While studying at Ipswich State High School, students will be placed in one of our caring Ipswich State High School homestay families. Homestay provides a great opportunity for students to experience the Australian way of life. Our Australian homestay hosts will welcome students into their homes and families and help them improve their English Language skills in a safe and caring environment whilst making lifelong friendships.
Host families are personally visited and screened by Ipswich State High School personnel to ensure that they are a suitable host family for our International Program. We work closely with our host families to ensure the experience for both hosts and students are a positive one. Each family is unique and we try to match students to the families that will best suit them.
All host families are screened in accordance with government legislation, and residents of the home over the age of 18 must hold a current blue card or exemption card, before a student can move in. Host families receive ongoing support and guidance from the school to help them meet their obligations.
Australia is a multicultural society and there is no "typical" Australian family. Your host family may have originally come from another country and now live in Australia and identify as being Australian. Australian families usually have a mother, father, children and pets, but it is also common to have a single parent family with either a mother or father and children.
It is expected that students will be included in the homestay family activities and students will be actively involved and communicate with members of the homestay and to also help keep the home clean and tidy.
All International students in the homestay program must abide by strict guidelines, as well as respecting the values and household rules of their host family.
Interested in becoming a homestay provider for either short term or long term homestay placements? Please email international@ipswichshs.eq.edu.au for further information. Alternatively, please complete the homestay application and email it through to start your application process.
Homestay family facts
- Host families are carefully selected from our local community and beyond.
- Police checks are conducted to ensure the highest calibre of families are chosen and they must maintain a Blue Card whilst caring for international students. Families are interviewed and accommodation is inspected by school staff to ensure it meets Educational Queensland International standards.
- Comprehensive homestay information booklets are provided to all host families to ensure that the strictest of guidelines are adhered to at all times.
- Appropriate access to transport to and from school and school activities are a pre-requisite of all application approvals for the homestay families. Acceptable forms of transport can include public transport.
- It is a requirement that host families provide an individual bedroom with study facilities for each international student.
- International students may be placed in a homestay with another international student however, the students must be from a different nationality.
