Parents often ask the question what is the difference between sending my child to a boarding school vs homestay?
Students in boarding school learn:
•⁠ ⁠Independence
•⁠ ⁠Build self-confidence
•⁠ ⁠Have access to strong pastoral care from teaching staff, personalised attention
•⁠ ⁠Extra-curricular activities on site
•⁠ ⁠Lifelong learning
There are some disadvantages of boarding school which include:
•⁠ ⁠Homesickness
•⁠ ⁠Bullying
•⁠ ⁠More expensive

Homestay provides students with the choice to live with a host family. Students will usually have their own room and share meals with their host family. These hosts are usually vetted by the school or a homestay provider.
The advantages of homestay are:
•⁠ ⁠Learn more about the local culture
•⁠ ⁠Improve your language skills
•⁠ ⁠Home away from home
•⁠ ⁠Learn global perspectives, cultural diversity
•⁠ ⁠Cost effective

• “Home away from home”
  
  The disadvantages of homestay are:
  •⁠ ⁠Having to observe the rules of your host family
  •⁠ ⁠Food preferences
  •⁠ ⁠Might not be matched with the right family

Every student is different and there is no one right answer. Go with what suits you and your family. At SEA, we have had students go to Australia or New Zealand and go to boarding school and others live in homestay. Both are happily in university and have great experiences to share. If you would like any advice or need help navigating study abroad, we can help your child reach their ideal study abroad program.