How long have you been hosting?
I have been working with Quest for about 13 years now. One of the first students I hosted was called Terri and she’s now based in Oxford. We’re still in touch and my daughter met up with her recently in London.
What made you decide to start hosting?
I had just moved from London to a new area with my family and didn’t know anyone. It was to earn extra income and was something I could do whilst my children were young.
What do you most enjoy about hosting?
It’s probably providing the food and the challenge of trying new recipes. I recently tried Malaysian curries but they’re too spicy for my son and husband but the students love them! I enjoy cooking and it’s nice to be able to cook for others.
What is the most challenging part of hosting?
Food preferences are quite different. I make a lot more Chinese food and rice-based dishes than I normally would whilst I have students staying. My current students for example don’t like tomato based pasta or potatoes.
What type of thing do you get up to when you have a student staying?
The students have online lessons during the holidays with extra maths challenges plus they love to game so they spend a lot of time in their rooms. Louis was keen to go to see the London Eye so I took the boys to London. We went on the London Eye, to Battersea Power Station and to Chinatown where the boys wanted to eat Japanese food. I also do things like taking Louis to the barber.
Do you work and if so, how does hosting fit around it?
I do, I work part time in the NHS. I only started working when my daughter was in the middle school. I find it works well with hosting. The boys are free to go out whenever they like and have access to a key. There’s a parade of shops nearby.
Would you recommend hosting to others?
Yes I would recommend it – and I have done so in the past. Everything is very organised with Quest.