Homestay - Teach without leaving home

Weary of doing the 1/2 year contract rounds, packing up one temporary home to move to another? Considering semi-retirement or a change of activity but not quite sure what? Or do private circumstances simply dictate the necessity of a stint at home? Whatever your personal situation, you may wish to consider the option of providing one-to-one language tuition homestay programmes in your own home.

There are two ways to do this. One, to be employed as a host teacher by one of the organisations which provide this service to a variety of clients in a variety of locations. This will depend on their requirement for a homestay teacher in your 'neck of the woods' and, of course, the success of your application. Alternatively, you could go for the more lucrative option of 'going it alone' and setting up your own small homestay/tuition business. Undoubtedly, the former eliminates the headache and expense of some of the business aspects such as advertising, accounts etc. but if you and your family are flexible and comfortable with sharing your home and your lifestyle with your student clients, the latter most certainly is the more challenging and exciting option.

The Benefits
One-to-one homestay programmes can provide a holistic approach to language learning. The students are immersed in the target language and culture throughout their stay in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere and receive an individualised, tailor-made programme to suit their specific needs. They integrate with the family,  friends and the local community in a way not catered for in school-based classes and they provide the teacher with the much striven-for opportunity to totally provide for individual needs, free from the constraints of group needs.

What it entails
In order to make your venture a success, quality is essential and not only from the academic point of view. With regard to accommodation, it goes without saying that the host home should be clean and comfortable, providing the student with a well furnished study bedroom in a quiet environment (minimum 90 square feet/8.36 square metres) with good natural light, sufficient storage and study space and adequate heating/cooling provision.

The student should have access to the bathroom as a family member and be able to bath or shower daily at no extra cost. An en-suite facility is a definite plus and probably essential if you want to target business executives. A separate, adequately equipped study/classroom for formal contact teaching is also necessary. While gourmet food is not expected, three healthy, well-balanced meals per day with good variety throughout the week should be provided.

With the basics in place, the human dimension is what makes the difference. A genuine, warm acceptance of the student as an, albeit temporary, family member is crucial. Inclusion in mealtime and other family communication can up a 15-20 formal contact hours course to 100 hours of authentic and meaningful language and cultural interaction. Given the student's particular interests, he/she can also be included in / introduced to local community activities outside the home.

From an academic point of view, the sky is almost the limit. Think of the advantages of :

- a relaxed learning environment
- total immersion
- culture learning
- negotiated syllabus
- ongoing evaluation by student and teacher (in and out of the classroom)
- the flexibility to experiment and change track, according the student's progress, wants and changing needs.
All, by the way, unique selling points.

Undoubtedly there are dimensions to one-to-one teaching which are different from group mode. Both teacher and student are the sole communicators (during formal class time) and that can be stressful, particularly for the student. It is important to build in thinking time, otherwise often provided by the turn taking of  other students and to vary the activity and keep motivation at an optimum by always delivering content pertinent to their needs. But with their 24- hour surroundings a constant potential resource, there is much they can do on their own to tap it, with some simple guidance from you.

The Nitty-gritty...
If you do decide to bite the bullet there are several factors you should consider.

Financial/legal/marketing
First check out the financial and legal aspects. Unless you wish to upgrade your home before getting started, you will require minimal capital outlay to cover advertising, teaching materials and other incidentals. A good accountant is a sound investment as s/he will be able to advise you on the legal requirements of being self-employed, give you information on tax advantages and undertake your accounts and tax returns throughout the year. You need to decide your target market (General English, Business English, Exam Preparation courses...) and set your fee. Advertising can be an expensive overhead and is essential. Advertising on the Web is a cheaper, far-reaching, effective option.

Information
Design your application form with care to include crucial information on dietary requirements, smokers/non smokers, allergies etc. and ensure that full information on what the fees, include/do not include, cancellation and refund policy etc. is all there. Also check out visa requirements and medical insurance schemes to inform potential clients.

Welcome pack
Gather maps and tourist information to include in a Welcome Pack which should also give details of public transport, emergency service numbers, shop and bank opening hours, local customs which could possibly cause culture shock etc. together with information on meal times, and other house routine and class timetable information.

Needs analysis
You will also need to have in place an effective and transparent needs analysis and placement testing instrument, systems for reaching and recording any negotiated syllabus and for student and teacher evaluation of progress. Personal contact with an efficient book supplier is also helpful as materials are often selected on day one of the course after level and needs have been ascertained.

Other than that, energy and enthusiasm,  a supportive family, a desire to share your language, culture, lifestyle, home and professional skills, is all you need.

Are you a Homestay teacher or maybe you're thinking of becoming one? Send us your comments.