Over the years Braemar College has developed an extensive network of caring and supportive Canadian homestay families to look after our students.
Homestay families provide three daily meals, a private furnished room and internet.
With family and friends in a distant time zone, a homestay family can serve as a great support system and can be an excellent resource in times of need. At the same time, a homestay family can provide students with structured freedom as they safely explore their new, more independent life.
Over the years many students have developed lasting friendships with their homestay families.
Experience has demonstrated that living with an English-speaking Canadian family helps students learn English more quickly.
Homestay is also a very cost-effective way to live in Canada’s largest city. Residence options can be sometimes be as much as two or three times more expensive.
Living with a homestay family is a great way to learn about local cultures and customs.
With meals provided by the homestay family, students can spend more time focus on studying or socializing.
Students are encouraged to arrive the week before they begin their courses, to give them time to settle and adjust to the new environment. Please note: When booking flights for your homestay, please keep in mind the arrival time to the homestay. During weekdays, please try to arrange a flight that will land after 5 pm (EST) to ensure the family is home to greet the student. During the weekend, arrival times are more flexible.
Braemar College is an international private high school located downtown Toronto. This location provides students access to libraries, museums, concert venues, and other wonderful attractions related to arts, history, culture and tourism. However, it does mean that we are not located close to many residential neighbourhoods. The areas nearby are mainly apartment buildings and condos, and many units located above restaurants and shops, which as you can imagine is not as ideal for a true Canadian experience for a student.
For this reason, many of our students travel 45-55 minutes from their homestay by way of TTC each morning. 45 minutes is the average. The TTC refers to busses, subways and streetcars. It is a safe way to travel, especially during the hours before and after school; this is how thousands of people in Toronto commute to and from work and school every day.
Before a homestay is accepted into our program, a Braemar representative visits the homestay, meeting with the family in person. A homestay inspection is carried out and the homestay deemed a suitable environment or not. A re-inspection is completed every 3 years, to ensure proper maintenance of homestay, and compliance of all Braemar homestay policies.
Additionally, all members of the homestay household, 18 years or older MUST have a valid Criminal Record Check (CRC), or Vulnerable Sector Scan (VSS) in order to host a student from Braemar College.
We understand that not every match is successful. Once the student arrives to their homestay, we ask that they give it a few days to adjust. If after the trial period the student still feels the need to change their homestay, they are encouraged to visit the Student Services Manager, HK. HK will discuss other homestay options with the student.
The first TWO WEEKS of the student’s arrival is a trial period, and they may move without notice once another placement is secured. AFTER the two-week trial period, the student will need to provide their current homestay two weeks’ notice before moving. Students are encouraged to discuss these issues with the Student Services Manager to ensure proper procedure is followed.
Yes, there are residence options available, pending seasonal availability. Please contact us and we’d be happy to give you more detailed information.
