NEWSLETTER  

Welcome to the ‘Host in France’ newsletter N° 3.

It’s been yet another good year for ‘Host in France’. Very few problems once again and the small ones that did occur were quickly resolved.

I would like to thank all of the host families for the time and effort they put into hosting. From the feedback I’ve received this year it seems that hosts thoroughly

enjoyed the experience and can’t wait for another offer of a guest

Liliane 60 years of age. Just a note to let you know that Lilianne has departed today and has been excellent company this week. She has worked really hard on her English and made concerted efforts to speak and use the things she learned during her lessons. She was happy with the excursions and we found that we had many things in common Malcolm said he was "freaking out" as there was another woman on the planet like me... She was very appreciative of everything we proposed and she was very amusing. We had a fantastic week with her.  

HOW  WE  WORK   I am still receiving occasional mails from registered host families asking why it is that I haven’t as yet referred guests to them. As mentioned in Newsletter  n°2 , there can be various reasons for this. Your area of France, composition of your family, your family interests, whether you are able to offer English lessons etc… (Examples of the French requests I receive are spread throughout this newsletter). When I receive a request for a stay, I send a few host family descriptions that match the request. It is then the French guest who makes the final choice of host family. If you feel that you would like to update your host description with new photos, further information and new centres of interest, I will be pleased to hear from you. I’ll be more than happy when all the registered host families have a chance to host.

Pearl and Nigel, hosting Thomas 13 : It makes us feel very humble to have such lovely things said about us. To us, Thomas is not just a visiting student. To us, his parents are our adopted children, and Thomas, an adopted grandson. They are a lovely family, and we hope to meet their daughter, Pauline one day. Thomas gives us a lot of pleasure, and laughs ! However, we are under no illusion. One day, he will have better things to do, rather than stay with us. But, I hope that he will keep in touch with us during his life. We want to follow his life, as we know he will have a very interesting one. Looking forward to February!  

Request for a hosting : Nous avons 2 filles de 13 ans (en 4°). nous souhaiterions vous les confier pour une semaine, chacune dans une famille mais à proximité l'une de l'autre, en même temps. nous habitons la provence. Nolwenn est plutot sport (athlétisme) et très nature. Eva est plutot photo et théatre.  

Request for a hosting : Je suis la mère d'une élève en terminale L de 17 ans et demi. Je recherche une famille en Dordogne pour accueillir ma fille, Elisabeth, une semaine durant les vacances d'octobre. ce serait bien s'il y avait un ou une jeune de son âge dans la famille.  

HOSTS LIZ AND MARTIN

Liz and Martin hosting Sylvie and her daughters

Having  taught  English  in  a  secondary  school  for  the  last  18  years,  we  made  the  permanent  move  to  our  home  in  France  at  the  end  of  2015.  We’d  had  some  previous  experience  of  hosting  during  my  school  holidays,  with  a  view  to  doing  more  of  this  if  we  enjoyed  it...and  we  do!  Teaching  English  as  a  foreign  language  is  very  different  to  teaching  English  to  12  to  16  year  olds  in  the  UK,  so  it  really  helped  me  by  undertaking  a  4  week  intensive  TEFL  course,  which  I  managed  to  do  in  Paris.  It  was  a  tough  four  weeks  but  I’d  highly  recommend  a  residential  course,  as  you  get  practical  experience  too.  I  had  never  even  touched  on  business  English  when  I  was  a  secondary  teacher,  but  my  course  helped  me  gain  expertise  in  this  area  too.  My  advice  to  hosts  re  the  teaching  side,  is  to  ask  for  prior  info.  regarding  areas  of  English  that  students  have  difficulties  with.  It  certainly  helps  with  lesson  planning!  I  always  give  students  an  A4  exercise  book  and  each  night  I  write  a  detailed  lesson  plan  for  the  following  day.  That  way  parents  can  see  what  areas  are  being  covered…and  they  also  get  to  see  the  student’s  work!  However,  hosting  isn't  all  about  the  formal  side  of  teaching.  Far  from  it!  Firstly,  make  sure  your  students  are  having  FUN!  My  husband’s  zany  sense  of  humour  is  always  an  ice  breaker  and  students  settle  quickly  and  feel  relaxed.  We  ensure  that  we  do  something  different  each  day  once  morning  lessons  are  over.…airbrush  art,  visits  to  local  places  of  interest,  10  pin  bowling,  go  karting,  walking  the  dogs  at  Fosse  Arthur,  treasure  hunts,    cookery,  fun  fairs,  helping  with  our  animals…the  list  is  endless!  We  play  in  an  Irish  band  and  every  student  we've  had  has  enjoyed  getting  involved  on  the  beat  box  during  rehearsals!  My  other  half  is  a  semi  professional  astronomer  and  one  of  the  things  that  gives  us  the  most  pleasure  is  seeing  a  student’s  face  when  he  or  she  looks  at  the  rings  of  Saturn  or  sees  the  moons  of  Jupiter  through  a  big  telescope  for  the  first  time.  It's  a  truly  wonderful  moment.  We  recently  had  a  young  man  who  has  undoubtedly  discovered  a  passion  for  astronomy…and  whose  command  of  English  improved  greatly  as  he  asked  Martin  question  after  question  whilst  observing  the  night  sky!  Find  out  what  a  student’s  interests  are…and  capitalise  on  it.  I  got  some  great  conversations  out  of  one  student  by  

discussing  dinosaurs…and  he  even  volunteered  to  give  us  a  presentation,  in  English,  all  about  them…we  learnt  loads!  For  us,  the  absolute  reward  when  you  host  is  seeing  students  come  out  of  their  shells  during  their  time  with  us,  eventually  leaving  with  bags  of  confidence  and  smiling,  happy  faces,  as  they  recount  their  experiences  to  their  parents.  When  those  same  students  want  to  be  friends  on  Facebook  and  continue  to  be  in  touch…well…you  know  you've  nailed  it!    Liz    

 

             

 

Vanessa and Craig hosting Agathe, 14 Agathe is a lovely young girl & we will be sad for her to leave, we really have enjoyed her company & we hope she has enjoyed her stay with us. I am sure there will be tears when she leaves tomorrow.  

Request for a hosting : Mon fils âgé de 12 ans aimerait vivre une semaine d'immersion durant les vacances de printemps 2017. Il souhaiterait une formule one to one mais dans une famille qui comporte 1 ou 2 garçons de son âge, et qui ont les mêmes centres d'intérêt que lui (dept 59)  

   Victoria  and  Harris,  hosting  Noe,  14  :    "Noe is a lovely boy! He already has great English, he's interested, very motivated as you said and he is participating fully in our conversations which is really excellent, especially for someone so young. Noe is fitting in extremely well and I think we are going to have an excellent and very productive week together.    

 

FAQ’S

I had it in mind to write some tips on hosting but when reading our previous newsletters, I realised that much of the advice I wanted to give you has already been written If you have any questions on hosting, many answers are contained in our previous newsletters, in particular : - pages 3 & 4 of Newsletter n°1 regarding :

-­‐ availability to host -­‐ vetting the guests -­‐ your contact with your guests -­‐ insurance -­‐ English lessons -­‐ why we ask for news during the stays we organise -­‐ and a few « Must do’s »

- pages 2, 7, 8, 9 & 10 of Newsletter n°2 regarding :

- Teaching English - confirmations of stay - changing the dates for a stay - pick ups and drop offs - pocket money - authorisations - changes in your family composition, accommodation and availability

Request for a hosting : Élevé en TES au lycée Ravel à Paris, je souhaite améliorer ma pratique en Anglais pour bâtir de bonnes bases pour cette année décisive. Pouvez vous me proposer durant les vacances d'octobre une famille en région parisienne ou au sud de Rennes ? Mon principal centre d'intérêt est le sport.  

Nick and Saro hosting Sacha, 14 : Sacha is a delightful young man, very polite and well humoured. He has been very busy with an English lesson each day and involving himself in our normal daily lives. We have been cycling and kayaking as well as visiting a couple of towns which he has enjoyed. His spoken English is actually very good, particularly when he is talking about a subject of keen interest such as football. My wife has said that he reads well and I understand his comprehension is improving quickly. He really is a nice lad and has a good sense of humour. Delighted to have him with us.  

Our Hosting Experience

Alex and John

   

This has been the first year that John and I have welcomed students from Host in France to our home and it has been entirely a positive, thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience. Host in France has been professional, friendly, helpful, understanding and approachable at all times, so never mind us, I’d recommend THEM to anybody! We moved to Normandy, a beautiful part of France, 13 years ago, where we renovated the property, set up a smallholding and, now have three gites on site. The cottage guests of all ages are mainly English speaking, although not necessarily English, who love to talk and share experiences of the French and English cultures with the students as much as we do. We are also blessed with many good English friends and family who visit often. The three students we have had this year, all girls of 12, 16 and 18 years of age were absolutely charming and a joy to host and have staying here. We were keen to establish contact with their families initially to reassure them that their girls would be safe, comfortable, at all times contactable and in contact. With mobile ‘phones, this didn’t prove a problem at all, and in fact it was me encouraging them to ‘phone home.’ Bless ‘em. Kids huh? When they first arrived and had settled in, we talked to them to further establish their likes/ dislikes and interests. It also taught us a lot, about how best to assess, appreciate and accommodate their needs age wise, although being parents of a son and daughters it wasn’t hard. The little one had a teddy hidden in bed with her, the 16 year old didn’t want to look ‘uncool’ and the 18 year old was a fabulous cook and made us the best Quiche Lorraine I have ever tasted!

The days were structured but by no means rigidly so, and tended to go off in many different tangents, all with learning, always fun but also with plenty of opportunity for them to have rest if they needed it and their own space if they wanted it. They loved and appreciated the trips out, but happily, had all chosen to stay here partly for their love of animals. We have milking goats, dogs, cats, chickens, bees, alpacas, ride and drive pony, donkey, chinchillas and anything else that happens to wander in looking hungry. Each student was encouraged to get involved with life here as much or as little as they wished, but without fail they did so with enthusiasm, (as long as they didn’t have to get up too early). None of them knew how to shear an alpaca or milk a goat until they stayed here.

The students were very keen to learn and each had aspirations to use the English language in their future occupations. We encouraged and tutored them in conversation, reading and writing and watching DVD’s that inspired discussion (Downton Abbey was excellent for this). We also introduced them to essential colloquialisms and sayings such as ‘a nice cup of tea’ (or cake)

to which the answer is ‘ooh lovely’. It was so funny to get e-mail after the ‘rentrée’, that the new English teacher ‘didn’t even know what Eton Mess was!’…. The horror! Who are these schools employing? In fact they mostly loved the English menus, but none of them liked gravy, even on a Sunday roast dinner, although they loved sage and onion stuffing. John and I feel very grateful to have been chosen by Host in France and our students so far and look forward to being part of many further happy learning experiences. Alex

Victor and Andrea hosting a mother and her chlldren aged 16 & 12 : Christine, Pauline and Mathieu are here. They are a lovely family and we are getting on very well. It is very hot so the pool is welcome. We visited Aubeterre yesterday and will be going to Brantome on Wednesday. This afternoon Pauline and I are going to bake some cakes.  

WHAT FRENCH PARENTS ARE AWARE OF POCKET MONEY The money the parents pay for the stay is to cover food, lodging and time spent with the guest to help him/her improve their English. Pocket money is to cover payable activities (public swimming pool, visits etc) A minimal amount of 50 Euros must be given to the host family on arrival. If no money is given, the host family will understand that the parents do not wish their child to participate to payable activities. (We advise that you discuss the matter with parents and let them know of your plans and approximate costs before arrival – see Newsletter n°2  ARRIVAL and DEPARTURE The stays we organise are usually from Saturday to Saturday. Host and guest (or parents) are to agree on the hours of arrival and departure. PICK-UP and DROP OFF Host families often accept to pick up and drop off their guest from/to the station or airport. If the station or airport is not nearby, the guest will have to cover the expenses : petrol, toll and parking. PERMISSIONS French parents are to let the host family know of permissions they give their child/children. We remind you that we ask for the presence of an adult member of the host family at all times during the stays we organise, unless agreed differently with the guest’s parents (we advise that you ask for a written authorisation). MOBILE PHONES and COMPUTERS More and more host families are complaining about an excessive use of electronic devices (mobile phones, computers). We ask French parents to discuss this problem with their children and to ask that they obey their parents’ and the host family’s rules on the matter.

Request for a hosting : je recherche un sejour linguistique pour mon fils agé de 15 ans très timide qui rencontre de grandes difficultés en anglais .Nous habitons Valbonne . Que pourriez vous nous conseiller en séjour assez proche des Alpes-Maritimes par exemple du 25 octobre au 1er novembre et/ou du 17 au 24 décembre ? Un enfant dans la famille, même un peu plus jeune, serait l'idéal.  Request for a hosting : Femme de 60 ans.Niveau débutante ++(4 ans de cours conversation anglais en club,renouvellé pour 2017. L'objectif de ce séjour serait de prendre de l'assurance...  

Hosting & my experiences

TRACY  

When I first read a ‘Host in France’ advert looking for English Hosts I suddenly instantly thought “I could do that”! Registering was a simple process and very soon I was starting to receive guests. At first it was a little ‘strange’ having them arrive on the doorstep with suitcases but after two or three guests it became second nature. Hosting has been very rewarding, in lots of ways. The most fundamental reward is seeing each guest’s progress throughout their stay and when waving them goodbye at the end of their stay having witnessed a complete transformation in confidence and ability to casually converse in English. This is truly wonderful to see. When guests visit me I try to make their stay as interesting, exciting and knowledgeable as possible.

If it’s at all possible I like to make dreams come true! For example; a recent guest had a dream to gallop a horse along a beach. I managed to fulfil this dream for her and we shared this amazing dream together. We rode beautiful Camargue white horses in a Natural Park along the beaches, sand-dunes and wetlands. We saw Camargue bulls, Flamingos and bird species whilst being surrounded by stunning nature with an amazing sun-set. This was a very special moment indeed.

 

HOST IN THE UK  

HOSTING IN THE UK During the time since Host in France started organising stays for French guests I have received more and more requests from French adults who wish either to do a stay in France or in the UK. In order to answer the requests for stays in the UK, Anthony has created a new UK business. Anthony would be pleased to hear from any families you know who might be interested in becoming a UK host family for adult French guests. (It will of course be essential that at least one adult member of the host family is home during the day). Please do forward the website link to family and friends. Thank you : www.hostintheuk.com Anthony