New Zealand, like the rest of the world, is beginning to see a real bounce-back, post-pandemic, in student numbers. But, like the rest of the world, it’s feeling the lack of English teachers and, crucially, a lack of places to accommodate both them and the students.
Homestays, once a core and abundant resource, are no longer so thick on the ground, as host families have rolled up their welcome mats for fear of catching Covid from overseas visitors.
“Homestay supply is growing – our accommodation manager is speaking to a prospective new host as I write – but not quite as fast as the student market is re-building,” says Darren Conway, chair of English New Zealand and managing director of Languages International. “This means we are not always able to place students in homestay as quickly as they would like, particularly at short notice. Sometimes we are able to place them temporarily in a student residence, but that is almost more difficult as not all residence providers have returned post-pandemic. We expect that supply to ‘correct’ over time, but there will be a lag.”
