Home Stay

i am looking into going to Nice over the summer to study at EF. i was wondering how good this program is and any details about it. i am fifteen years old and i would do a homestay and basic languages courses. Is this a program worth experiencing?

I studied abroad in France and it was a great experience. If you can go, definitely do it!

EF….. There is a lot of marketing for this organization. Many are not very satisfied nor happy with them, myself included. The only good thing EF is good for, is contacts. I was very lucky and got along extremely well with my host family (my host family is coming in summer, I’m very excited). However two fellow EF students I met (who were in the same city as I) did not have my same experience. The Italian I met did not get along well with her host sister and felt so alone (and had many problems) that she went back home. The Australian had it really bad: she moved 3 times in 4 months! It takes a while to adjust and moving from place to place does not help. I did run into problems and could not really count on EF to help me. Make sure that if you go, you always keep your family involved, only they can really help you. While deciding and asking a lot of questions to EF, they will answer you promptly. Once you have given them the money however, this will stop.

Have you checked other sources? While researching, I came across AFS. I don’t have any personal experience. My mother wanted this organization. I did not choose this as I found less information. However, it had really good reviews.

Just a few tips for whatever organization you decide to go with:
-On your 1st night (or days) ask them questions like "What are the rules?", "When is curfew?", "Do I have any chores?" (You should still help out as it will be better for your relationship with them)…. This will help in the long run
-In France, dinner time is very important, you will sit down and talk with the family, so contribute and have lots of fun. (A big difference for me, as my parent works full-time)
-Get involved in sports or activities!

If you (or your parents) have more detailed ( =P ) questions you can send me an e-mail!

Assalamu alaykum wr wb

I’m thinking of going to Quebec this summer to improve my French and I will be staying with a host family there. Do you think I will experience prejudice from them because of my Muslim faith? It’s not always necessary to mention my religion to non-Muslims I meet, but since I’ll be living with a host family for some time, do you think it’s better to inform them? Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Wa salam

Yes. You absolutely have to tell them.

In some cases, I would say it’s not that important. But I’m French Canadian. We put pork in everything. EVERYTHING. Even fruit pies will have lard in the crust, lard made with pork. You have to tell them well in advance so they can straighten up the food situation.

(note: I no longer put pork in anything.)

It’s possible they will have a problem with you being Muslim, but it’s just as likely they won’t care. It kinda depends on where you go, too. Montreal has a lot of Lebanese and North African Muslims (due to the language) so you wouldn’t really be out of place there. But if you’re in a very small town it could be different.

Mashallah on you for working on a second (third?) language. Inshallah you will enjoy Quebec, it’s a nice province, very pretty. Have a great time.

You could try – http://www.homestayagency.com/homestay/newfoundland.html

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/homestay/index.pl?noframes;read=6539

http://www.cna.nl.ca/InternationalStudents/homestay.asp

I’m going to be going on a homestay in France for two weeks this May but I need to decide what areas would be best to visit. I’ll be staying with a family through the program but they aren’t expected to be my tour guides. I’ll have just turned 18 and I won’t be able to drive, drink, etc.. according to the programs rules. What would be the best region to visit considering transportation, safety, and things of interest to do?

I would suggest staying out of Paris and the South of France for a variety of reasons. France’s smaller cities will have friendlier people and more opportunities to speak French. Those two areas also have a lot of English speaking expats and the south has a distinctive accent.

The Loire Valley is where the standard French accent is spoken and is very culturally typically French. Seeing the castles is easy by rail and towns such as Tours, Nantes and Angers have charm, yet not too many tourists and expats.

I would recommend other cities such as Reims, Orléans, Verdun, Metz, Nancy, even Lyon, France’s second biggest city.

France has good public transport so you’ll basically be able to get around, no matter where you decide to stay.

I am seriously considering this, and I would like to talk to someone about the ups and downs of this program so that I can make the irght choice bout doing it or not since it is such an investment.

Apparently not..

I want a homestay program preferably, I already speak fluent Italian so I do not want to be around tons of Americans. Preferably for over a month period.

If you google "gap year italy", you’ll come up with dozens of programs but since most are American, you’ll probably end up being surrounded by lots of Americans. Instead, why not look into studying at an Italian university as an auditing student? You will get a visa, go to classes, but the classes don’t count. Or look into taking language and culture courses at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia where you’ll study in Italian but will be in contact with people from different nations.

My wife put a sign on our homestay student’s bedroom door with my two children’s’ names in a big circle with slash "no" sign tonight. The trouble started yesterday when our student accused our 4 and 7 year old kids of taking two things from her room. Our student asked me to tell the kids to stay out of her room if she isn’t home. As it turned out, the items in question were in fact ours, not the student’s — we just happened to have identical items. When I told my wife about it, she said that the kids never go in the student’s room. I also agree that the kids probably do not go into her room unless she invites them in when she is at home. In any case, I thought the request was reasonable. My wife, however, was upset that the student thinks our kids are going into her room. She made the sign I described above and taped it onto her door. Our student was very upset and said it was just too much. I tend to agree, and think my wife should apologize to the student.

My question to you all, is:

What would you do if faced with the student’s request? Should I be upset at my wife for putting the sign on the door? I think the response was too extreme — is it, or am I just too forgiving?

Signs and notes are almost never a positive way to handle problems and almost always passive aggressive.

Ideally, your wife and the student should both apologize for overreacting in the situation. Then maybe you should make sure you guys and the student agree on the house rules/boundaries, and make sure your kids are clear on the rules too.

I am planning to study in Melbourne for a year and to work there subsequently to gain working experience in Australia. What kind of accommodation is recommended?
Hi there, I intend to study in Melbourne for a year before working there. Please recommend a cheap accommodation that is appropriate.

G’day,

First answerer are spot on!

Now for additional info:
Homestay (and also uni dorms) have a lower setup fee. You only need to bring your luggage with you and everything already there for you. You will probably have to help with some house-chores with your homestay family but that’s abt it. However in the long run, it is more expensive b’cos you are paying for all those facilities, services & equipments. You can have this type of accommodation ready before you arrive in Australia, b’cos the uni can help you.
Renting has a disadvantage of high setup fee. Most of the properties come unfurnished. This means that you have to buy/provide your own fridge, kitchen utensils, bed, furniture etc. On top of that, you will have to look after the property yourself as well. This means cooking, cleaning, washing, paying bills etc. B’cos of that, the cost is cheaper in the long run, especially that you can share it with your classmates. For this type of accommodation, you can’t have it ready before arriving in Australia. The uni can help you finding a temporary accommodation (like hostel/hotel). Once you have arrived in Melbourne, you can then start contacting the estate agents for rents around the campus area and you look and choose what you like.

In regards to work, please be aware that you can apply for work permit once you have arrived in Australia. However you can only work max 20hrs/week during semester study period, and full-time only during semester holiday period.

Hope this helps. E-mail me at mikegun(at)studentfirst.com.au if you have more questiojns abt study in Australia or Melbourne. Good luck for your study and welcome to Melbourne

What are they and where are they exactly?

o Need any safe, clean hostels or homestays around West London or North London
o Or organisations who focus on single mums or children with disabilities and could have a host family paritcipate in heklping out for a few weeks
o Need to be near the rail

Try Mencap.org, which focuses on children and adults with developmental disabilities and metal retardation. BTW, people with developmental disabilities (DD) are not necessarily mentally retarded, and could also be average or above average in inteelect/cognition. i.e. High Functioning Autism, Aspergers Syndrome.

Also try Cureautismnow.org and ask there attheir autismspeaks.org site, to see if any paretns answer your question.

FYI: Manchester (Little Hulton and Salford) have programs for Medcap, and is cheaper than London.

he ESL program at Brigham Young University-Hawaii is for the Asian Pacific students for over a century. It is an excellent learning English Program.
The ESL program invites students between the ages of 14-18 from around the world to come to the BYU-Hawaii campus to learn and improve English as a second language. Youth will learn English effectively through involvement in classroom instruction and activities, exciting excursions, and through home-stay encounters with families in the local community.

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