Has anybody been on an exchange to France?

Question

I need to know what its like. How much did you pay? How old were you? How long did you stay, what company did you exchange with etc etc etc

Answer 1

I did in the 10th grade. It was about $10000 but it included everything. The family I stayed with was really nice. The town I stayed in was Lyon. I exchanged with AFS.

Answer 2

I was in 8th grade. It was free for me because I have friends in Marseille. I stayed for 1 semester

Answer 3

Hi, I did three exchanges in Reims.  (I'm Irish).  The first one was when I was 15, second the year after and third the year after so my last one was at 17.  Each time I stayed 2 weeks and stayed with a different family each year.  The first 2 years, my cousin stayed with the same family as me and then the final year we went to different families (which I'd probably reccommend for improving your French as you have to make more of an effort).  I didn't go with a company...there's a French woman in my town who's friends with my mum and she used to organise these exchanges every year.  It only cost a a couple of hundred pounds... I can't remember how much exactly sorry but it would have been between £100 and £500... sorry I really can't remember.

For the two weeks, on the week days we had lessons in the morning (the Irish students went to French classes and the French host students went to English classes) and then after lunch we had different activities each afternoon (both French and Irish students together).  So for example we would go indoor rock climbing or play laser game or visit the town hall or go shopping or have a tour of a champagne cellar etc.  There was usually a day trip to Paris.  And at the weekend (there was usually only one between the two weeks) we'd just spend time alone with our host family which was sometimes a bit daunting.  They'd usually organise something for you to do like go swimming or shopping or have a bbq or something like that.

I really enjoyed the exchanges and would reccommend them to anyone.  Two weeks was a good length of time as it was long enough for you to get comfortable with the family and comfortable using your French but it wasn't too long as you'd start wanting to go home near the end of the second week.

There's nothing better really for improving your French and giving you a glimpse into French family life and French culture.

If you need to know anymore, let me know.

Good luck!