One clear fee, and straight answers.

CAD $2,500 per student per month. That includes a private furnished bedroom in the garden suite, three meals a day plus snacks, fibre-optic high-speed Wi-Fi, utilities, bedding, laundry, and airport pickup and drop-off. School tuition, transit fares, a phone plan and personal spending are not included. The full list is on this page, above.

We're a professional couple, both airline pilots, with a baby. We live on the top floor. Students live in the garden suite below, each in their own bedroom, and share the main-floor family spaces with us. We welcome no more than two students at a time.

Suji is on maternity leave and at home full-time, which is why we're hosting during this period. We plan our flying so that an adult host is always home.

We're an independent homestay, so families arrange the stay directly with us. SD43 itself doesn't run homestays. Its International Education program lets students in Grade 6 and up live with a host family or another responsible adult, and refers families who want an agency to its approved homestay providers. Either way, the school application goes to SD43 International Education, and we recommend confirming your homestay plan with them (+1 604 936 5769) when you apply.

Usually, yes. SD43 requires a custodian for students under 19 whose parents aren't living in Canada. The custodian must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living nearby, appointed with notarized declarations (IRCC form IMM 5646). SD43 publishes a list of custodianship providers, including some that work in Korean. We'll walk you through it.

SD43 International Education decides admission and placement, and you can state a preference. Our school map shows every public secondary and middle school in the Tri-Cities and nearby independent schools, with walking and driving times from our home. The nearest secondary schools, Pinetree and Gleneagle, are a five- to six-minute drive.

The route 187 bus stops a three-minute walk from the house and runs to Coquitlam Central Station. Students aged 13 to 18 pay concession fares with an orange Concession Compass Card. Buses come every 15 minutes in the morning rush, and the school map shows the travel time from our home to every school.

Three meals a day: breakfast, a packed lunch for school and dinner with the family, with fruit and snacks always available. We cook both Korean and Canadian food. Tell us about allergies or dietary needs in advance and we'll plan around them.

Yes. English is our everyday home language, so students practise it naturally. Korean is there for parents, for the first settling-in days, and whenever a student needs it.

Seoul is 16 hours ahead, all year. British Columbia moved to permanent Pacific time (UTC−7) and stopped changing its clocks in 2026. The easiest time to call is 4 to 10 pm in Coquitlam, which is 8 am to 2 pm the next day in Seoul.

We take them to a clinic, or to Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and let you know straight away, in Korean. For the first three months SD43 covers students with private insurance (guard.me) while they wait for BC's Medical Services Plan (MSP). After that, BC charges international students an International Student Health Fee of $75 a month; ask SD43 whether its program fee covers it.

Of course. We're happy to do a live video tour and a call in Korean or English, and parents who are in Canada are welcome to visit.

A laptop for school (check your school's device requirements), a good rain jacket and waterproof shoes, and layers rather than a heavy winter coat: Coquitlam winters are wet but mild. Canada uses 120 V with type A/B plugs, so bring adapters and check that chargers support 120 V. Our Parent guide has a full packing checklist.