Homestay in Winnipeg

Homestay in Winnipeg

The geographical center of North America and the capital of Manitoba, Winnipeg, draws above 5,000 international students yearly. They prefer to study at the high-quality secondary and post-secondary educational institutions of the city. Still, the main challenge for newcomers is to find a place to live during their studies. Fortunately, most schools offer a homestay in Winnipeg. It is a service that matches international students with local families who are ready to host them during their studies. But before discussing the peculiarities of homestay in Winnipeg, it may be interesting to discover the city.

Overview of Winnipeg

Winnipeg is located on the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. Its total area is 461.78 km2, and its total population is 749,607 residents. The recent census shows that immigrants comprise 201,040 citizens, mainly from the Philippines, India, and China. Although English is the most spoken language, more than a hundred languages are spoken in Winnipeg, including Tagalog, Punjabi, and Mandarin.

The city is often called Winterpeg due to the city’s long and cold winters. As an inland city, the local climate is extremely seasonal with average January highs of around - 11°C and average July highs of 26°C.

Winnipeg is the multicultural city and cultural capital of Canada. It hosts various annual festivals, such as the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Folklorama, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Festival du Voyageur, and the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. The city is also known for its distinct dishes and cooking styles. The First Nations and more recent immigrants created unique dishes, namely the schmoo torte and wafer pie.

The city hosts 26 National Historic Sites of Canada. Every year, about four million tourists visit one of the most popular sites, The Forks. It is a historic site, meeting place, and green space that has been witnessing six thousand years of human activity. Thus, international students can visit the main attractions during their studies and homestay in Winnipeg.

Secondary and Post-Secondary Schools in Winnipeg

As a rule, international students prefer to start their journey in Canada by applying to high schools. In Winnipeg, secondary school lasts from Grade 9 to Grade 12. Now, the city has seven public school districts. The best schools of the Winnipeg School Division are Churchill High School, Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, Elmwood High School, Kelvin High School, and Sisler High School, which offer a service of homestay in Winnipeg.

Among the schools of the St. James-Assiniboia School Division, international students prefer to study at John Taylor Collegiate, Westwood Collegiate, Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, and St. James Collegiate.

The high-ranked schools of Pembina Trails School Division are Pembina Trails Early College, Fort Richmond Collegiate, and Shaftesbury High School. The school board also has two secondary schools with French immersion, namely École secondaire Oak Park High School and Institut collégial Vincent Massey Collegiate. All mentioned schools can help with the homestay in Winnipeg.

International students can also apply to Exchange Met School: Met Centre for Arts and Technology, West Kildonan Collegiate, Garden City Collegiate, Maples Collegiate, Maples Met School, and Seven Oaks Met School of Seven Oaks School Division.

River East Transcona School Division offers English and French immersion, English-Ukrainian bilingual, and English-German bilingual education. Hence, international students prefer to study at Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, John G. Stewart School, Collège Miles Macdonell Collegiate, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, and River East Collegiate.

Louis Riel School Division also has English and French immersion. International students usually apply to Collège Jeanne-Sauvé and Collège Béliveau to have French as a medium of instruction. J. H. Bruns Collegiate, Dakota Collegiate, Nelson McIntyre Collegiate, Glenlawn Collegiate, and Windsor Park Collegiate, to name a few, have English as a medium of instruction. The mentioned schools offer homestay in Winnipeg for international students.

The Franco-Manitoban School Division is a school board in the province of Manitoba that offers French-language education to international students. The school board manages two high schools in Winnipeg: Collège Louis-Riel and Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard.

Homestay in Winnipeg is also available for international students who apply to post-secondary educational institutions. The University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, and the Red River College Polytechnic are highly-ranked public research schools in the city. Private post-secondary schools are the Canadian Mennonite University, the Université de Saint-Boniface, and Booth University College.

Arrangement of Homestay in Winnipeg

The mentioned high schools and post-secondary institutions help international students with a homestay in Winnipeg. Still, prospective students ought to ask for more information about the homestay policy before confirming admission. Overall, homestay in Winnipeg has four options.

1. Admission boards match international students with approved host families without the help of third-party providers.
2. School administrations work with local homestay providers that arrange a homestay in Winnipeg for international students.
3. Admission boards have a list of approved service providers that help international students to find homestay in Winnipeg.
4. Private homestay providers offer their services to the students. As a rule, they do not cooperate with school administrations. Thus, international students who want to use their services must consult with the school to avoid any problems with enrollment.

Requirements for the Host Family

Since host parents become the second family for international students, they ought to have much in common. Thus, students need to submit a homestay application, mentioning their interests and meal preferences. After processing the homestay applications, the provider of homestay in Winnipeg conducts a comprehensive selection procedure for host families.

1. Host parents must be at least 25 years old and speak English.
2. They ought to fill out the homestay application and answer family-related questions.
3. The prospective families need to provide the criminal records of each family member over 18 years old.
4. The homestay coordinator should interview prospective host families and verify the information.
5. Coordinators ought to check whether the households meet Winnipeg’s National Construction Codes.
6. They must score host families based on the selection factors.
7. Homestay coordinators need to match international students with approved host families.

Facilities of Homestay in Winnipeg

To offer homestay in Winnipeg, host families prepare basic facilities for international students. They have furnished private rooms, access to the internet, and laundry facilities. Still, international students should be prepared to use a shared washroom.

To get a perfect homestay in Winnipeg, students should choose a meal plan. International students who want to have three meals a day select the full-board homestay. Those who prefer to have lunch at school choose the half-board homestay, which includes breakfast and dinner. International students who are above 18 years old tend to choose the roomstay homestay in Winnipeg since it does not include a meal plan.

Homestay Fees in Winnipeg

Fees for homestay in Winnipeg vary on several factors, such as the meal plan, the school’s location, and the facilities. For instance, host families that offer supplementary services and facilities can have higher fees. Generally, the roomstay option costs around 650 CAD, the half-board option can cost 800 CAD, and the full-board homestay costs over 900 CAD per month. 

Responsibilities of Host Families and International Students During the Homestay in Winnipeg

Designated host families offer a safe and comfortable homestay in Winnipeg for international students. Hence, they must follow four main rules.

1. Host parents need to read all guidelines prepared by the school and homestay provider.
2. They ought to create a caring and supportive environment for students.
3. Host parents should report to the school or homestay provider about the students’ law violations or inappropriate behaviour.
4. They must set house rules and a reasonable curfew for international students.

Students also have general responsibilities during the homestay in Winnipeg.

1. They need to respect each family member and accept their lifestyle.
2. International students ought to take part in community activities and events.
3. They must inform parents, host parents, custodians, or homestay coordinators about issues or challenges during the study in Canada.

 

In case, if you need Homestay and Custodianship in Winnipeg, please fill in application below or contact us directly.