About Hosting for Overseas Students

HOST is staffed by a small, three-person team based in an office in North London, supplemented by extra staff in the autumn. These extra staff are also international students, so there are often work as well as volunteering opportunities in the office 

From this office, HOST works closely with many different partners – a network of HOST Regional volunteers (throughout the UK) who help recruit and manage approximately 2000 Hosting  “households”; the UK Higher Education sector who promote the scheme as part of their overall package to international students; and the British Council.

Hosts live all over the UK from Caithness to Penzance. Students can be studying anywhere in the UK and apply to go anywhere. Through the regional volunteers, all applicants to HOST, are matched up with a suitable “household” based as closely as possible on mutual interests; available weekends; location and so on. The visits normally last from Friday to Sunday.

The hosts are all volunteers and provide a warm welcome, they like meeting new people and learning about other cultures; the students come from all over the world and are studying subjects from Architecture to Zoology and keen to learn more about British people and culture as well as make friends.

Benefits and enjoyment are mutual and usually exceed expectations. 

HOST works with various organisations to make HOST more widely known, be it amongst special interest country groups; the churches of all denominations; societies and clubs; the media – local radio or TV where possible; some employers; alumni groups and so on. 

Its main objective is to recruit as many new families as possible each year as the constraint on the number of weekends visits that can take place, is always the number of invitations from hosts and the demand always exceeds supply, especially at Christmas.

Our history

HOST is a voluntary organisation, founded in 1987 by the British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and The Victoria League.

It aimed then, as now, to help students and young people from overseas to feel welcome, to make the most of their time in the UK, and to promote international friendship and understanding.

Even in 2003 with modern technology, email, cheap international travel and far greater opportunities, the benefits of a HOST visit remain unchanged and cannot be bought on the internet.