Living with chinese family?

[ashadow700]

Hey "best-forum-for-learning-chinese-that-I-have-been-able-to-find-so-far"!

I am going to move to Beijing next semester and study chinese there for about six months. Thing is, rather than live alone at a campus I would love to move in with a chinese family if that is possible,since that would be such a great way for me to practice the language on a daily basis, but I don't have any own friends or relatives there. So, I just wanted to ask if you could suggest me so way to get in contact with chinese family who I might be able to move in with?

Thanks everyone!

[Bates]

Chinese are friendly, and I bet many will, you can go to 猫扑 天涯 some famous forums to get some help, well, maybe it's not a good idea,

[andysun731]

Unlike foreign families, most Chinese don't have big houses with extra rooms to be rented to overseas students. When an apartment is for rent, it is usually without owner living there. You may find a Chinese student to share an apartment for English-Mandarin exchange.

[edelweis]

You can find some home-stay programs through private chinese language schools, for a fee (agency fee + compensation paid to the family). Some people have complained before that on arrival they found the Chinese family was expecting them to tutor the kid in English, that's one thing to check carefully.

[Steingletscher]

There are sites on the internet (just google 'homestay'), but most of those tend to be expensive as they are charging in USD. If your Chinese is good enough, you can post an ad on the internet. I'm not sure which sites are the Chinese version of Craigslist. I found my Chinese roommates through friends I've made during my first 6 months I spend in the dorms.

The expectation to teach English is also a problem. Had that happen to a friend of mine.

[verita]

Finding a good homestay family is hit and miss. I had my stay organized by my (private) language school and while it cost more than a room in a shared apartment or some other sites I found on the internet, it worked very well, especially for my spoken Chinese. I met two guys who did this with a cheaper agent and had some bad experiences. Homestay is great if it works, but be careful to do it with the right guys and be prepared to pay a premium for it.

Or just be really lucky ;)

[libbycheng]

Finding a private Chinese language school would work well. Be carefully check what the homestay offer, like meals, private room and etc. Also, check If you need to teach them English. Generally, the school will have the homestay speak Chinese with you everyday to help improve your Chinese.