Plan to pay Ballarat families to host Fed Uni international students

With on-campus residences expected to be full next year, 20 Ballarat families or households are being sought to provide a full Australian cultural experience, not just a room, for international students.

The full-strength return of international students is not just good for the university, but the city's hospitality and tourism sectors who rely on student employees, and for future international business ties to the regional economy.

"On campus international student numbers have not only bounced back to pre-pandemic levels but they are starting to exceed what we saw in 2019," said Federation University director, global and engagement, Daniel Moloney.

Mr Moloney said the international market was expanding with strong growth among students from Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and increasing numbers from the United Arab Emirates.

In 2019, before COVID, there were more than 800 international students studying at Federation University's Ballarat campuses, but many were forced to return home during the pandemic.

According to Federation University's annual reports, income from fee-paying overseas students at Fed Uni campuses in Australia was $149,667,000 in 2019 but in 2022 that figure was $55,191,000.

Students began returning early 2022 but it took until mid-year before larger numbers were able to take up their on-campus places. Their return, and growth, has continued throughout 2023 to now eclipse the pre-pandemic level.

"It's great for the city generally because we've been wanting to see more international students back not only for the health of the university, but the health of our hospitality and tourism sectors depend on a lot of support from visiting students throughout the semesters," Mr Moloney said.

As the international market expands, the university is looking for 20 families or households willing to host home-stay students.

Rather than just renting a room, which many families and share houses already offer, the university is hoping families and households will provide a "more genuine cultural exchange".

"When we talk about a more genuine cultural exchange we are looking for families who are really willing to take a visiting student under their wing and show them around Ballarat, introduce them to the sights and sounds, the basics of how to go to the supermarket, use public transport ... because we forget Ballarat can be a very strange place for a visiting student from overseas.

"Students want to have that deeper Australian experience, not just come to Australia to hang around other international students. They want to be exposed to Ballarat and the Australian way of life, the things we eat and talk about and all the cultural things we take for granted."

Mr Moloney said such exchanges were not just enriching for the student, but the host as well.

Households need to have a spare, furnished bedroom for the student and provide meals, and will be paid $300 to $400 a week for a year-long placement.

Some students will arrive as early as January, but most will arrive closer to when university classes begin in early March.

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Mr Moloney said the added benefit to the city of students forging deep ties with Ballarat was future business links.

"Just as we find with our alumni, we often find these students make connections back to us in 10 to 15 years time when they are established in their careers," he said. "The thought of students from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, UAE wanting to make a business connection back to Ballarat if they've had a good experience, wanting to invest in Ballarat when they're established in their career, helps us on so many fronts.

"Foreign investment into a regional city doesn't just happen."

Federation University has partnered with Global Experience to run the home-stay program. Anyone interested in becoming a host can visit globalexperience.com.au.

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