This Summer It’s Time to Improve Your French.
Live with a Family and Make it Happen!
Volunteer families with teens in safe and fun French Alps
You are a High School Student.You Need a French Immersion Experience that will Get Results…
Spend this summer with a family in the Alps!
WHEN?
Anytime from June 19 – August 7
You choose the dates and length of stay – for between 2 and 6 weeks.
FEES?
$1395 per week + airfare
Fees include host family accommodation and all meals, plus airport transfers.
AM I ELIGIBLE?
Between 15 and 19? Completed a minimum of two years of high school French?
Then you’re good to go!
Fast-track Your Way to Perfect French. The Only Way is Homestay!
Live with a volunteer family in France and speak only French
A fantastic study abroad opportunity for high school students. Immerse yourself in French language and culture by living with a family this summer. Speak only French throughout.You can also opt to take one-to-one French classes to accelerate your learning.
Form friendships and make French-speaking connections for life
We have wonderful welcoming families who live in beautiful homes. All our families volunteer to host. They are eager to share their language and culture with you. All our families have teens. We match you to your perfect-fit family. You will quickly feel at home!
Enjoy an individual immersion experience in the mountains
Choose Gap – a beautiful and safe Alpine town with lots to do, particularly if you love the outdoors. There are opportunities to hike, swim in the lakes and go horseback riding.
Families live in both the town of Gap itself, and in outlying villages in the valleys around the town. Your immersion program will be a unique French Alpine experience.
Gain independence on a trip of a lifetime
This is your chance to spread your wings and experience a new culture for up to 6 weeks. See the local sights and enjoy spending time with your family. Live like a French teen, getting to know your host siblings and their friends.
Your safety and comfort is our number one priority
Our English-speaking Host Family Coordinators are on standby 24/7. They will meet you on arrival and check in with you regularly. All pre-departure details are handled by your dedicated Parent Liaison team member.
Individual Immersion and the Host Family Experience
YOUR ARRIVAL IN FRANCE
You will be met at the airport by your Host Family Coordinator and taken to your family. During your journey your HF Coordinator will give you information about the local area. She will give reassuring advice about your upcoming experience.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FAMILY
All our families have teenagers of a similar age to you. Our goal is that you develop a strong bond with the children in the family. You will form the beginnings of a life-long friendship. This is an immersion experience with the entire family. Students who gain the most spend as much time as possible building relationships and speaking French with each family member.
LIVING WITH A FAMILY
You will have your own room or share with a host family sibling. You will speak only French. You will simply fit in with the routine of your French family. This is your genuine and unique opportunity to live the life of a French teenager.
Your family will take you on local sightseeing excursions. You will visit friends. You may simply spend a lot of quality time at home with your family. All of this is immensely valuable in helping you to improve your spoken French and knowledge of French culture.
There is also the opportunity to take one-to-one French classes at your host family home, or you can opt to take classes in a very small group at a local language school in Gap. Both these options are very flexible, and can be tailored to suit your individual French language learning needs.
REGULAR CHECK-INS
Your HF Coordinator will be on call 24/7 in case you have any issues or concerns. She will also check in with you regularly by phone or in person to make sure you are settling in and comfortable in your family.
“I am really happy I participated”
It has improved my French, I lived with a great family and I have had a lot of new experiences. A program like this really makes you see the differences between your own country and the one you are currently experiencing.
We were always doing things with her friends but I never felt like I was intruding. Her family always made me feel like I belonged here.
Tierney Student, ECI France Immersion
“Very prepared and easy to work with”
ECI pick good families and offer a nice, friendly, fun, experience. Gap is very pretty and a great place to live. The surroundings are awe-inspiring and the town is picturesque.
I very much enjoyed my host family’s wish to make me feel as if I was another family member. My host brother gave me a terrific view of the teenage life in Gap.
Sam Student, ECI France Immersion
Find out more and sign up now!
We still have availability on our 2020 France Immersion programs
About ECI—Edu-Culture Immersion
ECI was founded 20 years ago with the key aim of improving students’ French skills through cultural exchange in a safe and fun environment. This continues to be our mission statement.
Our expertise and focus is on selecting volunteer families who are willing to share their language and culture, and forge lasting bonds of friendship with their students.
We pride ourselves in enriching the lives of our students and host families. “Life changing” is a phrase often used by those taking part in an ECI immersion program.
The ECI Difference
- Individual immersion – no other English speakers
- Volunteer families – hosting for the right reasons
- Safe – Host Family Coordinator on 24/7 standby
- Teen host family siblings of similar age
- Location: the stunning French Alpine region of Gap
- Historic town surrounded by mountains and valleys
- Safe and family oriented, with lots to do and see
- Relatively few English speaking tourists
- Total Immersion – the path to fast results
- Total Immersion – improved fluency
- Study Abroad – highly regarded by colleges
- Study Abroad – increased confidence
“We were very impressed with all aspects of ECI”
The ease of applying and securing a spot for exactly the dates we needed, the great family match, and the attention and communication from ECI on the ground in France.
Julia Parent, France individual Program
Questions? More detail? Call us now!
A member of the ECI team will be happy to help
Call now toll-free 1-844-467-4697
Study Abroad is a Big Step—but worth it!
Study Abroad can be a daunting prospect for both parents and students. France is a long way from the US. You will be in a family you’ve never met before. You will have to speak French every day. There will be cultural differences to adapt to. You will be overwhelmed to start…
But very quickly you will adapt. Your family has been looking forward to welcoming you to France. They are eager to show you their town and their culture. You will be amazed at how quickly your French fluency will improve. You will enjoy learning about a new culture – trying new food and experiences. Your host family siblings will be teenagers like you. You will get to know each other and their friends. Before you know it, you will be like one of the family!
“I’ve taken my experiences in France and applied them to everything I do at USE…”
I’m continuing to use those experiences from ECI at USE, and for the rest of my career. The trip made me realise how crucial it is to understand the differences between cultures.
MICHELLE University of Southern Cailfornia
Questions? Need more detail? Contact us now!
A Final Word from Marie, Founder of ECI
“No wonder our students describe their experience as life-changing…”
Total immersion in a caring and carefully chosen French family is really the only way to achieve fluency in a short period of time.
Students who choose this route to French proficiency gain so much more–an understanding of French culture, benefits to future study and work prospects, and a potentially long-lasting French-speaking connection.
MARIE HARRISOwner and Founder, Edu-Culture Immersion 