A "Single" room for one student needs a bed (single double or queen are all considered single) and somewhere for the student to put their clothes, curtains or blinds, a power point and a door.
A "double" room needs to have two beds (of any size) and then two places to put clothes at least one desk and the ability to plug in two things at once as well as curtains or blinds and a door.
A desk and chair, wardrobe, bedside lamp and a picture or two is also nice. We have found students to be quite respectful of the room and the things you place in it and are yet to have damage or breakages.
It is not necessary for the door to lock. Some students will appreciate this as they have expensive computer, phones and other electronic gear. If the door locks, make sure you have another key somewhere in case they drop their key in the Brisbane river while looking over the edge of a RiverCat...
To make the room a bit more welcoming I have framed a few Australian calendar pictures and popped them on the walls and on a shelf to make it a bit more homely. I have some fake flowers as well - whatever you think will make a nice wee private space for some one who is probably missing home, spending a lot of time confused and frustrated and needs a break from the English speaking world, will be fine.
I usually use doona covers that are neutral colours so that I don't have boys feeling uncomfortable sleeping in a Disney princess bed or the girls in a camouflage military style one... Reds, light blues and greens in stripes or checks usually cross all barriers! You can pick up perfectly good ones from second hand shops for under $10
A bedside lamp or night light is often appreciated so that the giant Australian spiders, snakes bugs and sharks don't come and eat your students up in the night. I have found some students will sleep with the light on all night. If this bothers you - talk to them and provide a night light of some sort. We have one in the bathroom so that they can use the loo in the middle of the night without waking up the whole household by banging and crashing or turning on every light in the house.
We tend to wash the sheets every two weeks. Whatever cycle you do normally is probably fine. If a student is staying for 3 weeks I might not do them at all. I usually announce the day before that I want the sheets off the bed to wash the next day and ask them to strip the sheets, pillow cases and doona covers off the bed and throw them into the hall way for me. I either give them a second set to put on and make the bed up with or present them with the clean ones at the end of the day and ask them to make their bed then. If they haven't done it before its a good skill for them to learn!
I don't generally clean the students rooms until they leave. I encourage them to use the vacume cleaner and point them in the direction of the cleaning products if I notice it needs a clean. My personal ethos is to stay out of their rooms as they have so little personal space as it is. It is perfectly ok to clean the rooms as often as you normally would, just make sure you tell the students of this so they can have the room presentable before you go in.
We are not keen on students eating in their room so that they don't attract bugs or I lose all my plates and cups into the void (can be a bit like having teenagers in the house all over again!) I will usually just ask them to go and get any plate and cups they may have in their rooms each evening when we do the dishes.
Windows and curtains can be a bit of an issue sometimes. We have an old house prone to mould in the wet weather and we need to have the windows open for part of the day to circulate the air. Some students are so terrified of the bugs that they seal that room as best as they can. This creates tension in the house sometimes as we are sure there is mould growing on the walls and the room is getting stale. A calm, slow explanation about how we do things in Australia is a good way to start. The weather is usually so different in their country that they don't know how to manage ours.
Shutting door and windows, conversely, is also an issue! You tootle off to work in the morning whilst your students are sleeping and come home to find all the doors and windows wide open and your students at school. Great for the local burglar not good for your heart health! Sometimes a note on the back of the door they leave by reminding them to close the doors and which ever windows you want open or shut can work. Security screen are a good idea if this is an issue for you.
Having things like this in writing means they have time to read and digest it slowly. Many will nod, smile and say yes when in fact they have no idea what you are talking about. Having it in writing also means they can take it to school and get someone else to translate for them if necessary. Use a map of your house to show what doors and windows you want shut or open when no one is home.
Its up to you whether you allow the students friends to stay overnight. We enjoy having our students friends drop in for a meal or an outing and are happy to provide a mattress on the floor in the lounge rather than send them home at midnight on a bus. We choose not to charge for this as it doesn't happen often. If your student gets into a relationship with a partner that they want to stay the night, that call is yours and yours alone to allow it or not.
You will need to decide on the level of tidiness you need from your student and communicate this with them when they arrive so that it doesn't cause tension for long term students who may not be the tidiest We simply shut the door so we cant see any mess and leave them to it. Other families come in and clean the room each week and keep it to the standard they prefer. Just communicate your level of comfort with your student before it becomes an issue.
We ask the students to let us know when they expect to be back after a night of fun in the city. I like to know if they are staying in the city for the night or going away with EF or friends for the weekend. We are not responsible for their actions or whereabouts but I see it as part of being a responsible host to know when to call the student on their mobile to check they are ok or when to call the school or the Police to report them missing.
For the record, you cannot live in one house and have students in another house next door, for example, in a hosting situation - if you do that you are running a boarding house and you will be governed by many other laws and regulations and need a ton of insurance. I also believe that up to 4 students in one house at a time is considered a "hobby" by the tax department and it is not an assessable income. However, Please check with your own accountant or the ATO before taking this advice.
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