From Barracks to Hotel
Typically, schools offer two options for accommodating foreign students: dormitories (in boarding schools) or host families. High school students are sometimes allocated places in university dormitories, but this is more the exception.
In boarding schools, as the name suggests, students live in dormitories on the school grounds. The head housemaster is responsible for accommodation. Usually, boarding schools offer rooms for 1-10 people, depending on the age of the students and the rules of the institution. The dormitory, of course, is not the parental home: no matter how many neighbors a child has, they will in any case have to learn to coexist in a group, obey rules and discipline, and gain independence.
Fortunately, the times have passed when the suddenly wealthy "new Russians" invariably demanded rooms with an ocean view, air conditioning, and a Jacuzzi for their offspring. Today, such absurd demands are no longer heard. Parents pay, first and foremost, for the quality of their children's education and resign themselves to the idea that during their studies, their children will be deprived of comfortable home conditions.
However, schools in different countries vary greatly in the quality of accommodation they offer. For example, British boarding schools, even the most prestigious, still keep their students in "black body," housing them in very modest, even ascetic dormitory rooms for six to eight people. Only high school students are allowed to live alone or in pairs. The rooms have nothing superfluous, only the essentials: a bed, a table and chair, a shelf for books, and a wardrobe for belongings. Only high school students are allowed to have a stereo system and a laptop, and to "decorate" their rooms, creating a semblance of home comfort.
On the other hand, some small private schools in Switzerland entice with the comfort and family atmosphere of their dormitories. Although one should not expect that a student will be offered a "luxury" room with upholstered furniture or a home theater. Usually, the accommodation, while comfortable, is without excesses, containing only the essentials for sleeping, relaxing, and studying. And this is reasonable, since, while studying at a boarding school, the children follow a certain schedule, their leisure time is organized, and there is simply no time for aimlessly sitting within four walls.
The students themselves say that life in the room begins sometime after lights-out, although making noise is not allowed. For younger children, living in a large and occupied room helps them cope with depression at first. And they gradually get used to the new conditions.
During the holidays, the school usually insists on the child leaving: foreign students return home or move to officially appointed guardians.
When living with a family, as a rule, the student is provided with a separate room equipped with everything necessary. True, children living with families have more chances to find themselves in a home atmosphere (this includes pictures on the walls, a small TV in the room, and various little flowers and vases). However, one must not forget that all people are different. Of course, families will go out of their way to accommodate a foreign student, but not endlessly and expect reciprocal initiative from the guest. When moving into a family, it is worth remembering basic rules of decency: keep your room tidy, leave the bathroom clean after use (even if it is private), do not call your parents from the home phone, etc. There are many nuances, and it is better to discuss right away what worries the parents or the student the most, so that later, during the adaptation period, there are no grounds for complaints.
Grade for Behavior
Of course, no one gives actual grades for behavior in a Western school. But keep in mind that violations of certain norms and school laws are fraught not just with a fine or an entry in the report book (something similar to our school diary), but with expulsion from school and deportation from the country.
Smoking is one reason for "dismissal." Get caught once or twice - you will receive a warning or punishment such as "write ten pages on why smoking is harmful to health." And do not be surprised if this message is immediately faxed to your parents. On the third time, they will not stand on ceremony - they may expel you outright, or suspend you for several weeks. Although some schools with particularly strict rules part with a disobedient student immediately.
The second scourge is alcohol. And the worst thing is the use or sale of drugs. As unfortunate as it is, this too occurs. If caught, thank your lucky stars if you get off with just deportation from the country. By the way, cigarettes and alcohol are not sold to children under a certain age (usually 21).
A reason for punishment can also be the use of profanity, even in one's native language. Since the wave of our tourists poured abroad, and Western educational institutions acquired students from the CIS, strong Russian words no longer seem like harmless greetings to anyone.
Our children are not more hooligan than others, but one thing many are not prepared for is snitching. From childhood, we teach our children that complaining and tattling is bad, that one must be strong and able to stand up for oneself, and respond appropriately to an insult. In the West, it is different. There, snitching on a deskmate is not considered shameful at all - it is par for the course. On the contrary, the tattler demonstrates an active social position by informing. And most of our schoolchildren are accustomed to resolving conflicts through fights and in no case rely on the help of adults, let alone teachers. So they get expelled for incorrect behavior.
What we call "skipping classes due to illness" abroad is often equated to truancy. And this, as you understand, is not welcomed by anyone. Therefore, before missing classes, get a doctor's note. Even a stuffy nose and a hoarse throat without medical confirmation will not be considered an illness.
As a rule, each school has its own set of rules and laws that students must follow. Where school uniforms are mandatory, students must independently monitor their cleanliness and appearance. In some schools, chewing gum and soda are prohibited, and sweets are given out on a specific day. In others, leaving the school grounds is not allowed; in still others, students are required to complete homework within a strictly defined time period or "eat lunch to the last crumb."
In British schools, there is a "senior's right," which is akin to hazing in our system. Senior students ask younger ones to clean their shoes or tidy their rooms. Not all our students are ready for such a turn of events. However, after a couple of years, those who were running errands themselves become the "seniors."
There are also well-known rules: don't be rude, try to maintain friendly relations with everyone, use utensils properly during meals, and keep your own room and common areas clean and tidy.
It is worth remembering the main thing: a trip to a foreign school is an entry into a different environment, a different world, with its own established foundations that will not change for each individual student. Is it worth taking offense and trying to change something? Studying in another country is a test of endurance and the formation of independence, it is discipline and order, responsibility and restraint. Graduating from a foreign school is your key to the world. So, is it worth risking your future over a couple of rules that you really don't want to follow? Hardly.