Guide for Hosts

Common Challenges
Communication & Happy Compromise
We hope that your time spent with the student will
be very rewarding and enjoyable. There may,
however, be moments when you or they encounter
certain problems. Often, issues arise from lack of
communication, miscommunication or inability to
compromise.
If you experience any problems, please try the
following helpful process:
1. Speak with your student and your family
immediately.
Often, what appears to be a big issue really isn’t
unless it is left unattended. On the other hand, one
small incident can snowball into a very large
problem if nobody talks about it. Therefore, if you
or your student has a problem, if you are unsure
about something, if you feel that your student is
upset by something or your family is upset by
something, talk to them. Keep in mind that
everyone is interested in finding an amicable
solution, and that most problems arise because of
assumptions and lack of dialogue.
2. Call CHI.
If the problem cannot be resolved by speaking with
the student and your family, please DO NOT have
them call their parents or their Agent to complain.
Instead, we encourage you to take advantage of the
strongest homestay support network in Canada,
and call CHI for assistance. You may also wish to
have your student call us as well.
We ask this because we have a lot of experience in
helping hosts and students. We want to help and
can only do so if we are aware of the situation.
By contacting CHI, you are able provide us with
you’re your perspective directly, which is
preferable to second or third-hand information.
When you talk to one of us at CHI, we can arrange
to meet and to talk about the problem in person, if
you prefer. We can then work out a solution
together, one that is to everyone’s satisfaction.
Persistent Problems
Although it is unusual, it is possible that you may
wish us to relocate your student, or that your
student may wish to be relocated as a result of
persistent problems or conflict. In such cases, we
will offer to help see if a solution can be found, and
we will ask to hear your perspective on things, but
we will never dispute your request to remove the
student. When a relocation is requested, we work
quickly to find an alternative homestay
Why Would a Student Be Moved?
CHI is committed to the health, safety, and
happiness of our hosts and our students. We are
objective arbiters when conflicts arise. After you
and your student have had the chance to talk about
our concerns with each other and have been
reminded of the consequences, a student may be
relocated from your home (and may even be sent
back to his or her home country) if he or she is
disrespectful toward you or your family or refuses
to abide by your rules, or behaves in a manner
inconsistent with our program standards.
By the same token, we will relocate a student from
your home if you or any of your family members:
• Fails consistently to provide adequate and/or
healthy food;
• Neglects the student, by failing to include them in
suitable family activities, or by failing to pursue
constructive communication and conversation
with the student;
• Willfully disrespects the student, either through
lack of consideration or insensitivity toward the
student’s feelings and/or culture;
• Fails to provide a clean and adequately
maintained physical environment;
© 2011 CHI/CANADA HOMESTAY INTERNATIONAL 6