Opting for a homestay accommodation could help international students to reduce mental health problems that can affect up to a quarter of all students today.
There can be many different reasons why an international student might prefer to choose a family hosted room while studying in the UK. The ‘home from home’ environment can feel like a safe stepping stone for younger students arriving in a different country and culture. Especially so for English Learning students on a 10 or 12 week course, for example. But increasingly, for many students of any age, it can simply represent the easiest and most hassle-free option.
But this is not an image of stereotype student thinking! International students can often have more to deal with than just student loans, rising rents and general living expenses. There can be additional hurdles to overcome, from visa applications and sponsorships to official funding and continuing financial support for their families back home. Anything than can help to reduce additional hassle, and make the big leap from home to the UK as stress-free as possible, is bound to be a top priority.
Level of stress that interferes with day to day lives
Research by YouGov highlights the increasing career pressures that many students feel they are under as they try to make their way through UK higher education. The results of the survey indicate that more than one in four students (27 per cent) experience a mental health problem. More than one in three (34 per cent) female students are likely to admit they have mental health compared to nearly one in ten males (19 per cent).
The extent of their problems can be quite profound, which it seems can make even routine, daily tasks difficult for nearly half (47 per cent) of students. Worryingly, a further 4 per cent admit they cannot complete even simple tasks. Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of students say they feel a level of stress that interferes with their day to day lives, and around three-quarters say they have depression-related or anxiety-related problems – or both.
Clearly, this could directly impact a student’s ability to properly study, which could ultimately mean dropping out of a course completely. International hosting schemes, which have long provided homestay accommodation to countless millions of students from around the world, can play a crucial role in reducing the intolerable pressures that students increasingly feel they have to face every day.
Hosts take care of nearly all of a student’s daily needs
A hosted room is in a shared family home, carefully selected according to both a student and host provider’s stated preferences. Homestay hosts take care of nearly all of a student’s daily needs, from inclusive meal plans and daily packed lunch to the weekly laundry and cleaning the room! Not exactly trivial matters when a student is trying to stay focused on their studies despite of stress and anxiety crowding in from other areas of their life.
So what exactly is causing the mental pressures? The YouGov report indicates while nearly three quarters of students (71 per cent) inevitably say it’s their studies, the next biggest worry is finding a job after college (39 per cent), followed by their family (35 per cent).
The “family” is also highlighted by a separate survey, which flags up concerns expressed by international students, and the impact distance has on their emotional and social wellbeing.
Struggle for international students to sustain family commitments
A major issue is likely to involve the struggle for some international students to sustain and maintain family commitments. Many students can still be expected to support other family members from a distance, both financially and emotionally, which has been known to cause excessive pressure, particularly during exams. Another concern is the desire not to be a burden to the family, which was particularly important where the parents were elderly or experiencing financial, personal or family difficulties.
A big challenge for some international students is the feeling of loneliness. It can sometimes be the case that they have grown up in a house full of people and suddenly, for the first time, find themselves on their own – and in a strange country.
There may not be a better reason for an overseas student to choose a homestay accommodation! Sharing an evening meal every day seated around the family table and being asked to speak in English. Some might suggest that’s also a fairly stressful situation but an international student might just disagree…