Guardianship FAQs

In the UK, it is a requirement of your visa and a boarding school condition that every child from overseas must have a parent or an appointed guardian resident in the UK to take care of them.

Whether in school or staying with a host family, Quest Guardians’ Principal, Chris Michelmore, remains the educational guardian of our international students whilst he/she is in the UK. He is assisted by his team of Office Administrators and qualified Coordinators. During term time, the school has responsibility for day-to-day care, as well as for the academic and social development of your child. Families hosting international students take over responsibility for day-to-day care whilst your child is staying with them at times when the school is closed.

No, we have specially selected host families in London and across the UK with whom your child will stay. Your child may also need to stay with a family at the beginning or end of school terms. The cost of host family stays is paid from your personal Student’s Expenses Deposit.

This is possible, but we must be notified well in advance. In addition, in the interests of your child’s safety, we have a strict policy on stays outside our families, which is dependent on your child’s age. Full details can be found in the Overseas Parents Handbook.

Sometimes students ask for friends to stay at their Host Family for a Half Term or weekend break. We may be able to arrange this under a Temporary Guardianship Scheme. Please note arrangements must be made through the Quest offices and temporary guardianship can be offered on one occasion only.

Host Families come to us either by recommendation or by applying to become a host family through their own application. Prospective families are required to give details of the family members, their work, their interests, their pets and other information to determine their suitability for hosting foreign students. We then arrange a home visit to meet the family and inspect the facilities available to the student, especially the bedroom and bathroom in the host student accommodation. The visit also helps us to establish if the family is caring and warm, which is extremely important for the welfare of your child. We make detailed notes which enable us to match your child to a suitable family. All of our families are police checked (using the DBS or Disclosure and Barring Service) and provide references.

You and your child are given the Quest Guardians 24-hour emergency contact details when they first arrive in the UK. The school is also informed of our contact details. In most cases, the situation can be resolved by one or more telephone calls, however, in the case of a suspension or a medical emergency we will liaise with you and with the school until the matter is resolved.

We arrange your child’s travel within the UK. Airport transfers are either by school bus or by licensed taxi – in both cases, the drivers involved are known to us and police checked through the DBS. Travel to/from host families is either by taxi or by the host themselves. The cost is paid from your Student Expenses Deposit.

As a part of our guardianship services for international students, either the Principal or a Quest Guardians representative will meet with your child on the day or within a few days of arrival in the UK and thereafter at least once each term. If circumstances require it, additional visits are arranged. We keep in regular contact with our students as well as with both the school and the host families.