What is Homestay Search
Homestay-search.com exists to help schools and agents in the UK study travel sector find great homestays for their students.
Developed by HFS London, it is a first of its kind marketplace for homestays designed specifically for schools and education agents.
It is a closed B2B platform where schools, agents and/or their students can search through real time data of homestays and ultimately make their own choice of host family.
Schools and education agents can also give their clients “white label” access to the marketplace.
For schools, this means that they can invite all of their (i) agent partners and/or (ii) their direct students to access the marketplace in the school’s own branding. For education agents, this means they can invite their students to access the marketplace in the agent’s own branding.
If the school or agent prefers to retain more control, they can of course search and choose the homestay on behalf of their student client.
Why is it needed?
Today international students have increasingly high expectations of their accommodation experience. This is not just about their time in the accommodation; it includes their experience of sourcing and booking as well.
Schools and educational agents often feedback that the accommodation experience is 50% of a student’s overall study abroad experience.
Yet the way our sector sources, books and provides homestays to students has remained the same for years. Many schools and agents are still firmly entrenched in the offline “conveyor belt” system of today which prioritises convenience over quality, personalisation and transparency.
In the age of the B2C sharing economy where guests are able to search, contact, book and ultimately review accommodation (homestays, hotels, B&Bs, halls, serviced apartments etc), our sector must change.
Why Trust HFS London
HFS London was created with a genuine belief in, and personal experience of, the benefits of homestay, study travel and cultural exchange.
We have been connecting overseas students with host families for over 10 years. We have also been registered with the British Council for 7 years; our last British Council inspection was in 2019.
We work with many of London’s top accredited schools (such as Berlitz, Stafford House, Bloomsbury International, David Game and Kaplan) and have built relationships with 100s of education agents across the world.
So, we understand the dynamics of the UK study travel study sector, the different channels involved, the regulations (e.g Safeguarding & Child Protection) and the importance of relationships between partners.
Our goal in launching homestay-search.com is to become the go-to marketplace for homestay accommodation for the UK study travel sector.
