To tell my foreign students they can't have two packets of crisps in their lunch?

[EricNorthmansMistressOfPotions]

Well I said they could but that I wouldn't go shopping again before weds so if they run out they won't have any more...

two rolls with cheese and ham, a packet of crisps, piece of fruit, juice carton and a chocolate biscuit bar is plenty, surely? I already went shopping yesterday to buy extra biscuits as they didn't like the ones I had, and enough crisps to last til shopping day. This might be a petty one but I'm not sure what is fair, not having teenagers. If it's two packets today then it will be two packets every day til they leave...they have pocket money too if they get hungry during the day and eat all their lunch...

Can i ask those who host what else do you need apart from the extra room? Do you need a car? Do you need to be at home all day? Do you have to do paperwork?

YANBU crisps are not healthy and 2 lots excessive. Flapjack or homemade stuff may fill them up a bit more and be economical. e.g. brownie or tray bake.

If they are only 13 the lunches sound fine,

I make £1400 a month def worth it! Only have girls most barely eat. Your lunch sounds fine - mine out for dinner alot which is great

£1400 a month? That sounds really good, do you have many, how long do they stay?
Please any advice and information pretty much wanted, we are in debts.
How can we go about it, do you join Agency?
Do you need a car?

Are you sure that's not a typo Kerala? :o Or do you have an enormous house?

We once had 2 boys from Belarus stay - on a "get away from Chernobyl" break. They were delightful and desperate for crisps / sweets/ chocs etc that they don't get at home. We were supposed to be overloading them on fruit and veg!

One day I was washing their clothes and found a nibbled dishwasher tablet in the pocket . Poor kid had seen the box of little wrapped tablets and thought they were sweets - must have been vile. :(

Always here, you do prob need a car due to drop offs and pick ups, they can be quite early in the morning too. You don't need to be at home all day but you do need a room big enough for 2 beds. You can google host families in your area, I found mine on gumtree. If you had one long stay all month you'd get around 400 before costs or several short stays could be up to 700 before costs but less in reality as you won't have them solidly.

woollyideas i too live on the south coast,i wonder do you live in dorset ?

AlwaysHere The school i get my students from travel here from Germany on a coach.that same coach is used for taking them to their school and also for all their outings.A typical day for the students i have is as follows. School in the morning ,a short trip in the afternoon ,dropped home for dinner and then picked up again at 7.30pm to take them to their evening entertainment.Somedays there is no school and they will go on a trip to London .each day varies but that is the general idea for me.In August the money is higher than say in march.You can have two students in a twin bedded room and to be honest its not worth just having one at a time.We have had some lovely young people here and most of them i keep in touch with years later.In fact this year Dh and i were invited to Finland for one of our ex students wedding !!! And it was great . I have to provide breakfast.packed lunch and evening meal.Sometimes you do have to be getting meals at odd times which can be a nuisance ,but on the whole its normally a good experience.Look in your local paper and see if there are any language schools looking for host families.

It might be a novelty thing.

Few countries have the range of crisp flavours that we do and chocolate is cheaper here so I could understand how teens would want lots of it.

always no you dont have to do any paperwork,well i dont, maybe others may. You may need to pick up your students from a certain place when they arrive so a car would be useful,maybe a taxi would be possible ?

Hmm sounds good mummylin.
I will check for any language schools in my area.
Any other ideas/suggestions very welcome.

I don't know how to ask this question.....will i have to pay tax?

I would check whether they like the sandwiches. When I went on a French exchange I never liked the ham or cheese cos it was French style and unfamiliar so I usually just binned the sandwiches so my hosts would think I'd eaten them. That said I wouldn't have dreamt of asking for anything extra - I just ate the crisps chocolate and fruit that they put in.

Could you buy cheap crisps and give them two packs or give them an option of an extra something else that is healthier than crisps?

as the language schools charge the students double what they give the hosts for accommodation, it makes sense to be canny about making the pittance you are paid for a very tough job go as far as possible. For a few years I hosted foreign students as my main income and had to stop because the students were shits a lot of the time the language schools are blatantly ripping the hosts off. and no, I didn't give the students 2 packets of crisps in their packed lunch (I didn't give them any) and if they don't like the choc bar on the rare occasion I put one in their packed lunch then tough.

MOst of my foreign students are very wealthy and come with masses of dosh - if they want some choc/crisps they buy it themselves. If they get hungry during the day because they're huge strapping lads (the language schools don't give a supplement for huge strapping lads' appetites) they buy another sandwich/McD/subway. I provided very nutritious yummy food but fulfilled the basic requirement and no more, otherwise I'm not making a cent. The language schools are raking it in and rely on the hosts' kindness and pride to make up for the shortfall in our income. Language schools are extremely hard-nosed businesses and are laughing all the way to the bank.

one packet of crisps, if you must OP.

That said, it was a fantastic experience, I met some gorgeous students - most were lovely, only a few real stinkers. It's very tough work though so don't anybody go thinking it's easy money - it isn't. particularly when the language schools are raking in the proceeds from the hosts' arduous labour. sorry, stuck record

Mummylin - I live in Sussex.

I have never found it possible to have students all year round - though I would if I could! It's very seasonal here. I've had one or two people in their twenties who've stayed for 3 months in the winter, but generally it goes from Easter - September.

AlwaysHere - You can rent a room in your house without paying tax, provided it's not over a certain amount - HMRC website can give you the figures.

No, there's no paperwork. I know two families that do this without a car - they have an account with the local taxi company. Generally you just have to pick up at the beginning of their stay and drop off at the end. In between times they walk!

Thank you. It sounds good then. I really hope there is demand in my area.

or tell the language school that you don't have a car and they must arrange a taxi transfer. which they pay for. out of their obscene profits.

shut up now springy

Ha! I reckon they should.

springydaffs i agree with everything you posted. woollyideas the school that i use has short term students ,they are normally for 18.13,11,7 or 5 nights. I dont know how i would get on with someone here for three months, i would probably not like it.Short term suits me just fine,then if i do get a student who is a bit of a so and so ,i can cope because i know its not going to be for long.I would think that 95% of our students have been lovely ,the other 5% not so !!!

Do you get a steady turnover?

I think some schools only have students available for 3 or 4 months,mine i can have from march through to October.I could have someone here for the whole time ,but i dont accept them all as now and again i feel i need my house to myself and my privacy back. Its the little things ,like having to put my dressing gown on in the middle of the night if i want the loo,with just dh and I here i wouldnt have to bother,that sort of thing.

No not a typo I make £1400 a month. Have a big house so have 3 students at once. We live in bath so lots of language schools. Totally agree with springdaffs and chortling at the posters talking about how to improve the lunches teenagers eat alot et. They get the allotted food if they want more they can buy it. I do it for a few months pays for our holidays. If you are in a touristy area its worth doing.

Gosh they obviously pay more in Bath - the local language school only pay £13/night per student (less per head the more you have) so I have worked out numbers and it simply isn't worth it. I have found out that there is an adult education college near here which runs intensive English courses and they pay more plus are less work than the younger children. Probably less easy to fob them off with crap food though :o

I get £125 per student per week so £375 a week as I have 3. It adds up and food bill not that much more if you cook careflly toad in the hole (which they all love) rather than steak. Most decent a minority really lovely a smaller minority vile but I ask them to leave if they are dreadful

A question for those people who earn lots from this - £1400/month or £375/week, doesn't that take you up to a level where you have to pay tax on the income though? I've just checked and the limit is £4250/year.

I don't think I'd bother to do it if I went over that limit and had to declare it.