When you are sending your son or daughter to boarding school abroad the school usually require that you have a guardian for your child. The guardian is the in-country point of contact and coordinates and organises various things for the student during their stay. This includes but is not limited to:

• Libri
• Uniform/Bedding
• Collegamento con la scuola
• punto di emergenza di contatto
• Identify and selection of a suitable Host family
• Partecipazione alle riunioni con gli insegnanti
• Coordinare tutti i periodi Exeat e vacanze
• Tutti i drop-off aeroporto o pick-up

Tutti questi elementi sono molto importanti, però, when a student is going to a foreign country for a year to attend boarding school, getting the right host family for the student is hugely important.

There are numerous exeat weekends and also mid-term and end of term holidays (anche se molti studenti vanno a casa per questo periodo) where the school closes and the student will need to go to the host family or go home. Therefore, avere una cassaforte, familiar and comfortable home and host family to stay with during these breaks is crucial to getting the best overall experience of travelling to a foreign country to go to boarding school.

Getting the right host family is not a straightforward process and outlined below are key considerations, listed by importance:

1. Avendo la stessa famiglia per l'intero anno scolastico
   1. The student will develop a long-lasting relationship and friendship with the host family.
   2. Andare lì durante il fine settimana si sentirà come a casa
   3. Se lo studente sta andando ad una diversa famiglia ogni fine settimana può essere molto inquietante
2. Una famiglia con bambini di età e sesso simili
   1. This will help the student settle in especially early on in the trip.
   2. They are more likely to play similar games on Xbox, studying similar topics and be familiar with the same social media trends
3. Una famiglia ospitante con alcuni interessi simili
   1. This can be a great ice breaker to help students settle in quickly.
   2. Where the student and the host children have different interests it can also be a positive as they learn about new things.
4. Avere una propria stanza e lo spazio per rilassarsi
   1. Durante il fine settimana e nei giorni festivi exeat, si tratta di una grande opportunità per rilassarsi e ricaricare le batterie. If the student has their own room in the host families home this will give them the space to relax and recharge during the breaks.
5. The Student meets the Hostfamily before they start school
   1. The first few weeks of boarding school can be the most daunting, therefore having met and been introduced to their host family puts the student a ease about their first exeat break from boarding school. Ideally, the introduction would take place by the student visiting the host families home.
6. A host family situated near the boarding school
   1. By the time the exeat weekends and holidays come around the students are exhausted, therefore a short journey to the host family home is preferred.

If you are thinking of sending your child to a boarding school in Ireland contact Clare at info@hebeadventures.com or complete the online application form by clicking: online student application