en+44 1534 741305 info@stbreladescollege.co.uk
en+44 1534 741305 info@stbreladescollege.co.uk

Feedback from hosts

November 15th, 2024

The feedback we recently received from hosts who completed our survey was really useful. Thank you to all those who completed it. It helps us to get a picture of what you enjoy and the challenges you face. It also gives us a chance to adjust our programme to help make it easier for hosts.

We’re glad to hear that on the whole student behaviour wasn’t a huge challenge this year, that hosts felt very supported by Lynsey & Natalie, that safeguarding was considered a strong point and that 100% of hosts would recommend hosting with us!

Home sweet home sign

Positive experiences

For those of you that hosted adults, a common positive comment was that you met interesting people, had enjoyable interactions and made new friends along the way. One host mentioned that they will also be visiting their student in Basel next year. It’s so nice to hear from both hosts and students about the new relationships that have formed during their time in Jersey.

Hosts who welcomed junior students into their homes noted the enjoyment that came from seeing their own children interact and play games with students, along with watching students’ confidence grow during their time with you. Also for those whose children have already left home, the hosts welcomed having young people and the energy that they bring back into the house again.

We’re lucky to live on such a beautiful island so activities with students at the weekend or in the evenings don’t need to cost anything. Hosts have enjoyed taking students to the beach and watching them experience what Jersey has to offer; whether that’s dodging waves down at St Ouens, exploring rock pools at La Rocque, coastal walks or body boarding down at Plemont.

Challenges

Arrivals can always be a challenging aspect of the stay, especially when they are early, late or cross-over with departures or other arrivals. Of these, late arrivals seemed to be the most challenging for hosts. This year, there were some especially late arrivals due to delayed boats and also the ferry schedule didn’t always allow for Sunday evening arrivals. Thank you for being so accommodating and flexible with this. In the past, we had a much more regular service whereby students arrived by boat on Sunday evening and left on Saturday mornings. We can only hope that this returns in 2025.

Due to delays and inaccurate arrival times on the Ports of Jersey website, hosts have waited up to 90 minutes for students to come through this year, as they have arrived thinking the boat was on time. This is something that we will continue to bring up with Ports of Jersey and the chosen ferry service provider, in the hope that they can update this information. If there are also delays, we can ask our chaperones to update the Jersey Homestay Facebook page. Once the ferry has docked, it usually takes students 15-30 minutes to come through so please bear this in mind when planning your arrival to the harbour.

We really do encourage hosts to build a network and support each other where needed. It can make hosting much easier if you can share lifts to the harbour or airport. Our Jersey Homestay Facebook page is a great place to start with this or you can speak to Lynsey or Natalie who can put you in touch with other hosts.

Young adults jumping

One host also mentioned that they are new to hosting and often don’t know if what they’re doing is enough or too little. Again, the Jersey Homestay page is a great place for hosts to ask questions and reach out for advice. Many hosts have been hosting for years and will happily share their thoughts.

Thanks again for completing our survey.

Documents d’identité pour le voyage

Un passeport est requis pour tous les visiteurs de Jersey. Vous devez vous assurer que votre passeport sera valide durant la totalité de votre voyage.

Les visiteurs venant à Jersey via le Royaume-Uni auront besoin d’une Electronic Travel Authorisation/ETA (autorisation de voyage électronique) à partir d’avril 2025. Les visiteurs venant directement à Jersey depuis l’UE n’auront pas besoin d’ETA avant la fin de 2025.

Vous devez vérifier les conditions de voyage auprès de votre agent de voyage ou de votre compagnie aérienne/opérateur de ferry.

Conditions de paiement

Une fois que votre cours a été validé, vous aurez besoin d'effectuer un premier versement de 200£. Au moins 4 semaines avant le début du cours, vous devrez payer le montant restant. St Brelade’s College se réserve le droit de refuser de fournir les prestations (cours, logement, activités) à l’étudiant si les frais scolaire n’ont pas été réglés complètement.

FRAIS D’ANNULATION

Avis de 22 jours ou plus : 200£ d’acompte
8 - 21 jours de préavis : 1 semaine (frais de cours et famille d’accueil/résidence) + 200£ d’acompte
1 - 7 jours de préavis : Montant total des frais à payer (frais de cours et famille d’accueil/résidence)
Des frais d’annulations indépendants s’appliquent aux logements privés.

Les remboursements des frais des cours sont effectués en GBP sur la même carte ou le même compte que celui utilisé pour effectuer le paiement initial. St Brelade’s College décline toute responsabilité en cas de différence dans le montant final reçu en raison des variations du taux de change sous-jacent.

ASSURANCE

Nous conseillons vivement aux étudiants de souscrire une assurance au moment de la réservation du voyage. Cela devrait assurer une couverture dans le cas où l’étudiant doit annuler la formation avant le départ ou pendant son séjour en raison de facteurs tels que la maladie (par exemple, Covid-19), les frais médicaux d’urgence, les frais de voyage et les effets personnels, etc. Une assurance spéciale pour les séjours linguistiques peut être souscrite auprès de certaines compagnies d’assurance.

VISAS ÉTUDIANTS

Les étudiants doivent payer en amont un acompte de 25%, puis le solde restant au moins 4 semaines avant l’arrivée. Dans l’éventualité où le dossier serait annulé, une partie de l’acompte serait remboursée, déduisant une somme 100£ de frais administratifs.

Travel documentation

A passport is required for all visitors to Jersey. You should ensure there is sufficient validity on your passport to cover your trip.

Visitors coming to Jersey via UK will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) from April 2025. Visitors coming directly to Jersey from the E.U. will not need an ETA until late 2025.

You should check the travel requirements with your travel agent or airline / ferry operator.

Payment terms & conditions

Once your course has been confirmed you will need to pay a deposit of £200. At least 4 weeks before the course starts you will need to pay the remainder of the course fee. St Brelade’s College reserves the right to refuse to provide services to students if the course fees have not been paid.

CANCELLATION FEE

22+ days notice: £200 deposit
8 – 21 days notice: 1 week (tuition & homestay/residence fees) + £200 deposit
1 – 7 days notice: Full fee payable (tuition & homestay/residence fees)
Separate cancellation fees apply to private accommodation. Please refer to the individual hotel terms.

Course fee refunds are made in £GBP to the same card or account used to make the original payment. St Brelade's College accepts no responsibility for any difference in the final amount received due to changes in the underlying exchange rate.

INSURANCE

We strongly advise students to take out insurance at the time of booking the trip. This should ensure cover if the student needs to cancel the course before departure or during their stay due to factors such as illness (e.g. Covid-19), emergency medical expenses, travel costs and personal belongings etc. Special insurance for language course students can be purchased from some insurance providers.

VISA STUDENTS

Students must pay at least 25% deposit in advance and the balance at least 4 weeks before arrival. In the event that the application is unsuccessful the deposit is returned less a £100 administration fee.

Process for reporting a concern