Living with a family requires a kind of cooperation that sometimes involves some personal sacrifices. A student becomes like a member of the family, not a guest. As a result, families may have certain expectations of students such as participation in family activities, cleaning their rooms, keeping reasonable hours, communicating clearly with the family about their schedules, and occasionally helping with cooking or other household chores. There are many benefits of a homestay. First of all, a homestay allows students to use English all the time.
Students learn to communicate effectively with native speakers in a natural setting.
Second, living with a family provides a quiet atmosphere for study and a greater sense of security for some students. Third, a homestay exposes students to a rich variety of cultural learning opportunities, such as family activities, holiday celebrations, religious practices, sporting events, etc. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a homestay often results in students developing deep, lasting friendships with their families. Such a personal connection gives many students a real sense of stability in their lives here. The major difficulty is a practical one - transportation.