How the service works

COL will facilitate all aspects of student recruitment for homestay. We will promote the service to appropriate clients and students, coordinate formal agreements, capture individual booking details and collect all payments. We will also handle any enquiries related to the service.

Once we have processed booking details and payment for each student, we will use the information collected to match them with an appropriate host. Matching is based on individual host availability alongside other factors, such as specific student requirements, etc.

We will contact matched hosts to offer them placements. If agreed, a formal confirmation will be emailed to the host covering the specifics of the booking. This email will also contain a copy of the student’s custom profile, an information and support guide, and instructions for the host regarding next steps and what they need to do to prepare for the placement.

On arrival day, hosts will meet their student and safely escort them to their homestay residence. As the majority of students will be travelling to Edinburgh from overseas, this will typically involve greeting the student at Edinburgh airport.

Hosts will help their student to settle in during the first few days of the placement, and assist them with orientation within Edinburgh. As homestay is designed as a more personal and immersive accommodation experience, hosts will regularly interact with students throughout the placement:

• Chatting with them to help their English language skills
• Involving them in home life
• Promoting Scottish and wider-UK culture
• Providing meals and sharing them together, as appropriate
• Offering tips, advice, guidance and support, as appropriate

Both hosts and students will have access to support from the COL homestay team, should this be required.

Student satisfaction is paramount to homestay, and COL is committed to continuous improvement and ensuring a positive student experience. As such, we will capture student feedback following completion of all placements. This provides them with the opportunity to rate their homestay experience, highlight what went well, and tell us about anything that could have been better.

COL will arrange and process all host payments for services rendered. Payments will be sent via bank transfer, and made within 14 days of a placement commencing. Depending on the duration of the placement, hosts will either receive one complete payment or several monthly payments. We will confirm the exact details in our formal booking confirmation. 

Towards the end of each year, COL will undertake a review of homestay provision and conduct a formal renewal process for hosts. We will consider homestay demand, feedback received, host performance and our overall business requirements. Hosts will be contacted by email regarding the annual renewal, and where applicable, we will request updated information, new certifications and / or make arrangements for home visits.