Choosing to stay in a French Host Family is the way to go if you really want to improve in French as much as possible during your language stay. Staying with a French host family provides a complete language immersion experience where you get the chance to improve in French, even outside of your regular French language courses. You will have additional opportunities to practice your French while sharing meals with the family and it is also a fantastic way of discovering the French way of life and French culture.
IFALPES’ Host Families are selected with the greatest care to make your stay a successful linguistic and cultural experience. Most of IFALPES’ host families have been hosting students for many years and are very experienced. They all meet our various selection criteria (Charter and Rules) : a real sense of hospitality, a warm, clean and welcoming home, and a good location with easy access to the city centre and public transport. The families live close to IFALPES French language school or are just a short bus (35 minutes maximum).
At IFALPES, we propose you two different formula :
Bed and Breakfast : you’ll have your own private bedroom and be having breakfast with the family. You will have to organize yourself for lunch and dinner. Normally you can’t use the kitchen to cook but quiet often you can prepare yourself cold dishes such as salad and sandwiches.
Half Board : your own private bedroom and breakfast and dinner with the family. you will have to organize yourself for lunch.
When you make your registration, don’t hesitate to inform us if you have a specific diet or allergies. We will then pass the information to your futur host that will do their best to adapt your menus.
Host family stay rhythm
A stay in a host family is from the Sunday before your course starts until the Saturday after your last day of course. It’s possible to ask for extra nights if you want but you’ll need to let us know as soon as possible. Also there will be an extra fee for those nights.
The family comes and pick you up at Annecy train station on your arrival and will also drop you at the same location or another one not too far when you leave. Unfortunately, Families can’t pick you up at Geneva airport as it’s more than half an hour drive from Annecy. However, usually buses from the airport drop you at the train station so here you go 😉
At your arrival, the family will welcome you, show you your bedroom and the house, give you your own key and explain you a few basic rules to follow during your stay. It’s more common sense rules like : dinner time, let them know if you won’t eat with them, don’t make too much noise if you come back late at night, be clean…
During your stay, the family will do one laundry per week for you. If you would like more, you will need to go to the laundromat (there are severals in Annecy). The bed linen will also be washed once every two weeks approximatively. Try to keep your room a minimum clean, the family will provide you with the cleaning items of course.
Your host family will make you feel at home. You will be part of their daily routine during the length of your stay in Annecy and they will include you in their leisure activities if you want to.
Host family stay represent more than 50% of the total accommodation request, it’s really the best option to practice your French and have an unforgetable immersive stay in France !
Click here to book your futur stay at IFALPES !
