What's included?

• A guaranteed work opportunity teaching English to a French family
• Pre-departure information and advice
• 4 week French language course at an award winning French language school
• In-country assistance and support in France
• 24-hour emergency contacts
• In-country induction or training - French Language Course
• Accommodation: homestay
• Food: all meals included during work days and provided by host family

What's NOT included?

• Flights
• Insurance
• Visas
• Sightseeing activities
• Monthly stipend
• Transportation: airport pick-up and airport drop-off

Dates and duration

Eligibility

• Minimum age 18 yrs.
• Formal teaching qualifications are not necessary, but any experience will strengthen your application.
• You are not required to speak French but this is the perfect chance to learn.

Please understand that your admittance onto the Language Assistant France programme ultimately depends on you being accepted by a French host family.

We operate a firm equal opportunities policy that prohibits any unfair discrimination of our travellers based on their race, religion, sex, age, physical/mental disability, sexual orientation, or any other facet that we feel should not have an effect on quality of their work or their ability to carry it out.

Location

Project life

Your teaching responsibilities: When a host family offers you an invitation, and you've accepted, it's then time to discuss what form they anticipate the lessons taking. It is also important to agree a schedule so everybody is clear about when you will be teaching and when it’s your 'time off'.

As the teaching is likely to be tutoring the kids for school, the chances are that you will follow their course books. We'll supply you with a starter pack with some great ideas of activities, but we also recommend you buy a good learner's dictionary and grammar book to refer to. DVDs, books, magazines and newspapers in English help you plan fun and interesting lessons. There are many free web resources available with useful teaching tips and printable worksheets etc.

Please note that your responsibilities are as a Language Assistant and you will not be requested to perform duties akin to a domestic help or an au pair - namely cooking / cleaning or child-minding. However, you will be expected to take a reasonable role with day to day household chores, such as helping to prepare meals, washing up, general tidying etc.

Developing your French language skills: This is a great opportunity to develop your French. Although you will be providing 15 hours of English lessons to the family, there is still plenty of opportunity to speak French. Discuss your aspirations with your host family and agree when English / French is spoken. Depending on the situation, it may also be possible to find a part-time paid job to enhance your French experience.

As part of the language assistant programme you will be enrolled in a French Language School for 4 weeks:

• Timetable: 20 lessons per week starting at 09:30 and going through to 12:45 with optional cultural activities available later in the day. Your lesson will cover all aspects of the language learning including grammar, structure and vocabulary.
• It will depend on your language abilities as we cover all levels. You will be placed in classes ranging from 3-10 giving you a perfect chance to gain plenty of interaction with your French tutor.

Accommodation and Food

• You will be given three meals a day during the working week with your host family. You are free to explore Montpellier's cafes and restaurants during your weekends or in the afternoons when you're not teaching English to the family.
• Living with your host family, you'll have your own room, and in some cases your own bathroom however the majority of the time you will share facilities with the family.
• Full details of your accommodation and the family you will be placed with, will be provided with your placement offer.

Flights, Transportation & Visas

• International flights are not included.
• You will be met by your host family at the airport
• There is generally an efficient and regular public transport system across Southern France allowing you to explore the local area with your time off.
• European Union Citizens do not require a visa - Non European Union Citizens may participate on the programme for up to 3 months on a tourist visa. You may extend your stay if you have a study visa.

Safety & Insurance

• All of Twin Work & Volunteer's placements are in partnership with recognised and established local organisations, run by or employing local people. These organisations, depending on the nature of what they do, might be small-scale NGOs, family projects, schools or orphanages, or local initiatives with environmental or social goals.
• We often use local businesses to provide logistical and support services to volunteers such as transfers, pick-ups, accommodation and so on. In this way, we support the local economy through helping independent local businesses to thrive. We take our partnerships very seriously and work extremely closely with all our partners.
• We provide 24-hour emergency support from the UK and our partners provide support locally.
• We have an agreement with the crisis management service Tranquillico, should the very worst situations arise.
• If any wider safety concerns arise in the destination, such as civil disturbances or natural disasters, we seek advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and implement their recommendations where appropriate.