Living in a Torbay Host Home

We hope that you find living with a local family fun and rewarding and that the Host Home we have carefully chosen will be a 'home away from home' during your stay.

What to Expect

Your Host Home should be a place where you feel welcome. Your Hosts should talk to you and treat you like one of the family. However, that means that you’ll need to act like one of the family too, and not expect the Host Home to be like an hotel. You may be asked to join in family activities - but you may be asked to help with the washing-up too!

Starting a conversation

Try starting a conversation with your Host Family by asking them questions like these:

“Good morning! What are you doing today?”
“What is the weather like today?”
“Hello! I’m back! How was your day?”
“Did you enjoy...?”

Your Room

You may be given a key to the house but bedroom doors are not usually locked so you will probably not get a key for your room. In your bedroom you should have a comfortable bed, bedside light, desk and storage space.

Your Host will keep your room clean, but you will need to keep the room tidy so it can be cleaned properly by your Host. Ask for permission from your Host if you wish to move any furniture, or put pictures or posters on the wall because drawing pins, glue or sticky tape will damage the walls. Please be very careful with things like hairspray, nail varnish, hairdryers, hair straighteners and lit cigarettes, as you would in your own home.

If you break or damage anything, report it as soon as possible and pay for repairs.

Electrical Equipment

If you wish to use your own electrical equipment you must ask for permission first, and check that your equipment is suitable for our electricity supply, which is 220-240V, 50Hz AC. You can buy socket adapters from Reception at LAL Torbay.

If you do use a socket, check that it is switched on - most British sockets have switches to turn the current on or off.

Note that you won't find a socket for your hairdryer in the bathroom: it's illegal to put sockets in bathrooms in Britain. There may be a socket labelled 'Shavers Only', but it won't work with high powered equipment.

Lighting and Heating

All host homes will have some form of heating in the bedrooms, but it is very unusual in Britain to use heating overnight. If your bedroom is colder than you are used to, ask your Host for extra blankets, or to turn up the heating.

You must not leave gas or electric heaters on throughout the night or when you are out, or place anything on or near the heaters, as this may cause a fire.

Electricity is relatively expensive in the UK, so your Host will be grateful if you switch off lights when you leave the room.

Food

Your Host will provide breakfast and an evening meal. You should tell your Host in the morning if you do not want dinner. If you want extra food, please ask. If you want to keep your own food, ask to keep it in the kitchen, not in your room.