Want to learn French with an immersive homestay in France but not sure what to expect? Here’s the lowdown from SL Immersion who have a proven track record of helping guests achieve their language goals. Find out what’s it like to do a French immersion in France.
If you’re a keen French learner without daily exposure to the language, you’ll probably find that one of your biggest hurdles is confidence. It’s one thing to learn with an app or answer questions in a French class once a week, but if you visit France, on holiday for instance, people aren’t reading off a script or giving you the responses you’ve learned to expect. You may not fully understand what they’re saying and jumping into a conversation can sometimes feel like stepping off a cliff. In a tourist area, the people you meet will often switch to English and that can feel like a relief, but it can be frustrating if you’re keen to learn. An immersive homestay can offer intensive language learning in an informal and relaxed setting.
What is an immersion programme and who is it for?
Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an experienced French-speaker looking to improve your grammar and polish your accent, an immersive homestay could be perfect for you. As the name suggests, it is the language equivalent of jumping in with both feet. You’ll be surrounded by French-speakers and almost exclusively speaking French. It is an extremely effective way to speed up your learning and build confidence in your French communication skills.
Where will I stay?
With SL Immersion, you will stay in your teacher’s home. Usually, your arrival is planned for a Sunday afternoon, although than can be adjusted to fit with your preferred timings. When you arrive, you will be warmly welcomed and treated like a member of your host’s family. It’s a very different atmosphere from a hotel and, over the course of your stay, you’ll settle into the household rhythms as a guest in a family home.
What will I eat?
You will share meals with your teacher, who can adapt them to meet any specific dietary requirements you may have. A meal lasts about an hour, or sometimes more, with about 30 minutes allowed for breakfast. Mealtimes are dedicated to naturally guided conversations. French people love to chat while they eat, so your meals offer a golden opportunity to practise French with your teacher. The conversations you have will play a really important role in the progress you make and will give you more confidence to speak and to hone your listening skills too.
The meals you will be served will often be local or national dishes designed to introduce you to French culture. You’ll even have the opportunity to experience every day French daily life, for instance by learning to prepare some recipes with your host.
What will I learn?
Before you arrive, your teacher will assess your language level and work with you to establish your learning needs and goals to design a curriculum that works for you. Each course is individually tailored to help you improve your French as much as possible and have fun while you learn. This means that you can always tell your teacher before or during your visit if there’s something specific you want to focus on. Each lesson lasts an hour and you’ll need to bring your own materials to take notes. At your teacher’s home you’ll then have access to books and dictionaries to support your learning.
What’s the timetable like?
Your teacher will prepare personalised classes for you, taking place at the time you agree together the morning after you arrive. Classes will then run every week day, as intensively as you wish. The schedule may vary depending on your arrival dates and if, for instance, the weather forecast means that it’s better to plan activities in the morning, you may have lessons in the afternoon instead.
Will I get to see the local area?
Yes. When you arrive, your teacher will suggest activities to you so that you can plan your stay. Some of these will be free and some will involve extra fees, but the choice will be up to you. These outings, usually lasting a couple of hours or more, are a great way to learn about French culture and to improve your conversational French skills in a real life setting. With your teacher as a guide, you’ll learn about the local area and practise grammar and vocabulary to consolidate your ‘classroom’ learning.
Will I get any free time?
Yes you will. You can use this to explore the area on your own, to relax or to practise what you’ve learned and prepare for classes. Your teacher will use this free time to prepare lessons and menus or to take care of personal chores.
What are the benefits of immersion?
During an immersive stay, you’ll develop confidence in your linguistic abilities in a safe and supportive environment, with a teacher who knows how to guide you towards understanding and expressing yourself in French. If you are already competent in French, your experienced teacher can push you to understand and correct your mistakes and to express yourself more fluently and naturally.
How do I sign up for a course?
If this approach to language learning sounds like it’s for you, visit slimmersion-france.com/french-immersions/ to find out more about how a homestay programme that will be tailored to your needs.
