What is Homestay?
Students pay hosts a fee, and hosts provide a comfortable home, meals and a chance to experience life in Canada from a local perspective. Camosun College has a Housing Coordinator who makes the placements and provides guidelines and support for this unique relationship.
Read more about what Camosun Homestay includes.
Homestay students
Hosting opportunities range from two weeks to several years. Our short-term programs are usually 2-4 weeks. Our long-term students usually live in homestay for a few months or longer. Students at Camosun come from various countries throughout the world. Most students are age 18 years and over, but we also offer a short-term program, Camosun English Learning Adventures (CELA), for younger students.
Application procedure
Please carefully read the Camosun International Homestay Regulations and Requirements before deciding to submit an application to become a Camosun Homestay Host.
The first step in becoming a Camosun International host is to submit the required documentation to Camosun International. The documentation required is as follows:
- Completed Camosun International Homestay Host Application form
- Signed Homestay Host Agreement, located on the fourth page of the Homestay Host Application form.
- Two personal reference letters from non-relatives
Applications can be submitted in person, by mail, or by email.
- In-person
- Lansdowne campus: Isabel Dawson Building, Room #201
- Interurban campus: Liz Ashton Campus Centre Building, Room #229
- By mail
- Housing Coordinator, Camosun International
Camosun College, 3100 Foul Bay Road Victoria, BC Canada V8P 5J2 - By email
- homestay@camosun.ca
You are welcome to apply to our program at any time! We interview new Homestay host applicants as needed. The summer months are very busy and generally, home interviews are not conducted during the summer months. If you would like to host a student in September, it’s best to submit an application package by May.
Homestay Placements
It is impossible to know exactly when a particular Homestay host will have a student placed in their home. The Camosun Housing Coordinator arranges student homestay placements based on the best possible homestay match for each student applicant.
Long-term students arrive at Camosun at the beginning of each semester (September, January and May). There are also Camosun English Learning Adventures (CELA) programs in spring, summer, and fall. Sometimes students change homestay while they are here and that can happen at any time.
The busiest time of year for new student homestay placements is in the summer months for short-term CELA student placements and mid-August to September for long-term student placements.
Camosun International has a healthy homestay program with a range of long and short term hosting opportunities. Applicants who are flexible and are able to host for both short-term and long-term students are preferred.
Ending a Camosun Homestay placement?
Students and hosts must tell one another 30 days ahead when they wish to end a Camosun Homestay Placement. For further information, please see Homestay Departure Notice and complete a Homestay Host Evaluation.
Effective January 1, 2018. All amounts in CDN dollars.
Typical fees paid to Homestay hosts are as follows:
- Long-term students
- Homestay with food is $950/month or $32/day
- Homestay without food is $700/month or $23/day
- Short-term Camosun English Learning Adventures (CELA) students
- 2 weeks: $550
- 4 weeks: $1000
Read more about Camosun Homestay Fees.
"Homestay can be an excellent environment, providing an opportunity for students and hosts to learn about each other's culture, to practice speaking the English language, and, quite possibly, to develop a friendship that could last a lifetime."
Camosun student
Contact
Camosun International Housing Coordinator
- Lansdowne Campus - Dawson Building 201
- Interurban Campus - Liz Ashton Campus Centre 229
- Office Hours: by appointment
- homestay@camosun.ca
- 250-370-3685
