Academic Institutions

image001 (4).jpgDr Milena Kremakova is a Research Fellow at Warwick University. She first came to Warwick from Bulgaria to study for a Masters, and was introduced by HOST to Toni Olsson in 2006. Milena writes:

‘I had the most wonderful Christmas weekend with Toni, and was so impressed by the whole HOST experience that I decided to run a 10 km race to raise money for the organisation.

Thanks to Toni – and HOST - I got to know about what life in Britain really is like. I spent a happy Christmas, instead of being alone abroad, learnt about local history and culture, and met people engaged in interesting local initiatives, such as the Restormel Twinning Association. My friendship with Toni has continued ever since - my most recent return visit was in April this year. When my younger sister visited me, I took her to meet Toni. Our day trip to the Dartington Music Summer School inspired my sister to continue her piano studies – she has now earned a Masters degree in piano performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and says that this is thanks to Toni. Even my Mum has been made welcome, and recently Toni herself has visited me in Germany and my family in Bulgaria.

Of course, this is a personal story, but I also know other students who have used HOST and found the experience uplifting. Unfortunately, international students in the UK tend to be isolated from local communities. When you come to study in another country, it is reassuring to know there are people willing to make you welcome in their home and share their lives with you. This also gives you a chance to give something back. This is exactly the best thing about HOST: it creates a much needed opportunity for international students and locals to meet. There is no better way to create community and fight against cultural stereotypes.

I am so grateful to Warwick University for offering HOST to their students – my life in the UK has been immensely enriched by it, and so have my understanding and appreciation of British culture and hospitality. Without exaggeration, that one little trip to Cornwall in the winter of 2006 became one of the most wonderful and memorable experiences in my time in the UK.’

 

Dr Milena Kremakova
Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow
Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick




How to offer HOST visits to your students

How to offer HOST visits to your students

"I would say that many students never see inside a local home. At a time of much-publicised anxieties about immigration etc it is more important than ever for overseas students to feel welcome and to have a chance to offload their worries and feel relaxed about asking questions. I'd also say what a heart-warming experience it is to make new contacts and get glimpses into other countries and to feel that one can be helpful to an enquiring, often lonely young person." Eleanor Nesbitt, Host in the West Midlands

 

More than 80 academic institutions in the Higher Education sector have joined HOST so that their students can benefit from this hospitality programme.

If you decide to join, HOST will provide you with publicity materials, a speaker at your orientation event, the chance to hold a HOST Tea Party for your students, and regular messages to remind your students to apply.

Your annual subscription is calculated on a sliding scale, dependant on the size of your international cohort.

HOST does almost all the work for you – all we need is a designated person in your institution to authorise each application – this is simply to confirm that the applicant is a bona fide registered student.

You will have a couple of decisions to make when you join. Will you pay all or part of the application fee for your students, as most of the member universities do? And, if you want the students to pay all or part of the application fee themselves, will you collect this money, or would you prefer them to pay HOST direct?

The application fee is currently £30 for a day visit, £50 for a weekend visit, and £60 for a Christmas visit. Please note that this is a subsidised charge for HOST’s admin and is not a payment for the visit itself, which is FREE. Our hosts give their hospitality very generously, but part of the admin fee enables us to offer a small amount towards their expenses.

HOST would love to discuss all this with you, so please get in touch and we will answer your questions and send you the documentation to enable you to join and offer this great opportunity to your students.

 

Institution Forms

  • Authorising applications

    • Authorising student applications is quick and easy. When a student submits a visit application on the HOST website, our database sends you an email containing a link to their application and asks you to confirm their student status. If the applicant is a registered international student, please click "allow" and if not, click "disallow". You can then simply keep the e-mails as a check on how many visits you have authorised.

  • Invoices

    • We issue invoices to our subscribing institutions quarterly. Each covers the charges relevant to the number of student applications authorised in the previous quarter. With each one, you will receive a printout of the applications included. We encourage you to make payment by BACS into our Bank Account. This is CAF Bank, sort code 40-52-40, account number 00013220. If you have any queries, please contact Faye on 020 7739 6292.

  • Orientation events and HOST Socials

    • We offer speakers for orientation events and HOST Socials to our subscribing institutions. Please contact us if you would like us to make a presentation, or run a HOST Social to introduce your students to British culture and to show them how a HOST visit can enrich their time in the UK. There is a booking form in the Institution Forms section.

  • ProtectED Code of Practice

    • HOST is mentioned as an example of good practice in the ProetctED Code of Practice, which includes comprehensive measures in five key areas impacting student well-being. More information can be found at www.protect-ed.org.

    Contact us

    HOST UK, Sylvia Adams House, 24 The Common, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 0NB

     

    Tel: 0207739 6292

     

    Email Us!

    HOST’s commitment to you

    HOST’s commitment to you

    HOST makes the following commitment to all our member institutions:

    To provide for each authorised application, the offer of a weekend or day visit given reasonable flexibility of dates and travel costs. Day visits are not available in all areas.

    To match students with suitable hosts based on common interests and taking into account religious or personal preferences on food, pets and arrangements for religious observances.

    Our hosts and the Regional Organisers who undertake the “matching”, are all volunteers. We have established that our hosts are reputable people through the application process and, in as many cases as possible, through visiting them in their homes.

    We cannot guarantee for any application that the student will be placed on the dates given, especially around Christmas and New Year when we have a limited number of places. We will in this case ask the student for more dates and offer reasonable alternatives.

     

    HOST Notes Newsletter

    HOST Notes Newsletter

    HOST Notes Winter 2017

    Host Notes Winter 2017

     

    HOST Notes Summer 2016

    Host Notes Summer 2016

     

    HOST Notes Spring 2016

    Host Notes Spring 2016

     

    HOST Notes Winter 2016

    Host Notes Winter 2016

    Our Subscribers

    Our Subscribers

    HOST is pleased to work closely with over 60 HE & FE Institutions across the UK. Our current subscribers are listed below.

     

    Anglia Ruskin   University
    Arcadia University London Study Centre
    Aston University
    Birkbeck, University of London
    Boston University
    Brunel University
    Canterbury Christ Church University
    Central College Abroad - Bangor
    Central College Abroad - London
    City University of London
    Coventry University
    Foundation for International Education
    Glasgow School of Art
    Harper Adams University
    IES Abroad
    Imperial College
    Keele University
    Kings College London
    Liverpool John Moores University
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical   Medicine
    London South Bank University
    Manchester Metropolitan University
    New York University in London (NYU-L)
    Newcastle University
    Nottingham Trent University
    Oxford Brookes University
    Pepperdine University
    Queen Margaret University
    Queen Mary, University of London
    Queen's University, Belfast
    Royal College of Art
    Royal College of Music
    Royal Holloway, University of London
    School of Oriental & African Studies
    Solent University
    University College London
    University for the Creative Arts
    University of Aberdeen
    University of Birmingham
    University of Central Lancashire
    University of Chichester
    University of Derby
    University of Exeter
    University of Glasgow
    University of Hertfordshire
    University of Kent
    University of Law
    University of Leeds
    University of Leicester
    University of Lincoln
    University of Liverpool
    University of Northampton
    University of Nottingham
    University of Portsmouth
    University of Reading
    University of Sheffield
    University of Surrey
    University of Sussex
    University of Teesside
    University of the Arts London
    University of the West of England
    University of The West of Scotland
    University of Warwick
    University of Westminster
    University of Winchester
    University of York