Host a Student from Japan

Interested?

Please fill out our form or contact Todd Sasaki, International Programs Office, at 909-621-8308.

Pitzer College in Claremont invites you to share your home with a Japanese student from Kobe Women’s University. Students are participants in an academic program organized by Pitzer including classes, field trips, and activities. They spend evenings and weekends with their host families. Families are compensated.

Who are the Host Families?

Host families are local families with spare bedrooms and a desire to meet students from Japan. Households have included families with school age children, working couples whose children are away at college, single career women, and retired couples. Families with grown children or without kids of their own love hosting too. Having a Japanese student in your home provides a great way to stay involved with your community.

There are incredible personal rewards to being a host family. Host families and their student will try new foods, learn about special holiday traditions, play new games, and learn about music, art, and crafts together. Just by opening your home, you have the power to make every day extraordinary for you, your family, and a student from Japan.

Host families often become so fond of their students that they form lifelong friendships, even traveling to the students’ home countries to visit and meet their families and to experience what their daily lives are like.

Who are the Students?

Most of the students we place with host families are Japanese and range in age from 19 to 22. They come from Kobe Women’s University to learn English and American culture and to participate in academic language programs organized by Pitzer College. Students stay with a family for two to three weeks.

Host Family Responsibilities

Accommodations – Host families are expected to provide a private room for the student with basic furnishings including a bed, desk, lamp, dresser and a closet.

Meals – Students will eat breakfast and dinner during the week and weekend meals at home with their host family. Lunch during the week will be provided for them at the school.

Transportation – We ask the host families to provide transportation for the student to campus in the morning and home from Pitzer at the end of the day.

Handling a Student’s Illness  – All students will be covered by medical insurance. Each student will carry an information card, giving the name of the health care provider, policy number, and contact number. In the case of a medical emergency please arrange for whatever immediate care is necessary and then contact our staff as soon as possible.

Activities with your Student – As a member of your household, we hope your student will be able to go with you on shopping trips, sporting events, parties, out to eat or even on short weekend trips, just as you would take any member of your family. While appreciated, it is not necessary to plan special or costly outings your family would not normally do. Just like your children, your student may need to study or rest some days. Some students attend religious services with their host families, many do not. What you do for fun on the weekend is up to you and your student.

Solving Host Family and Student Differences  – There will be times when you may feel an action the student has taken is inappropriate. It is important to be able to communicate your feelings to the student. In cases where host families are confused on handling a problem, they can contact the Pitzer program representative for assistance. We have many years of experience in teaching and counseling international students.

Interested?
Please fill out our form or contact Todd Sasaki, International Programs Office, at 909-621-8308.