Homestay is a safe and affordable housing for
international students, interns, and visiting professionals.- For international students, it is an opportunity to live in a friendly home with an American family, experience the American lifestyle and culture up close, and practice your English language skills.
- For U.S. interns and visiting professionals, it is a convenient and economical temporary housing solution.
- Homestay is an especially attractive form of accommodation for stays that range from a few weeks to several months
- A private or shared bedroom: includes linens, bed, desk & lamp, and a place for clothing.
- A private or shared bathroom: includes towels.
- Cleaning of linens & towels.
- Meals (continental breakfast & dinner) if purchased, or, kitchen privileges to prepare meals. Lunch and snacks are not included
Who are the Homestay Hosts?We regularly visit every home, carefully screen, and continually evaluate our hosts to ensure that our high standards are met. All hosts are located in safe areas. English is always the primary language used in the home. Our hosts truly enjoy hosting and are eager to welcome guests in their home.
American families are diverse. As we abide by federal, state and local laws, we do not discriminate. This means that our families reflect the wide diversity of our San Francisco population. They could be:
- Two parent families.
- Single parent families.
- Widows or widowers.
- Single individuals.
- Extended families (relatives living with the family or individual).
- A variety of races and nationalities.
- People with pets or children.
- Singles.
What is the difference between homestay, a residence club & a hotel?
In homestay, a guest lives in the home of an American family. The guest can experience a more personal accommodation than a hotel or a residence club. Guests are asked to abide by certain reasonable standards of behavior that all family members and guests follow. Please refer to both the Guest Guidelines and we recommend that house rules be clearly communicated in your homestay as well.
How do we place guests in a home?
- An application gives us some basic personal characteristics that we use to match guests with an available host home.
Regarding pets: Americans love having domestic pets in their homes. The most common house pets are cats, dogs, and, birds. Most families have pets. Most American pets are well groomed and free of fleas and disease. If a guest wishes a family without pets, we will seek to accommodate that request. We give first consideration to those who are allergic to pets. Guests are not allowed to bring pets with them.
Internet Access
Most of our homes allow wireless, cable or dsl Internet access. We ask guests to be respectul and to be sensitive to the needs of others in your home.
What expectations should guests have of homestay?
We tell them that,
"Homestay is affordable housing in which you choose to live in someone's home. This is a very different experience than staying in a hotel and requires a different set of expectations.
The nature of the home and the family will vary as America is a diverse nation, but all homestay homes will be safe, clean and close to public transportation. You willIs Homestay only for students?
be able to practice your English in conversations with your host during shared
time in the home, such as dinner time. Many Americans have busy work and
personal lives. Families might not eat together every evening.
Because this is someone's private home, you will be expected to abide by
the same reasonable rules of behavior that family members follow. The homestay
agency and the family set these rules. Please make certain that you understand
these rules which are available for you below and when you check-in.
If there are accommodation problems that you need help solving, we will
help solve the issues. We want you to feel comfortable and have a pleasant
experience. Feel welcome to phone us at (360) 671-5959."
No, many corporate interns, university professors, and other professionals visiting the area for several weeks also choose Homestay as their preferred means of accommodation. Homestay provides them with an excellent way to get better acclimated to their new cultural environment in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Is Homestay only for international guests?
San Francisco Homestay has operated in the San Francisco Area for close to 23 years and has successfully placed thousands of students, interns, and visiting professionals from Asia, Europe, South America and Africa, more than any other homestay agency in the area. Many of our guests heard about SF Homestay through word-of-mouth. Whether in our own staff or in our network of hosts, we have easy access to people fluent in many foreign languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish.
How much experience does San Francisco Homestay have?
San Francisco Homestay has operated in the San Francisco Area for close to 23 years and has successfully placed thousands of students, interns, and visiting professionals from Asia, Europe, South America and Africa, more than any other homestay agency in the area. Many of our guests heard about us through word-of-mouth. Whether in our own staff, or in our network of hosts, we have easy access to people fluent in many foreign languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish. Our partners in Boston, New York, Houston, San Diego, and Los Angeles, have all a proven successful track record in these areas. Through them, San Francisco Homestay has access to a network of over 2,000 hosts throughout America.
