The last few months have been very difficult on us all, not least those working in the education sector. It has become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has already put a great strain on education, and will more than likely greatly reduce the numbers of international students coming to the UK to study.
At Host Family Stay we have thought long and hard about what we can do to adapt our service and continue to provide students with the homestay service not previously available. After months of planning, Host Family Stay is pleased to announce a new, first of its kind online homestay service - Virtual Stay. Virtual Stay is designed to bring the homestay experience to the students, with a number of groundbreaking features that will provide users with many of the great benefits they would receive from living with a host in London.
There is no better way to learn a language than by regularly speaking with native speakers - this fact and the unique friendships and connections homestay guests have with their hosts is a major reason why the industry is growing so much in popularity. We believe the current inability to travel should not prevent these amazing connections from being made, which is why we have created a platform where students will be able to connect and converse with our hosts via video chat on a daily basis. An integral part of any travel is being able to explore and take in a new city. While nothing beats physically being in London, we believe we can provide students with an alternative that is both convenient and easy to use, while still being immersive and informative. Virtual Stay helps to bring London’s rich culture and history to your doorstep, as students will be able to visit the city’s many famous attractions and landmarks using interactive and informative virtual tours.
London is home to some of the best language schools in the world, and our service aims to bring some of those educational resources to those students living abroad. We understand becoming completely fluent in a language requires continuous practice and correction. This is why our users will have access to a host of English language learning resources including detailed language courses, educational videos, and fun language games to help students develop and advance their language skills.
We are very excited about this project's potential and are developing it constantly so that it can fit the needs of as many students as possible. Finally, we hope that this service will provide a level of cultural and academic benefit to the many students who feel that the pandemic has cruelly dashed many of their learning opportunities. The service is scheduled to go live this summer!
For any questions regarding Virtual Stay please email us at [email protected]