Search for host families for foreign students

Host families are being sought for students coming from all over the world to Bury St Edmunds to learn English and experience British culture.

BLS English, which is based in Springfield Road, needs places for its incoming youngsters who have booked places for 2024.

The school has had to overcome the immense difficulties of the Covid pandemic which restricted movement of people coming to the town from oversees which saw them having just a trickle of students attending.

However, through careful planning and a succession of resourceful ideas it has continued to operate and allowed the school to cope.

BLS English are aiming recruit a further 62 hosts to reach their target in time for next year’s influx.

Hosting two international students for 14 nights would result in an income of £532.84 as well as the possibility of striking up new friendships.

Lucy Proctor, the accommodation manager at the school, said: “We are in need of more host families to cater for our students who have enrolled for next year’s courses.

“This year was a lot quieter than usual and Covid was a tough time for everyone because we lost many of our hosts.

“There’s benefits for those who take in the students. They build life long friendships, learn different cultures and they even go on holidays to see the students … as well as earning money.”

Lucy added that the majority of students attending the courses, which consists of all ages, come from Spain and Italy and they can cater for up to 150 in lessons.

Staying with a host family gives them an unparalleled opportunity to fully dive into a new culture and the English language.

The experience is rewarding for both students and hosts alike. Students benefit enormously from chatting in English in a relaxed, natural situation, practising over dinner what they have learnt in class.

For hosts, the benefits include:

• the chance to meet students from all over the world;
• experiencing different cultures and traditions;
• the opportunity to share traditions and cultures;
• swap culinary ideas;
• an active, experienced and caring team of people to rely on for advice and support;
• flexibility of having short or long term students to fit in with your personal situation.

Students stay from as little as one week up to a year in some cases and the accommodation team takes great care in matching suitable students and hosts.

For more information go to the website https://www.burylanguageschool.co.uk/bls-accommodation/host-for-bls/

And if you are interesting in becoming a host family contact 01284 765511 or homestay@blsenglish.co.uk