Have you thought about being a homestay but are unsure what is required? Would you like to learn about other cultures and make lifelong global friendships?  Do you have a spare furnished room?  

We are looking for warm and caring families who are able to host male international students (mainly from Japan) that come to Waitākere College for both short term and long term study. You will receive $340 per week in homestay payments.

Homestay accommodation is when a student lives with a local family in the family’s home and becomes part of the family. Homestay gives the students the opportunity to practise English and learn about New Zealand culture in a safe, warm and supportive environment. Waitākere College prides itself on providing its students with high quality homestays.

We visit each prospective homestay host and carry out a police check on all members of the household who are 18 years and older before they can become approved hosts. Each homestay student must be provided with 24-hour access to his or her own clean, tidy and warm bedroom, which has the following:

• Bed with pillows, linen and blankets/duvet (laundered weekly)

• Heater (or fan if required season dependent)

• Student desk and chair 

• Lamp or good lighting in the room

• Towels

• Set of drawers 

• Wardrobe

• Window with curtains/blinds

• A bedroom door that closes

• Mirror

• Rubbish bin

• Laundry basket 

• A working smoke detector either inside the bedroom or in the hallway

Each homestay student must also have access to a kitchen, a bathroom, toilet, laundry facilities, living and dining rooms. 

Students are also provided with three meals a day which are breakfast, lunch and dinner and these meals are provided by their homestay host, along with snacks and drinks being available for the student.

If becoming a homestay family is something that you would like to do and are interested in, or you would like more information, please email: [email protected]

Please note: Waitākere College international students must live in an approved homestay accommodation compliant with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 of International Students.