Hosts
Sally Conover, Program Director
International Education Center at Diablo Valley College (IEC@DVC)
Our hosts are world ambassadors for cultural exchange. Welcoming an international student in to your home bridges the gap between different cultures and generations, and creates lasting friendships between the host and the student, long after the original homestay commitment has ended.
Sharing your home with an international student is a unique and personal way for both the host and the student to learn firsthand about another way of life. Hosts are often the first introduction to American culture for a newly arriving student, and this gives them a very special opportunity to present a positive first impression of American life to their student. In addition to giving their student a “home away from home”, our hosts provide their students with a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment to develop and improve their English speaking skills, while achieving academic success. If you are ready to open your home and your heart to an international student, please consider becoming a Diablo Valley Homestay host.
Hosts who apply to join our homestay registry go through a double interview process, as well as an onsite home inspection and criminal background check, prior to being qualified to receive any student in their home. Once a host has been accepted in to our registry, we work closely with the host through every aspect of the placement process, and we do everything possible to offer our hosts the best-matched student available.
How to Become a Host
Diablo Valley Homestay is proud of the quality and diversity of our participating hosts and we are always seeking qualified people to join our homestay registry. All host applicants must be able to satisfy the basic requirements for hosting a student.
- Have a strong interest in cultural exchange and the ability to spend regular quality time with an international student
- Commit to treating the student as a valued member of the household (Persons who are simply interested in having a “renter” in their home, should NOT apply to be a host with Diablo Valley Homestay.)
- Provide a clean, comfortable, and safe living environment for their student
- Provide a furnished, private bedroom, including all bedding linens and towels
- Provide two meals per day (breakfast and dinner), Monday through Friday and three meals per day on Saturday and Sunday
- Be available to eat dinner with the student for a minimum of five nights per week
- Treat the student with respect, kindness, and tolerance toward their rights, privacy, and culture, including religious and political beliefs
- Provide an English speaking household (Hosts who are bilingual are required to always speak English in the presence of their student.)
- Provide a high speed wireless internet connection in the home
- Accept the complete terms for participating in the Diablo Valley Homestay program, including accepting the set monthly homestay rate ($1300*), in exchange for providing all of the above requirements, including all basic utilities. (*Different rates and conditions apply for students attending a high school program. Please contact us for more information.)
For more information on becoming a Diablo Valley Homestay host, or to set up an interview, please call (925) 876-0080.