Tellus Health & Safety Policy:

At Tellus we consider the Health and Safety to be an issue of utmost importance.

Almost 10 years of working with international students subject to different and ever changing local regulations helped us develop our own excellent Health and Safety standards and procedures.

In order to make sure that all our schools adhere to the expectations of our most demanding group leaders, we have established a series of benchmark requirements that need to be meet in order to work with Tellus Languages Abroad.

Yours sincerely,

Neil Pick

Chief Executive Officer
Tellus Group

Host Families:

All our families are subject to careful selection. If we have any doubts about the facilities being provided or more importantly the family themselves we do not use them.

How we select our host families:

• The families are visited by a representative of the school at their house to check that they can offer a suitable welcome to our students. No family enters the program without being previously visited and assessed by a representative of our school.
• We are aware that some of the children will be leaving their own families and travelling abroad for the first time and therefore may be unaware of the cultural differences.
• Therefore when visiting and assessing our host families we make them aware they have to do all they can to help them to overcome any fears or apprehension they may feel (particularly in the case of younger students) and to offer a warm, secure and welcoming family environment.
• Before entering the program, families should sign an agreement contract containing the headlines for behaviour and minimum facilities the families should offer the students.

Please bear in mind that, as our host families come from many different legal cultures, they will not always have their CRB checks ready. In most cases families should be able to provide an official certificate stating they have no criminal record upon request. To fulfil this request we should be aware at least 2 months in advance in order to give time to host families to get it.

Placement of students with the host families:

The main criteria for selecting a host/host family should be that they are caring, friendly and open-minded and will be able to offer the student a welcoming home stay.

• Students coming with a school group are never placed in the same family with a teacher unless specifically requested or with the child’s parents permission.
  Students of the opposite sex are not be placed in the same family if coming with a school group.
• As far as possible we always respect the pairing or single placement request of students and staff. If changes are to be made, they are always with the consent of the group leaders.
• The families come and collect their students on the day of arrival (they will not send a taxi or a neighbour. If this cannot be done, a representative of the school or the teachers will drive the students. The families will accompany them on the day of departure.
  
  
• The families accompany the students to the school on the first day so that they learn the way home. They also pick them up on the first evening to show them the way back home. When possible, we prefer that the families accompany the students to the meeting point every evening and morning.

Rooms and meals:

• Students and teachers will have a proper bed i.e. no camp beds
• Good quality sofa beds or “studio beds” are acceptable if the stay is under 7 nights
• Mattresses on the floor are not acceptable
• Sharing a double bed is not acceptable
• Students can share the same room with the children of the family if they are the same sex. There should be lockable storage space for their clothes in the bedroom and there should be lockable storage space.
• The meals must be varied
• The packed lunches must be sufficient, egg sandwich/baguette, crisps, yogurt, and fruit with a soft drink
• Dinner must be a substantial meal with at least two courses and dessert
• When possible the host family will advance their dinner time as we are aware that many students are unused to late mealtimes. Other families offer a light snack mid evening
• The families must have dinner with the students
• Permission to go out after dinner and curfews: we expect be informed before arrival for every group if the students are allowed to go out after the dinner. Our rules for school groups are that they should stay at home with the family, unless we are told the opposite.

  In case the students are allowed to go out after the dinner, we need to know the latest time they should return home.

  If a group wishes to have an evening excursion with the group leaders etc. and wishes to return at a slightly later time, we expect to be informed before their arrival.

In case of an emergency:

In case of illness or accident, the host family should do everything they would do for their own child (call a doctor etc.). In case of problems, they should always contact the party leader who may be able to help and the child. The family must inform the local organiser. Proof of expenses for the medicines or treatment should be obtained for reimbursement from insurance company.

Before arrival:

The addresses of corresponding host families are sent to the group leaders at least 14 days before the arrival of the group.

For this, we should receive all the names, allergy information, pairings and language levels of the participants at least 30 days in advance.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We must have the teacher’s name and full contact details including mobile numbers. We will ourselves provide with the phone number of staff welcoming the group.