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Accommodations
HOMESTAY
The TESL Centre is pleased to be able to make a limited number of homestay placements each semester. Living with a Host Family can be a wonderful way for you to learn more about Halifax and its culture. As part of a family, you will have an excellent opportunity to practice English in a comfortable and secure environment.
If you are thinking about applying for a homestay while attending Saint Mary's Intensive English Programs, you should consider the following guidelines.
GUIDELINES FOR HOMESTAY REQUESTS
- Most Host Families live in the suburban areas of Halifax. This means that you should be prepared to travel to the campus by bus or ferry every day. Commuting can take up to 45 minutes in the morning and evening. This is a typical part of the Canadian lifestyle. Most people live a distance from their work place and it is usual to commute to work or school. It is not usually possible for us to place you within walking distance of Saint Mary's University. If you do not wish to commute by public transportation, you should consider living in Saint Mary's University Residences which are right on campus and very close to the downtown area.
- Canada is a mixture of many cultures. Canadians come from a variety of racial, national, linguistic and religious backgrounds. It is not possible for us to make a placement for you within a specific language or cultural group. All of our families are carefully chosen by the Accommodation Coordinator to provide the best homestay experience and we are confident that they will do their utmost to provide you with an enriching and enjoyable homestay environment. However, they may not be a stereotypical "family" (e.g., it may be a one-parent family or a family whose members speak with a non-North American "accent" or a single person living alone.)
- Most Canadian families have pets, usually a cat or a dog. It may not be possible to place you in a family without a pet. If you do not like dogs or cats, you should consider living in Residence on campus.
- Requests for specific family size and ages of children cannot be met. Statistically, the average number of children per family in Canada is 1.7. Few people have large families. One or two children is the norm in Canada. Many Host Families have no children or their children are adults and living away from home. If a family has many children, they do not usually have room to host a student. Sometimes, we may place you in a single-person household. Some Host Families include another Intensive English Program student.
- Most of our Host Families live in non-smoking households. If you smoke, you should consider living in Residence as it is extremely difficult to find families willing to host smokers. If families will host a smoker, they usually request that smoking take place only outside the home. (Please note: All on-campus Residences are non-smoking. You will have to go outside to smoke.)
- Many Canadians are allergic or sensitive to heavily-scented perfumes and aftershave lotions. Some of our Host Family homes are "scent-free." If you are living in one of these homes, you may be asked not to wear heavily scented perfumes or aftershaves.
- You should be as complete as possible when listing your interests and hobbies on the Homestay Request form. This is important information which is used when matching you with your Host Family.
- Host Families consider homestay students as part of their family and expect them to participate in family activities. If you prefer a more individual lifestyle, you should consider living in Residence because it gives you more independence and freedom to come and go with your friends as you please. Homestay students are expected to follow the rules of their Host Family.
- Homestays are made for one semester only. One month before the end of the first semester, you and your host family must sit down and decide if you want to extend the placement into a second semester. That way, neither you nor your host family will feel the pressure of having to live in a long term placement situation which is uncomfortable to either party. If you do extend your placement, fees and other conditions must be agreed to by both you and your family.
- You must pay your homestay rent for the whole semester directly to your host family as soon as possible after arrival.
- It is not usually possible to change placements once they have been made.
- The Homestay Placement Fee is usually non-refundable even if you do not come to Halifax or take up your placement. This is because most of the placement work (e.g., interviewing families, visiting homes, matching student and family profiles) is done before you even meet your Host Family.
- Once the placement has been made, you will receive a set of Homestay Guidelines to help you understand the roles and responsibilities of both you and your Host Family. You will also receive a one-page profile of your Host Family.
- The Accommodation Coordinator monitors all homestay placements. In addition, counseling is available to homestay students through the Office of the International Student Advisor, Ms. Alana Robb, at telephone 1-902-420-5436. The Accommodation Coordinator will meet with all homestay students during the first week of class to provide an orientation to the homestay experience. If you have questions for the Accommodation Coordinator, you can e-mail this office at teslhousing@smu.ca.
- If you leave your Host Family before the end of the homestay semester, you must give them at least one month's notice, or pay one month's rent instead.
FEES
Current homestay costs are C$1,400.00 per eight-week semester plus a C$275.00 initial non-refundable placement fee, which includes airport pick-up. On arrival in Halifax, the fee for room and board for the entire semester is payable in advance to your Host Family.
You will be provided with three meals a day: breakfast and dinner at home and lunch to take with you to the campus. In many families, everyone prepares his/her own breakfast. Your host family may encourage you to prepare your own lunch as well. Students living with Host Families have their own bedroom, which includes a bed, linens, towels, a place to keep clothing and somewhere quiet to study, possibly a desk or table in your room.
Homestay placements are made for one semester only. Saint Mary's expects that you will stay with your Host Family for the complete semester. If you wish to stay on with your family for a second semester, you must discuss it with the family one month before the first semester ends. For the placement to continue into a second semester, both you and your host family must agree, and make your own private arrangements on finances and other matters.
Homestay requests must be received at least four to six weeks before the beginning of the semester. Students should plan to arrive after 1:00 pm on the Saturday before their first semester begins. Host Families are not able to welcome students before this time. Students who wish to arrive early should make their own arrangements to stay in a hotel or hostel. You should plan to leave 1-2 days after the end of the semester. When you receive the profile of your host family you will also receive a form requesting your arrival information so that we can pick you up at Halifax International Airport. We should receive your arrival information as early as possible so that we can inform your Host Family and arrange your transportation from the airport. It must be received at least one week in advance of your arrival. Homestay placements cannot be made in the week prior to the start of any semester. Students who register during the final week before the semester begins will need to arrange a hotel or hostel for their arrival in Halifax. Then, late homestay requests will be processed during the first week of the semester.
HOW TO APPLY
If you would like us to make a homestay placement for you, simply download, print, and complete the Homestay Application form and mail it along with the C$275.00 non-refundable application fee, by credit card, cheque, telegraphic transfer or money order in Canadian or US funds to:
TESL Centre
Saint Mary's University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3C3
Telephone: 1-902-420-5691
Facsimile: 1-902-420-5122
E-mail: tesl@smu.ca
If you have any further questions or concerns about Homestay, please do not hesitate to contact us .
RESIDENCE
PLEASE NOTE: All Residences at Saint Mary's University are non-smoking. Students are not permitted to smoke in any Residence accommodation on campus.
CAMPUS RESIDENCE
Residence life has a lot to offer Intensive English Program students. It's very convenient and living in Residence is a wonderful way to make new friends. Saint Mary's University has three comfortable residence buildings right on campus that are linked at ground level by a corridor. They are also connected to the main academic complexes by covered walkways
- Vanier House: Room and Board
(MEAL PLAN IS MANDATORY DURING FALL AND WINTER)
Vanier House is a low-rise building with four separate units, each housing 54 or 58 students. The bedrooms have desks with drawers and a desk lamp that, in most rooms, can be swung over the bed. Bookshelves, a bulletin board and chair complete the furnishings in the rooms. The beds have foam rubber mattresses and pillows. There are large storage drawers under the beds. Linen is provided. It consists of pillow case, pillow, top sheet, bottom sheet and blanket. Each room also has a closet with ample room for clothes and a shelf above. Each of the four houses has a lounge on every floor, which often serves as a TV room. The lounge has chairs, tables, padded benches and bookshelves.
- Ignatius Loyola Residence: Room and Board
(MEAL PLAN IS MANDATORY DURING FALL AND WINTER)
This is a 19-floor high-rise building containing a mixture of all male, all female and coeducational (mixed male and female) floors. Accommodation is provided in single and double rooms. Each floor houses 24 students and has a common lounge for social activities. Floors are divided into four identical suites, with six students per suite. Four students in the suite have single rooms, and two share a double room. Washroom facilities in each suite are shared, but private. The furnishings are the same as in Vanier house.
- Edmund Rice Residence: Apartment Style
(MEAL PLAN IS OPTIONAL DURING FALL AND WINTER)
This 17-story building contains apartment units on coeducational floors, consisting of a kitchen, two double bedrooms, bath and living room/study area. These apartments are equipped with a stove and refrigerator, table and four chairs, and a coffee table. Students must provide their own pots and pans, dishes, cutlery and glassware, and cleaning supplies. Drapes are provided for all windows. Basic cable television service is also provided although students must supply their own television. The bedroom furnishings are similar to those described for Vanier House.
The TESL Centre often suggests that students in the Intensive English Program select Rice Residence as their first choice because it allows them to cook their own food if they prefer. Although the cafeterias on campus provide excellent food from a variety of ethnic origins, many of the selections are based on traditional Canadian foods and our international students often prefer the chance to cook foods that they are more familiar with.
FEES
Residence fees must be paid in full at the beginning of the semester and there is usually no refund. It is not possible to pay for Residence on a monthly basis.
Students are usually able to move into Residence accommodation on the Sunday before the start of any semester. They must plan to leave the Residence no later than the Saturday after the end of the semester. Room rates are for the semester only and students staying in residence between semesters (e.g., during the Christmas break) must pay a small additional fee. A C$1,200.00 payment (C$25.00 application fee and C$1,175.00 deposit) must be sent with any residence application.
RATES
A special eight-week Residence rate has been set for students registering into the Intensive English Program.
SPRING/SUMMER
Spring (May 3 to June 25, 2010) or
Summer (June 28 to August 20, 2010)
Rice Residence Apartment Bed Space (room only) C$825.00 plus C$25.00 application fee.
Rice Residence Apartment Bedroom (room only) C$1,200.00 plus C$25.00 application fee.
Loyola Residence, Single Room (room only) C$935.00 plus C$25.00 application fee.
During the Spring and Summer semesters, the cost of having three meals a day in the Student Centre Cafeteria will average C$26.46 per day.
Breakfast: $6.22
Lunch: $8.99
Dinner: $11.25
TOTAL: $26.46
Meals are buffet-style and all-you-care-to-eat.
NOTE : Deposit for Spring and Summer 2010 only: C$850.00 (C$825.00 deposit plus C$25.00 application fee)
FALL/WINTER
Fall 1 (August 30 to October 22, 2010) or
Fall 2 (October 25 to December 17, 2010) or
Winter 1 (January 4 to February 25, 2011) or
Winter 2 (February 28 to April 25, 2011)
Single Room with Meal Plan C$2,160.00 plus C$25.00 application fee (Loyola or Vanier Residences) Note: Very limited availability
Double Room with Meal Plan C$1,935.00 plus C$25.00 application fee (Loyola or Vanier Residences)
Apartment Bedspace (room only) C$1,175.00 plus C$25.00 application fee (Rice Residence)
Students in Rice Residence may purchase an optional Meal Plan at a cost of C$760.00.
MEAL PLANS
Full meal plans are currently available in the Fall and Winter semesters only. During the Fall and Winter semesters meal plans are mandatory for students living in Loyola and Vanier Residences because these residences have no cooking facilities. They are optional for students living in Rice Residence which is apartment-style.
The meal plans work on a declining balance principle. At the beginning of the semester, the student receives a credit card which allows him/her to purchase food at the cafeterias on campus. Each time food is purchased, the card is "swiped" through the debit machine and the amount of food purchased is deducted. The amount of the meal plan varies, depending on how much the individual feels he/she can eat. Our experience has shown that most Intensive English Program students require only Meal Plan 1. If more purchasing power is required, extra points can be bought.
Students must buy a meal plan each semester even if they have points remaining from the previous semester. With Meal Plans 2 and 3 there are limited refunds for unused points at the end of the semester, but no refund with Meal Plan 1. Fall and Winter Meal Plan points may not be used during the Spring or Summer semesters.
All meals are a-la-carte. Because each individual has different needs, the amount spent for each meal will differ. However, the figures below indicate what you might expect to spend on an average meal:
Breakfast: C$5-$7
Lunch: C$7-$9
Dinner: C$9-$11
HOW TO APPLY
If you are registering for the Intensive English Program and would like to apply for Residence accommodation, please download the Residence Application form. If you are applying for Spring or Summer semesters, please click here . If you are applying for Fall or Winter semesters, please click here . Complete the Residence Application Form and Questionnaire and mail them along with a C$1,200.00 payment (C$25.00 non-refundable application fee and C$1,175.00 deposit) to the address below. Payment may be made by cheque, money order, telegraphic transfer, VISA, American Express or MasterCard in Canadian or US funds (do not send cash through the mail). We can only process your application for Residence accommodation if the C$1,200.00 payment is included.
As space in Residence is very limited, application does not guarantee acceptance. Acceptance is conditional upon available space. If accommodation is not available, your deposit of C$1,175.00 will be refunded. The application fee of C$25.00 is non-refundable. We will notify you of your status as soon as possible. Once students have received their Residence confirmation from the TESL Centre, the C$1,175.00 Residence deposit is non-refundable.
Mail your completed application to the following address:
TESL Centre
Saint Mary's University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3C3
Telephone: 1-902-420-5691
Facsimile: 1-902-420-5122
E-mail: tesl@smu.ca
If you have any further questions or concerns about Residence at Saint Mary's University, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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