This evening just after 8pm I answered a 'Private' number on my phone. A faint, husky female voice asked for me by name and while my immediate hope was "oh I've pulled a date for next weekend" it was soon dashed as the person introduced themselves as a 'representative' of '******'. She is a 'representative' from a company specializing in placing students with families for the academic year to study at school.
It would appear that this company (in this region) has 5 students living with host families who had been under the impression they'd be spending Christmas with the families instead of relocating back to Spain, Italy, Slovakia & Germany over the school holidays. A natural assumption I guess considering you pay these organizations for 40 weeks which is essentially September to beginning of June.
Unbeknownst to the students, or agency in fairness, the host families in two cases are travelling abroad for Christmas. One has family stay with them, rendering the house full to capacity and in need of what is usually the 'spare room' which the exchange student is using. The remaining two families feel it's an unnecessary intrusion a stranger being there for Christmas (even though they're happily taking the stipend).
So now the 'representative' needs to find alternative accommodation for 5 students (3 male, 2 female) from 21st December until 4th January approximately - somewhere they can spend Christmas, eat, sleep, wash, etc and they offered €85 per student per week for the honor!
Even if I wasn't busy this Christmas I wouldn't get involved. But it demonstrates again how some companies fail to consider even the most obvious consequences of a student spending a year in Ireland which ultimately includes Christmas, Easter, St Patrick's and Halloween holidays. A very early question we ask host families is "Is there any time of year you cannot host a student?" and we match that answer with a question we ask all students "will you return to your native country at any of the following school holidays?"
At Lingoo Ninja, Lingoo School, Lingoo Academy & Lingoo Camps we work hard to match students with hosts, personalities with locations & activities, academic interest with schools and student expectations with host family capabilities. This is one of the key selling points of our business, 100% Irish owned, Irish Management & Irish Coordinators in Ireland, UK Management & Coordinators in Britain.
So while I was unable to satisfy the needs if the husky lady calling for assistance this evening, it wasn't simply because she's not affiliated to our company, the students are not in our program and none of the host families are in our network, it is because last time we assisted (May 2016) we ended up hosting the student and never saw the expenses covered.
When deciding on a Homestay or School Year service provider, don't pick a company based on false promises, overselling products and under delivering service. Pick a company where local management, local families and local coordinators work hand in hand to deliver a first class package for all students.
This year alone, we had to "accept" a young man urgently from another company who messed up an exchange placement in Glenstal School. This summer we'd to "rescue" two students from another company who'd placed them in a who'll unsuitable family, never interviewed or house checked. And in September we'd to rescue a young disabled kid, put in an unsuitable host family with stairs, then expected to "walk" 800m a day from public bus to school gates up two steep hills and the student was using a walking aid to help with mobility. A shame such companies exist.
Our company does the home checks, family interviews, background checks and school accessibility ♿ checks to make sure we get it right first time, every time!
The Lingoo Ninja Team
It would appear that this company (in this region) has 5 students living with host families who had been under the impression they'd be spending Christmas with the families instead of relocating back to Spain, Italy, Slovakia & Germany over the school holidays. A natural assumption I guess considering you pay these organizations for 40 weeks which is essentially September to beginning of June.
Unbeknownst to the students, or agency in fairness, the host families in two cases are travelling abroad for Christmas. One has family stay with them, rendering the house full to capacity and in need of what is usually the 'spare room' which the exchange student is using. The remaining two families feel it's an unnecessary intrusion a stranger being there for Christmas (even though they're happily taking the stipend).
So now the 'representative' needs to find alternative accommodation for 5 students (3 male, 2 female) from 21st December until 4th January approximately - somewhere they can spend Christmas, eat, sleep, wash, etc and they offered €85 per student per week for the honor!
Even if I wasn't busy this Christmas I wouldn't get involved. But it demonstrates again how some companies fail to consider even the most obvious consequences of a student spending a year in Ireland which ultimately includes Christmas, Easter, St Patrick's and Halloween holidays. A very early question we ask host families is "Is there any time of year you cannot host a student?" and we match that answer with a question we ask all students "will you return to your native country at any of the following school holidays?"
At Lingoo Ninja, Lingoo School, Lingoo Academy & Lingoo Camps we work hard to match students with hosts, personalities with locations & activities, academic interest with schools and student expectations with host family capabilities. This is one of the key selling points of our business, 100% Irish owned, Irish Management & Irish Coordinators in Ireland, UK Management & Coordinators in Britain.
So while I was unable to satisfy the needs if the husky lady calling for assistance this evening, it wasn't simply because she's not affiliated to our company, the students are not in our program and none of the host families are in our network, it is because last time we assisted (May 2016) we ended up hosting the student and never saw the expenses covered.
When deciding on a Homestay or School Year service provider, don't pick a company based on false promises, overselling products and under delivering service. Pick a company where local management, local families and local coordinators work hand in hand to deliver a first class package for all students.
This year alone, we had to "accept" a young man urgently from another company who messed up an exchange placement in Glenstal School. This summer we'd to "rescue" two students from another company who'd placed them in a who'll unsuitable family, never interviewed or house checked. And in September we'd to rescue a young disabled kid, put in an unsuitable host family with stairs, then expected to "walk" 800m a day from public bus to school gates up two steep hills and the student was using a walking aid to help with mobility. A shame such companies exist.
Our company does the home checks, family interviews, background checks and school accessibility ♿ checks to make sure we get it right first time, every time!
The Lingoo Ninja Team
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