Homestay Accommodation in London

London remains one of the world’s leading locations for international education and continues to attract huge numbers of overseas students each year. These visitors all have the same problem, where should they stay? Many educational institutions offer halls of residence, but these are often expensive and may not always appeal to students, as they involve close links to the place of study. Another alternative is to rent accommodation privately, but this can also be expensive and may be some distance away from the place of study. It may also be necessary, in order to keep costs down, to share the accommodation with others.

However, there is another alternative which many students fail to consider – staying with an English host family. There are several companies in London who can provide quality homestay accommodation to visiting foreign students and meet the homestay requirements of English UK or the British Council. Some companies also offer a Meet and Greet service which can collect students from the arrival airport and deliver them to their accommodation.

Many students find that living in a good family environment leads to a faster improvement in the language and a happier stay. Host families are normally experienced in looking after overseas students. They are usually situated in residential areas of London, near to an underground or British Rail station, making the trip to university or college an easy one. Prices can vary, depending on distance from the city centre and standard of accommodation, but they always represent a significant saving over halls of residence or private accommodation.

Host families will do their best to ensure that students feel at home and are treated like a member of the family, not as a paying guest. Students should have a clean and comfortable room with storage and study facilities. Staying with a host family can offer significant savings in living expenses. Host families usually provide bed & breakfast or bed, breakfast and evening meal, but self-catering or full board options may also be available. Meals are normally eaten with the family unless otherwise arranged and special diets such as vegetarian or halal can usually be accommodated.

So, if you’re coming to London to study, homestay accommodation is an option worth considering and may turn out to be one of the highlights of your time in London. Of course, homestay accommodation is also attractive to visitors other than students. Many business visitors and tourists find it a useful alternative to expensive hotel accommodation. For tourists in particular, it can give them an initial contact with real Londoners and can greatly enhance the quality of their stay.