HOST A STUDENT!
Becoming a Host Family
Hosting a Chinese student can be a rewarding experience. It is an opportunity to share American culture and beliefs, to learn about Chinese culture and to help your own children gain an international perspective. Many host families develop long, lasting bonds with their exchange students and keep in touch long after the program has ended, opening possibilities no one could have imagined.
Weiming America can study in U.S. High Schools for anywhere from one to four years. American host families play an important role during their time in the program by providing a stable, nurturing home; a cultural background to what goes on in school, support for students adjusting to life in a strange country, and by providing room and board, transportation and other basic support for a teenager’s lifestyle. In return, students are expected to follow the host family’s rules and adapt to the culture of the home, becoming just another member of the family and household.
The Application Process
Here at Weiming U.S.A., we take choosing our host families seriously. We only pick the best of the best, and only those households that show excellence in communication, a curiosity and acceptance of other cultures, and a stable home environment are chosen to host our students. There are several rounds of application that you need to pass before you will be offered a Host Family Agreement and officially become a Weiming host family.
1 - Preliminary Application
Click icon to download interactive PDF Application. This can be filled out on a computer or other devise and submitted via email to ahamilton@weimingusa.com.
If you have issues completing as an interactive PDF, please feel free to print and submit a scan of the hard copy.
2 - Detailed Application
Once your preliminary application is reviewed, we will reach out to you for a full, detailed application which will include sections about the members of your household, lifestyle, rules at home, photos, and references.
Here you can also include a letter to your prospective student. Elements of this full application will be converted to a host family profile later in the process.
3 - In-home interview
Once your full application is completed, we will schedule an in-home interview with you and your family. All adult members of the family must be present. During this home visit we will also see where the student(s) would be living and get a feel for the home life they should expect.
4 - Background & Reference Checks
We require background checks annually for all adult members of the household for anyone hosting or in regular contact with our students. After the home visit, we conduct background checks and contact provided references.
5 - Sign our agreement & attend orientation
Once approved for hosting, the placement process begins! At this point we will send our current Host Family Agreement and begin matching your family with one or more of our students. Information from the detailed application will be shown to students and parents selected for pairing and host families will receive student profiles as well.
In the meantime, we also make preparations for our host family orientation for the new school year. If unable to attend or starting your hosting journey mid-year, you may also receive a digital orientation packet.
welcome a Weiming student into your home!
Congratulations! You are an approved Weiming host, a student has been placed with you and the wonderful year of experiences is set to begin.
Students arrive for the school year around mid-August a few days before school orientation and start of classes. These days are a great opportunity to get to know your student(s) before the rush of school begins.
These first days and any days throughout your hosting term, Weiming team members are ready to address any questions you may have!
Host Families
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Host a Student
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Host Family Resources
Everything you need to start hosting a Weiming Student.