A North Vancouver homestay company is hoping more Burnaby families will open their doors to international students.
Cheryl Lee, director of and MLI Homestay, said that Burnaby is a popular destination with international students, and the company needs more local families willing to put them up.
"We're always looking for new, good families," Lee said. "We have more students coming for September than we had for this past September, so we're looking to expand our community of families."
Homestay families typically provide students with a private room, meals and help settling into Canadian culture.
"Because they are still high school students, we are looking for families that can put them into family life," Lee said. "They are still kids that require family support."
The students attend public or private schools, and one of their goals is to practise English. The students pay to be in the MLI program, and the host family can earn $800 a month.
Burnaby resident Ronica Sundar-Singh has been hosting international students for eight years.
"It's like having a new addition to your family," Sundar-Singh said.
As a host, she provides three meals a day and takes the students on family trips. Both parties learn about each other's culture, and the students usually stay for five months.
"It's a good learning experience for families," she said. "The students we've had good relationships with, we go and visit them in their countries."
Sundar-Singh's family is planning to visit former students in Brazil and Japan.
"With some of these students, it's like having children of your own," she said.
MLI is looking for host families around three Burnaby high schools: South, Central and Mountain. The company is hosting an informational session on becoming a host family on Wednesday, April 18 at Bonsor Recreation Complex, 6550 Bonsor Ave., from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
For more information on becoming a homestay host family, or to RSVP for the event, email Meghan Jones at [email protected] or call 604-988-9477.
