Jacobs University seeking hosts for students

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April 7, 2017

It doesn’t take much: Enjoyment in dealing with young people, openness, basic knowledge of English. For its growing number of its international students, Jacobs University is looking for additional host parents. Those willing to support students get a lot back: Being a host is a window to the world – and it is not rare for the contacts to students to become friendships that last for years.

Hosts can be individual persons, married couples, or families. The time requirements are less than many people think: Unlike student exchange programs, the students don’t live with the host families, but on campus. Students and their hosts decide together how often they see each other and what they do together. That can be a stroll through Bremen, a bicycle tour, or dinner.

Students are happy for the hospitality and the associated insights into German culture. Many of them are just 17 and 18 years old; often they are away from their parents for the first time, and they have to find their way in a strange land with a strange language and a foreign culture. The host family program helps them with that. Sometimes they also provide practical assistance, for instance in understanding letters from government agencies.

Currently, about 500 families and individuals from Bremen and environs are offering students a little piece of home away from home. Of the 1,200 students at Jacobs University, almost one in two has a host family. But many others would like to get to know Bremen and the German culture better with the help of their hosts. After all, the number of new students at Jacobs University is rising – from 300 in 2015 to 470 in 2016. Additional hosts are urgently needed.

If you are interested in the host family program, you can call 0421/ 200 4208 or 0421/200 4209 or send an email to hostfamilies [at] jacobs-university.de.

Additional information: www.jacobs-university.de/student-service-center