familiar with the local area and customs, while in a relaxed and friendly household setting.
• Help your guest to access or organise important services e.g. setting up a bank account and mobile, and assist your guest to seek medical or dental attention as necessary.
• Maintain valid clearances. To participate in the AHN homestay program, all hosts and permanent residents over the age of 18 are required to obtain the relevant Working with Children Check and/or Police Check for their State/Territory and ensure these remain valid. Details of State/Territory requirements can be found here.

For full details and requirements, see our Homestay Policy and Homestay Host Agreement

We offer several packages for guests in homestay these include:

• Complete Homestay: host provides 3 meals, 7 days / week
• Traditional Homestay: host provides breakfast and dinner, Mon-Fri, 3 meals Sat-Sun
• Dinner-Only Homestay: host provides dinner only 7 days / week
• No-Meals Homestay: No meals provided by the host

*Packages will vary depending on your state, contact your local AHN office for more detail.

Most of our guests are university students and have travelled a long way for the opportunity to study in Australia. An Australian education, strong English language skills and knowledge of western culture may set the student up for a brighter future at home. Because it is so important, students will often be very focused on their studies and school activities. They will want to join you at mealtimes (if you are sharing meals) and for family activities and outings.

The minimum stay period is 28 nights. After this time, if both guest and host wish to continue, the placement will be extended. Some guests stay for 4 weeks then find their own accommodation, while others choose to stay for an extended period to make the most of their cultural exchange. The average homestay lasts for around three months.

Yes, our hosts need to be within a maximum 60 minutes by public transport (including walking time) of a university, college, TAFE, ESL school, professional or high school where there is current student demand.

AHN guests are mostly tertiary education students who are here to study in a degree program, an ESL, or vocational course. We do also place high-school students, interns, older professionals, and study tours. All of our travellers currently come to Australia with an educational objective. These students come from all over the world.  Some of the most active regions right now are Asia, the Middle East and South America.

To see if AHN is currently placing students in your area, go to our locations page and select your city. If you don’t see active links for your area, AHN is not currently placing students near you. You are welcome to apply even if your area is not represented, we’re always looking to expand, though you are less likely to get a guest placement.

You need to speak clear, correct English in your home anytime the guest is around but you do not need to be a native English speaker. If your speech is heavily accented or difficult to understand, we’ll help you identify that early in the process and probably recommend against hosting. One of the primary objectives of homestay is for guests to perfect their English therefore they need to learn from your conversation.

English proficiency will vary but they will speak some basic English when they arrive. Remember though, their goal is to improve these skills through homestay and having conversations with you. You will need to be patient, curious, kind and respectful, especially at first as you navigate new communication.

Our standards require that all host families have the appropriate personal clearances before any placements can be received.

To participate in the AHN homestay program, all hosts and residents are required to obtain the relevant Working with Children Check (WWCC) and/or Police Check for their State/Territory and ensure these remain valid. We cannot work with hosts prior to receiving this information, nor can we place students with existing hosts if we are notified of a denied or revoked WWCC. Hosts must advise AHN of any changes in compliance.

Once you complete the application, self-assessment, interview, and background checks we begin the process of matching you to the right guest. This can happen right away or could take months, depending on demand in your area and what guests match with your lifestyle and preferences.

Not at all. Submitting the application is a great way to learn more about the specifics of hosting in your area and it doesn’t obligate you in any way. We don’t have any sales people on our team and we won’t pressure you about hosting. You can decide to host or not host at any time, whether it is at the beginning of the process or even if you are already certified or have hosted guests.

AHN have been the industry leaders in Homestay Standards throughout Australia. In Australia, we’ve earned government commendation for raising the safety and standards of the industry as a whole.

We’re a little different than more direct, peer-to-peer services in that we provide a full service approach to hosting. That means that we know exactly who is staying with you and what their background is. It also means that you have our support 24 hours a day in case there is a problem or emergency. We also handle billing and most collection activities and pay you directly, on time, via direct deposit. We give you training on cultural understanding and making international guests (and your own family) comfortable.
Our process for hosts ensures we prepare you to have the best experience and how we can offer the same quality and integrity to the guests who come to stay with you.

Click here for full details of the standards we adhere to.

The initial online application is just a capture of basic personal and household information and it should take only about 5 minutes to submit it and get the process started. The full process is outlined below:

• Complete the online application (5 minutes)
• Receive your welcome email
• Complete your online profile / submit banking info for payment (you can wait until later in the process)
• Take the online training and self-assessment (under 1 hour)
• Submit and wait for background checks to come back
• Schedule your home interview with your Host Manager
• You are ready!

We do advise you to take your time crafting the profile to ensure we get the best guest matches possible, but there’s no urgency to get it done. You just need to finish it before we start matching you with guests.

Yes, you can, though we may invite you to challenge some of your thoughts or assumptions if we feel strongly we have a great match for you. Ultimately, it is up to you. You are never obligated to host.

AHN offers 24/7 support for both guests and hosts and will assist you from the start to finish of the placement. If things aren’t working and we can’t resolve them for you, we’ll arrange for the guest to move to a different home.