A guardian is someone who is appointed by the parents to act on their behalf while their child is studying in the UK. Although there is no legal requirement for there to be a guardian in place for the child, many schools, and particularly students studying on the tier 4 visa do require this to be in place before the child commences their studies.

The guardian is responsible for the overall care of your child, and the role varies depending on whether they are in boarding or homestay.

While they are in residential boarding, the role is in conjunction with the school/boarding staff, as they deal with the day to day needs of your child. The guardian takes over this responsibility during the weekends, half terms and school holidays, which may include arranging transport to/from the airport, arranging homestay accommodation and information, as well as attendance at parents evenings or other events at the school.

Regular contact with the school is maintained to ascertain progress and discuss any matters arising regarding your child.

When a child is in homestay, the responsibility is held by the guardian to oversee the placement, any issues which may arise and support both the student and the host during this time. Matters relating to school, medical issues, travel and transport are also the responsibility of the guardian.

This is the term used to describe the host family accommodation.

No, this responsibility remains with Alpha Guardians. This ensures consistency of care and also the reassurance that your child will always be with someone from the Head Office, who they know, and will have access to all their details, if required. In most cases they will remain with your child throughout, where the host family may have other commitments, meaning they cannot.

We have tried to keep our costs to a minimum and as simplified as possible.  All prices are in GBP

We are happy to discuss individual requirements. Please contact us to discuss and we will be happy to try and accommodate your needs.

A Student Expense Account is required for all students attending and it can be used for items not included in the Programme Fees such as:

• Air Tickets and Transport Costs
• School Uniform
• School Excursions and Extra Curricular Activities
• Additional Academic or Music Tuition
• Pocket Money

This money is held on your behalf on a trust basis. A financial statement will be sent to you at the end of each term detailing your child’s expenditure. No major expenditure is made without parental permission.

The registration fee covers the initial work carried out prior to the students arrival, such as arrangement of transport, school documentation, liaison with parents, school and host, along with the general preparation to ensure a smooth transition to the student’s time in the UK.

We are fully accredited by AEGIS, (the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students), which means that our processes, policies and practices have been fully inspected and audited to ensure we are maintaining the standards set out by them. With regular updates we are required to ensure we are working to the latest standards and go through a full, thorough inspection every four years.

It is important to note that not all guardians are AEGIS accredited, and may not work to these standards.