Why be a Barnes host family in Chippenham?

Barnes provides ongoing local support for host families and students (you will have access to us at any time of day on our mobiles).

Barnes has a strict contract with students/parents and has the additional support of the Education Department in Switzerland for the main project.

We understand it is a big decision for the student to study abroad and for a host family to try hosting for the first time. We work on the basis that without happy students and host families the relationship will not work. We therefore take great care to place the right type of student with the right type of host family. We are then a very supportive organisation looking after a limited number of carefully chosen students and host families.

We introduce students to their host families around two months before the study period begins to encourage a close relationship forming between the parents and the host parents as well as the student. We then use our experience to support the relationship as and when required throughout the study period.

Occasionally students are a little homesick which is where we use our 40 years of experience to help support the student through this period. Any issues can usually be solved by helping the communication and we act quickly as we always know everybody involved in the arrangement. However, if it really isn’t working out, we will never leave a host family with an unhappy situation in their home.

To help a student settle we help them find activities where they can make more English friends. With friends and a life in England our students are normally very happy.