Unexpected expenses keep cropping up, and we know trying to maintain your budget on a pension isn't always easy. This forces many older Australians to find creative ways of meeting expenses.

But what if there was a way to get paid for something you already have – an extra room in your house?

Welcome to the world of homestay hosting.

While this isn't a new concept, in these current times, it's needed more than ever.

With international students returning to our shores during the housing crisis, the demand for affordable and comfortable living spaces is skyrocketing.

Homestay housing helps national and international students find accommodation in Australia. Credit: Thới Nam Cao/Pexels

Tina Brown from the Homestay Network told reporters: ‘I don't want to use the word crisis, but we're heading in that direction. We do need hosts.’

So, how do you get started? There are two popular networks that you can explore to offer your home as a homestay and find out how much money you could potentially make.

Australian Homestay Network (AHN)

As mentioned above, the AHN is the only national standards-based student homestay organisation in Australia. It services all capital cities as well as other key student destinations.

According to its website, the Australian Homestay Network was formed to provide international students with a ‘high standard of homestay accommodation’ after it was identified that there was a lack of quality homestay accommodations in the housing market.

Hosts are also paid regularly while housing a student.

‘Our host payments will assist you in covering the expenses of hosting a student, such as providing meals and utilities such as power and water,’ the website continued.

The program is mutually beneficial to students and hosts. Credit: Denys Gromov/Pexels

‘Each visiting student pays a homestay fee to AHN to cover management and supervision of their stay, 24/7 emergency support services, translation services, and airport transportation services,’ it continued.

Although the majority of the fee is passed to hosts to cover day-to-day expenses, the homestay fees do vary per state and are also dependent on accommodation, meal plans, and location.

‘AHN will collect the ongoing fees from your student and make fortnightly payments to you, provided that the student has paid on time for the duration of the placement.’

Homestay Network (HSN)

HSN offers student and academic accommodation in Australian family homes in safe, respectable neighbourhoods within 45 minutes of Sydney's TAFE Colleges, Universities, high schools, and language centres.

According to its website, the HSN uses a ‘variable fee structure’ for host fees.

These vary depending on several factors, such as the city the students are living in, the nature of the student’s stay, the college or university where they are studying, and other inclusions.

‘Staff will discuss the fee structure at the time the student is offered to you and again when the student is confirmed. How ongoing payments to the host will be made, discussed, confirmed, and agreed upon for the duration of the student’s stay,’ it said.

If you're an empty nester with rooms to spare or living in a big home, this opportunity to open your doors to international students and receive financial compensation could be an excellent solution to make use of the extra space in your house.

The Australian government also permits families to host up to two students tax-free, allowing you to earn additional income without affecting your pension.

Brown explains: ‘Three hundred dollars will be the bottom end of the scale, but it can actually go from $300 to $500 per student.’

Not only could this help with your living expenses, but it also offers these students the chance to experience the true Aussie way of life – they might even become like an extended family to you!

Key Takeaways

• Families are being sought to share their homes and get paid for them through homestay programs as Australia faces a housing crisis with borders opening to international students.
• Homestay Network's Tina Brown says there is a need for hosts, and the program could help empty nesters and families with big homes struggling with the cost of living.
• The government allows families to host two students tax-free, with payments ranging from $300 to $500 per student.

So, dear members, why not consider opening your home to a student in need and earn some extra income along the way? It's a win-win situation, and you'll be providing a valuable service at a crucial time.

Given the chance, would you be willing to give homestay hosting a shot? Let us know why or why not in the comments!

 

[AlanQ]

$500 per month, a good friend of mine hosted 3 secondary students at a cost to the student family of $285 per week each. The $300 is for just providing a room, the money is made from providing 3 meals per day, generally left overs from the previous night for lunch and basic breakfast option of cereals, eggs & toast. All were Asian and a western diet wasn't their choice, so they usually just ate their own purchased breakfast (or went to a fast food place) meeting other int'l students.

 

[mOiOz]

Unexpected expenses keep cropping up, and we know trying to maintain your budget on a pension isn't always easy. This forces many older Australians to find creative ways of meeting expenses.

But what if there was a way to get paid for something you already have – an extra room in your house?

Welcome to the world of homestay hosting.

While this isn't a new concept, in these current times, it's needed more than ever.

With international students returning to our shores during the housing crisis, the demand for affordable and comfortable living spaces is skyrocketing.

View attachment 21475

Homestay housing helps national and international students find accommodation in Australia. Credit: Thới Nam Cao/Pexels

Tina Brown from the Homestay Network told reporters: ‘I don't want to use the word crisis, but we're heading in that direction. We do need hosts.’

So, how do you get started? There are two popular networks that you can explore to offer your home as a homestay and find out how much money you could potentially make.

Australian Homestay Network (AHN)

As mentioned above, the AHN is the only national standards-based student homestay organisation in Australia. It services all capital cities as well as other key student destinations.

According to its website, the Australian Homestay Network was formed to provide international students with a ‘high standard of homestay accommodation’ after it was identified that there was a lack of quality homestay accommodations in the housing market.

Hosts are also paid regularly while housing a student.

‘Our host payments will assist you in covering the expenses of hosting a student, such as providing meals and utilities such as power and water,’ the website continued.

View attachment 21476

The program is mutually beneficial to students and hosts. Credit: Denys Gromov/Pexels

‘Each visiting student pays a homestay fee to AHN to cover management and supervision of their stay, 24/7 emergency support services, translation services, and airport transportation services,’ it continued.

Although the majority of the fee is passed to hosts to cover day-to-day expenses, the homestay fees do vary per state and are also dependent on accommodation, meal plans, and location.

‘AHN will collect the ongoing fees from your student and make fortnightly payments to you, provided that the student has paid on time for the duration of the placement.’

Homestay Network (HSN)

HSN offers student and academic accommodation in Australian family homes in safe, respectable neighbourhoods within 45 minutes of Sydney's TAFE Colleges, Universities, high schools, and language centres.

According to its website, the HSN uses a ‘variable fee structure’ for host fees.

These vary depending on several factors, such as the city the students are living in, the nature of the student’s stay, the college or university where they are studying, and other inclusions.

‘Staff will discuss the fee structure at the time the student is offered to you and again when the student is confirmed. How ongoing payments to the host will be made, discussed, confirmed, and agreed upon for the duration of the student’s stay,’ it said.

If you're an empty nester with rooms to spare or living in a big home, this opportunity to open your doors to international students and receive financial compensation could be an excellent solution to make use of the extra space in your house.

The Australian government also permits families to host up to two students tax-free, allowing you to earn additional income without affecting your pension.

Brown explains: ‘Three hundred dollars will be the bottom end of the scale, but it can actually go from $300 to $500 per student.’

Not only could this help with your living expenses, but it also offers these students the chance to experience the true Aussie way of life – they might even become like an extended family to you!

Key Takeaways

• Families are being sought to share their homes and get paid for them through homestay programs as Australia faces a housing crisis with borders opening to international students.
• Homestay Network's Tina Brown says there is a need for hosts, and the program could help empty nesters and families with big homes struggling with the cost of living.
• The government allows families to host two students tax-free, with payments ranging from $300 to $500 per student.

So, dear members, why not consider opening your home to a student in need and earn some extra income along the way? It's a win-win situation, and you'll be providing a valuable service at a crucial time.

Given the chance, would you be willing to give homestay hosting a shot? Let us know why or why not in the comments!

Sorry SDC.... you made an error here... the payments are between $300-$500 per WEEK, not per month and yes it's TAX-FREE.
Sadly, once again the government puts its own people on the back burner.
This ONLY applies to FOREIGN students, with no consideration that our very own students also need accommodation, yet, people who house them must PAY TAXES.

 

[Gaena]

sounds reasonable apart from the fact that I am uncomfortable with friends and even family staying let alone a stranger, we have the room but I am mainly a very unsociable reclusive type that prefers having my own space to myself, I sometimes even resent my husband being here!!So it would be a no from me

 

[Suzy Q]

Oh Gaena, I think we could be best friends LOL

 

[Zoya]

Oh Gaena, I think we could be best friends LOL

Me too.

 

[Gaena]

Oh Gaena, I think we could be best friends LOL

Thank you Suzy Q nice to know that I am not the only socially inept reclusive one here. I usually describe myself as someone who really does not like people around me, shopping in person is an absolute torture as well as having to converse face to face but I am fine writing to people.

 

[SGH]

I belong to a craft group and the discussion of living alone came up last week. Some of our ladies are widows and already living alone, I was asked how I would go. I know I could do it no problem.

 

[Gsr]

I think it would be a great way to earn some extra income, and it would be interesting to have a student from a different country living in our home. Unfortunately we live in a country town nowhere close enough to any educational hubs to do this. Years ago we had friends in another town who hosted three foreign students in their home on a regular basis. This was their main income, the husband did some tutoring a few afternoons a week for extra income. They enjoyed it and made so many new friends doing this.

 

[Jarred Santos]

Sorry SDC.... you made an error here... the payments are between $300-$500 per WEEK, not per month and yes it's TAX-FREE.
Sadly, once again the government puts its own people on the back burner.
This ONLY applies to FOREIGN students, with no consideration that our very own students also need accommodation, yet, people who house them must PAY TAXES.

This one's on me @mOiOz, my apologies

 

[Catherines]

I often tell my husband that we could be renting out one or both of our two spare bedrooms with a separate bathroom and toilet, but we are afraid that we could wake up one morning and find so much missing. We would not rent to people from overseas, not that we have anything against them, it’s just that we have so many displaced elderly, young families and single people here - floods, fires, and especially the high rents all taking their toll on them - and they need looking after first. It’s just that we’re very afraid of waking up one morning finding our home ransacked.

Sorry but we just don’t feel we could do this much as it breaks my heart seeing and hearing of those in need. Instead we donate to specific charities on a regular basis in the hope it goes to the really needy in our society.

About time our government got their a*** into gear, as they say, and looked after our own first.

 

[IAN3005]

Thank you Suzy Q nice to know that I am not the only socially inept reclusive one here. I usually describe myself as someone who really does not like people around me, shopping in person is an absolute torture as well as having to converse face to face but I am fine writing to people.

Ha ha ha.... you and I are alike. I get frustrated when I have to deal with "anyone" as I think I come from another planet and they don't speak the same language as I do.
Sometimes I go for weeks without a word being spoken or any contact with the "outside" world.

 

[ChrisTasmania]

Unexpected expenses keep cropping up, and we know trying to maintain your budget on a pension isn't always easy. This forces many older Australians to find creative ways of meeting expenses.

But what if there was a way to get paid for something you already have – an extra room in your house?

Welcome to the world of homestay hosting.

While this isn't a new concept, in these current times, it's needed more than ever.

With international students returning to our shores during the housing crisis, the demand for affordable and comfortable living spaces is skyrocketing.

View attachment 21475

Homestay housing helps national and international students find accommodation in Australia. Credit: Thới Nam Cao/Pexels

Tina Brown from the Homestay Network told reporters: ‘I don't want to use the word crisis, but we're heading in that direction. We do need hosts.’

So, how do you get started? There are two popular networks that you can explore to offer your home as a homestay and find out how much money you could potentially make.

Australian Homestay Network (AHN)

As mentioned above, the AHN is the only national standards-based student homestay organisation in Australia. It services all capital cities as well as other key student destinations.

According to its website, the Australian Homestay Network was formed to provide international students with a ‘high standard of homestay accommodation’ after it was identified that there was a lack of quality homestay accommodations in the housing market.

Hosts are also paid regularly while housing a student.

‘Our host payments will assist you in covering the expenses of hosting a student, such as providing meals and utilities such as power and water,’ the website continued.

View attachment 21476

The program is mutually beneficial to students and hosts. Credit: Denys Gromov/Pexels

‘Each visiting student pays a homestay fee to AHN to cover management and supervision of their stay, 24/7 emergency support services, translation services, and airport transportation services,’ it continued.

Although the majority of the fee is passed to hosts to cover day-to-day expenses, the homestay fees do vary per state and are also dependent on accommodation, meal plans, and location.

‘AHN will collect the ongoing fees from your student and make fortnightly payments to you, provided that the student has paid on time for the duration of the placement.’

Homestay Network (HSN)

HSN offers student and academic accommodation in Australian family homes in safe, respectable neighbourhoods within 45 minutes of Sydney's TAFE Colleges, Universities, high schools, and language centres.

According to its website, the HSN uses a ‘variable fee structure’ for host fees.

These vary depending on several factors, such as the city the students are living in, the nature of the student’s stay, the college or university where they are studying, and other inclusions.

‘Staff will discuss the fee structure at the time the student is offered to you and again when the student is confirmed. How ongoing payments to the host will be made, discussed, confirmed, and agreed upon for the duration of the student’s stay,’ it said.

If you're an empty nester with rooms to spare or living in a big home, this opportunity to open your doors to international students and receive financial compensation could be an excellent solution to make use of the extra space in your house.

The Australian government also permits families to host up to two students tax-free, allowing you to earn additional income without affecting your pension.

Brown explains: ‘Three hundred dollars will be the bottom end of the scale, but it can actually go from $300 to $500 per student.’

Not only could this help with your living expenses, but it also offers these students the chance to experience the true Aussie way of life – they might even become like an extended family to you!

Key Takeaways

• Families are being sought to share their homes and get paid for them through homestay programs as Australia faces a housing crisis with borders opening to international students.
• Homestay Network's Tina Brown says there is a need for hosts, and the program could help empty nesters and families with big homes struggling with the cost of living.
• The government allows families to host two students tax-free, with payments ranging from $300 to $500 per student.

So, dear members, why not consider opening your home to a student in need and earn some extra income along the way? It's a win-win situation, and you'll be providing a valuable service at a crucial time.

Given the chance, would you be willing to give homestay hosting a shot? Let us know why or why not in the comments!

If I had the space and my husband wasn't sick, I would jump at the chance of having Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean or Japanese students in my home. I am not excluding other Asian nations, it's just that I have first hand experience with these four. They are respectful, honour their seniors and in particular the elderly (of which I am one now), obedient, compliant, well educated, studious and thoroughly lovely young people. I say this having 15 years experience teaching overseas and still have contact with ex-students, colleagues and university officials..... it will be a heart-warming and mutually rewarding experience for both the homestay host and their guest.

 

[IAN3005]

If I had the space and my husband wasn't sick, I would jump at the chance of having Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean or Japanese students in my home. I am not excluding other Asian nations, it's just that I have first hand experience with these four. They are respectful, honour their seniors and in particular the elderly (of which I am one now), obedient, compliant, well educated, studious and thoroughly lovely young people. I say this having 15 years experience teaching overseas and still have contact with ex-students, colleagues and university officials..... it will be a heart-warming and mutually rewarding experience for both the homestay host and their guest.

True. These people sho respect

 

[Catherines]

Absolutely they do. Always smiling, speaking very gently and respectfully, offering to help their seniors where needed, bowing to their elders and generally VERY, VERY RESPECTFUL OF THEIR ELDERS. I just have this phobia about having anyone besides family in my home.

 

[Penny4]

True story. One of my friend's took in an overseas Asian student for renting the room and meals.
Trouble is, it ended up in divorce with my friend moving out, as her husband fancied the student. They both were together for years, until the student flew back home.

 

[Klaus A]

I could rent out 2 15 qm rooms attached to separate bathroom, but no educational center around. Good for working on farms, that's what I do.

 

[Nana Zorak]

Oh Gaena, I think we could be best friends LOL

Me too!

 

[Nana Zorak]

Ha ha ha.... you and I are alike. I get frustrated when I have to deal with "anyone" as I think I come from another planet and they don't speak the same language as I do.
Sometimes I go for weeks without a word being spoken or any contact with the "outside" world.

Me too! I just love my own company.

 

[Teddy is my boy]

I have actually signed up to have two female students for two weeks. I’m looking forward to the company and the school l will be taking them to is only a few minutes drive. At around $50 a day per student there isn’t really any money to be made.