Matters needing attention in studying in Australia ~

As for taboos, Australians pay more attention to personal privacy and try not to call others (except good friends) after 6 pm, because this time is family time. If someone has a pet at home, you can make it clear to the landlord in advance if you don't adapt. As for diet, we should be good at communicating with the landlord, after all, it is different from China. Looking for a house, there are many websites. China portal ozyoyo is recommended. You can look for it in the forum. Procedures need to have an RTA (Australian Tenant Lease Authority) contract signed with the landlord (formal, which is generally ignored by many China landlords, who generally charge a deposit of two to four weeks, that is, a deposit). When looking for a house, you should pay attention to whether the house is quiet (whether it is close to the road, convenient for shopping, convenient for transportation from school, large number of tenants, and many people who need to enjoy the bathroom), whether it is a pure wood house, if it is pure wood, it will attract insects and have poor sound insulation (most Australian houses have poor sound insulation). Sure, don't worry too much. After all, you can move again if it is not suitable.

What are the precautions for homestay life in Australia:

When studying in Australia for the first time, many foreign students will choose to stay at their local homes, because it has many benefits, such as improving English, learning local life rules and making friends. Although lodging in a local family may require you to face some cultural differences and different lifestyles, the benefits you get from it will definitely exceed the problems you may encounter. Most people who come to Australia have never experienced living in Australian families (including Chinese who have lived here for a long time), nor have they had the opportunity to establish long-term friendship with them, nor have they the opportunity to visit them again in the future.

It's easy to live in a host family! From the moment you arrive, you will be in a safe and protected environment without worrying about finding a place to live. This will help you get familiar with the new environment and the road of university. Your home is near the school (sometimes you may need to take a bus, change trains or take a train). You will have your own room, wardrobe, desk, chair, desk lamp, comfortable bed, two meals on weekdays (you can also apply to the landlord for lunch to take to school, but there may be an extra charge) and three meals on weekends.

When you apply for a host family, you need to fill out an application form. The application form will ask about your specific requirements in detail. Please note that there are people from many different countries in Australia, and they are all equal before Australian law. This means equality between men and women. No matter which country they come from, they will be treated equally. Similarly, you should treat them equally. Sometimes you will find that English may be their second language! They speak English fluently, even with a little accent. Husband and wife may come from different countries. You may live in a family with only one single woman, who may or may not have children. This is part of Australian culture, and you will live in this culture.

The family you live in may have pets, and most families have animals. Sometimes dogs and cats live in houses with their families, and some live outside. Australian families like pets. You can ask to live in a family without pets, but you may lose the opportunity to live with a kind and caring family. Please remember that most families have pets.

In most Australian families, both husband and wife have jobs. A wife is not a servant who stays at home and does housework. So generally speaking, you will be asked to do some minor things, just like their own children, such as setting the table, washing dishes, cleaning the room and keeping it tidy. Unless the family you live in offers to help you wash your clothes, you should do it yourself. If you don't know how to use this machine, they will teach you.

Recycling is very common in Australia. You may notice that there will be two trash cans in your house. Ask your family to tell you how to use these two trash cans. Ladies, please pay attention that all sanitary products should be wrapped and put in the designated bucket. Don't let people at home see these things, put them in the trash can outside the house at once. Most toilets in Australia are sitting toilets, so please don't squat on them when using them by host families. Garbage bags can be bought from pharmacies or consulted with your landlord.

Usually the bedroom door is unlocked. If you close the door, it means telling your family that you don't want to be disturbed. If you get home before your family comes back, they will give you a key to the front door. If they don't give it to you, you can ask them politely for one.

If you plan to come with your family (parents or biological sisters or brothers), you should arrange hotels for them in advance, and you can't ask the host family to arrange accommodation for them. This is inappropriate. Most families will welcome your family members to visit you, but they can't live with you.

If you plan to invite friends to your home, please ask the landlord's permission in advance. Generally speaking, the host family does not welcome visitors (for your safety and that of the host family). In order to avoid embarrassment, please try to avoid taking people home, let alone taking people home for the night.

Asking personal questions can sometimes lead to embarrassment. In Australia, it is impolite to ask others about their age, occupation or religious beliefs. It is also impolite to ask others how much money they earn. It is very impolite to say that someone is fat or ugly. Australians respect each other and treat friends and acquaintances equally.

The legal drinking age in Australia is 18, and the punishment for drunk driving is very serious. When driving, the alcohol content in the blood should not exceed 0.05%, which is about equivalent to a glass of beer. All drivers may be stopped by the police to check if they drink. If you are over the legal age and want to take wine home, you must first ask the landlord's permission. If a friend buys you a drink, you can choose to drink or not.

Using and carrying drugs is illegal in Australia and will be severely punished.

In Australia, acquaintances say hello when they meet and say goodbye when they break up. In the host family is no exception. Get up in the morning, greet the landlord when you come home from school, and say goodbye when you leave. You can't spit everywhere. If you want to spit, please leave the room and go to the toilet. It is polite to wipe your nose with a handkerchief or toilet paper, but it is impolite to suck your nose.

An acceptable way to deal with problems in Australia is to explain the real situation in a way that won't embarrass your host family or university staff. If you don't explain the problem clearly, it will be difficult for your landlord or university staff to help you.

We don't encourage family changes. It's not a simple process. It is good for you to get to know the landlord's family and make some appropriate changes.

When living in a private home, you should remember that a polite and considerate attitude will be appreciated by everyone, and every member of the family should be treated and respected equally. When you need something, you should smile and say please or please. It is very important to say thank you or thank you when you get something.

Some families may have some special requirements, for example, they may want to know where you are going. If you don't come back for dinner at night, you should inform them before they prepare dinner. Give them a call at lunch. If the family you live in is an office worker, you can ask how to leave a message for them. If you spend the night at a friend's house, you should also let your family know and call them. If you want to invite friends to your home, please ask your family first. Remember, please be friendly, polite and friendly to family members. After all, they opened the door to you.

Australians don't like being late for appointments, even informal ones, so if you are invited to visit a place or visit a family friend, be sure to be on time.

Most families only allow smoking outside the house. If you smoke, ask the landlord if you can smoke and where. Smoking is not allowed in buses, public buildings and large buildings.

You should also ask your landlord about the use of the bathroom. Australians usually take a shower, although most rooms have bathtubs. You can't use the bathtub and water at will. Maybe one third to half a basin of hot water is enough. Ask the landlord. Most families have a hot water system, and the hot water used flows directly from the hot water system to the bathtub. Hot water is heated by electricity. You may use gas in your own home, but you don't use it in Australia. If you fill a whole basin with hot water, people behind you may not have hot water to take a bath. How long can the landlord use the bathroom? Generally speaking, 10 minutes should be acceptable, but you should ask first. You should not use the bathroom for more than 15 minutes, let alone wash clothes in the bathroom. There is usually a laundry room at home, otherwise it will affect the use of others. Sitting toilets are generally used in Australia and should be kept clean after use. Remember to flush after using the toilet and keep it clean.

Ask the landlord before using the phone to find out how to pay the phone bill. The easiest way to make an international call is to use a local phone. We have encountered many cases in which international students were complained by their host families, so we have repeatedly stressed that every international student from China represents the image of China. Please be polite, obey the rules, and don't do anything that is looked down upon by others and damages the image of Chinese people.

Australians don't have so many taboos when they get along. It's basically a personal habit. The homestay will tell you.