Homestay: Living with Locals and Gain Authentic Cultural Experience!

Being an international student could be an extraordinary adventure, full of new experiences and challenges. But, no matter your age, your background or travel purpose, there are always a few concerns that we all have at the moment of deciding our destination and, especially, our accommodation.

The questions, “Where am I supposed to live?” “What is more convenient for me?” Are always in our minds, making us feel unsafe and afraid to move abroad. If this is your case, don’t worry. There are different kinds of accommodation. Hopefully, the one presented below would be a good fit for your needs.


Let’s talk about homestays. This one is an incredible option to stay with a local family, who will receive you in their place to share the space and traditions with you. It means that you would become a family member, which is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Canadian culture or even better, about the multiculturalism found in this country. Canada is a place with a significant population from around the world. Families from Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, etc, have come to this area to establish themselves and contribute with a part of their background to the cultural richness of this Nation. Staying with one of those families would improve your ability to understand the way of living and the dynamics of the country.

For many international students, especially those with the purpose of learning a second language, homestays are a great chance to improve communication skills in English. It provides a safe learning environment to try out new words or sentences to your homestay family members. The families will support you in trying to expand your English language skills.
Continually being surrounded by native or fluent speakers would help you to put all into practice all the knowledge collected at school. It’s a perfect way to achieve your goals!

VanWest College has an on-campus homestay coordinator and we ensure safe, comfortable and friendly host families. Our host families have worked with us for more than 10 years. Are you planning to come to Vancouver and Kelowna to study English? Both Vancouver and Kelowna campuses have homestays available – contact us and check the availability now.