SEATTLE, April 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Homestay Network™ (www.homestaynetwork.com), the first national-scale, standards-based homestay organization in America, announced the launch of its Local Agency Program designed to provide regional homestay organizations across the U.S. with the technology and administrative resources needed to develop and grow local programs. The American Homestay Network (AHN) utilizes a sophisticated matching and management technology, extremely high standards and proven operational methodologies to increase the quality of both the student and host experience and implement best practices across the industry. The Local Agency Program provides partner agencies with the advantages of reducing overhead costs and time consuming administrative duties so they can focus on making and maintaining their relationship with local host families, students and area universities and colleges.
"Our Local Agency Program provides an opportunity for new or existing homestay organizations to become more profitable while enhancing their potential for long-term growth," said Ron Davis, CEO of the American Homestay Network. "This program is the best of both worlds, putting into place a high level of operational standards for local organizations, while utilizing their community knowledge and connections that are so important to a successful experience for students and host families."
Through the program, local agencies can focus on conducting host interviews and home visits, maintaining relationships with local institutions, responding to any onsite student/host needs while providing AHN with local insights on marketing, vendors, and related industry organizations. AHN corporate resources can reduce a local agency's overall workload by as much as 70 percent as AHN manages host and student applications, homestay matching, technology systems, a national background check process, a 24x7 call center, online payments, online student and host orientation training, advertising, public relations and other related administrative services.
"After receiving feedback from many of our peers across the homestay industry, we saw the opportunity to provide local organizations with proven systems that a small or early stage company may never be able to acquire, afford, or support," said Davis. "Our partners in the Local Agency Program will benefit from our broad relationships across service providers in education, transportation, banking, technology and language support."
AHN was launched and began placing students in 2012 in response to the growing demand by international students for homestay accommodations and to bring a new level of industry best practices in service offerings, operations and technology. As much as 20 percent of visiting students would prefer a homestay option during their studies in America; however, previously there has been limited amount of host families available and existing organizations do not have the infrastructure needed to grow and meet this demand.
Homestay organizations and other industry partners interested in learning more about AHN's Local Agency Program should visit www.homestaynetwork.com, or email localagency@homestaynetwork.com.
About The American Homestay Network
The American Homestay Network (AHN) was created to bring a new level of best practices in service offerings, operations and technology to hosted homestay programs for visiting international students. AHN is committed to setting a new global standard for student homestay in America. Through its business relationships with the Australian Homestay Network, global insurers, banks and national emergency response partners the company offers an unprecedented collection of comprehensive services. The company is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and AWISA: Association of Washington International Student Affairs. For more information, visit www.homestaynetwork.com.