Accommodation
Become a homestay host
Hosting a homestay student is a great way for you and your family to experience cultural exchange from the comfort of home.
A unique experience
Homestay is a unique experience where an international student lives with a New Zealand family.
Your homestay student experiences authentic kiwi life, participating in your household’s everyday activities. And you’ll learn about life in their home country and hear about the new experiences they’re having as a student in New Zealand. You get to support a young person as they study, and the homestay student gets a safe environment from which to explore local life.
Plus, it’s a great way to earn a bit of extra income from your spare room.
“Hosting students is a rewarding experience for me and my family. We get to teach them about our rich culture, and in turn, we get to learn about theirs. Homestay students are extremely grateful that we open our homes to them.”
Carly Nesbit
Homestay host
How to apply
Otago Polytechnic uses our trusted external provider, New Zealand Homestay, for all homestay needs.
New Zealand Homestay delivers global standards for hosted student accommodation and are part of the Global Homestay Alliance.
They recruit, screen and train caring host families to provide safe, welcoming and culturally enriching homestays. Each student is carefully matched to a host using their unique Homestay Management System (HMS) to set up a positive experience.
Their range of hosted accommodation options offer excellent value for money for both under 18 and over 18 students as well as study tour groups.
Contact us
If you’re not sure what to study and would like some guidance, we’re here to help. Feel free to chat to us directly about any questions you may have.
