Working trip to France
Hi,
I'm thinking of gap year idea and want to go traveling. I'm thinking of going to France for a couple of months in the hope I may actually become fluent but need to earn money whilst I'm out there... ideas? Plus I'd like to see the cultural side so spending the whole time fruit picking on a farm is not ideal.
I'm thinking of gap year idea and want to go traveling. I'm thinking of going to France for a couple of months in the hope I may actually become fluent but need to earn money whilst I'm out there... ideas? Plus I'd like to see the cultural side so spending the whole time fruit picking on a farm is not ideal.
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I'm a bit more flexible with time- I was thinking next spring so I can earn a bit of money for flights now but it's living and having enough to go out that's the problem! 
Tried this? http://www.boostyourfrench.co.uk/
Or you could look up au pair listings in publications like 'The Lady'.
Or you could look up au pair listings in publications like 'The Lady'.
Original post by Jessiegapyear
I'm a bit more flexible with time- I was thinking next spring so I can earn a bit of money for flights now but it's living and having enough to go out that's the problem!
i have enough money for a few months lets go lol.
Original post by malvika111
Tried this? http://www.boostyourfrench.co.uk/
Or you could look up au pair listings in publications like 'The Lady'.
Or you could look up au pair listings in publications like 'The Lady'.
have you tried this?what was it like?
Original post by letr
have you tried this?what was it like?
I haven't tried it; my French teacher knew someone who did and recommended it to me. I don't have the time this summer and I was looking for something for the end of first year in uni. I did email the woman who runs it; you have to take a language proficiency test first, but I don't imagine that's too difficult if you've done some French before.
This is what she sent me:
Thank you for your interest in a work placement in France. When parents are not at all reassured for their child's safety when travelling, they sometime decide to travel with them.
Here are the general information about my services :
I offer 1 to 3 month placements and 4 month to 1 year placements.
Most of the placements are in hotels, youth hostels or French speaking
holiday villages. The posts are at the reception desk with office work,
waitoring or also playworker in children's clubs. I also have placements which involve teaching English as a foreign language, and new long term placements which involve marketing.
You get free full-board accommodation + a payment up to 400 euros
per month. Some placements are voluntary. There are placements available all over France. These placements are for you to improve on your French speaking abilities.
My fees are £150 for a 1 to 3 month placement and £250 for a 4 months to 1
year placement. You only pay if you accept a placement. There is also a £10 administrative fee when you return your application form.
If you are interested, please email me your postal address and I will send
you an application form.
A bientôt,
Catherine Foucher
The testimonials sound good but yes, I have no personal experience with the company.
(edited 12 years ago)
'Boost your Frenc' looks good thanks. So they find a placement for you? And au pairing is a possibility but would hav to be short term... but I guess au pairs must take holidays and need replacing.
Original post by Jessiegapyear
'Boost your Frenc' looks good thanks. So they find a placement for you? And au pairing is a possibility but would hav to be short term... but I guess au pairs must take holidays and need replacing.
Essentially yeah. It was a bit of a pain because you have to be 18, and my 18th birthday is next month. I didn't want to squash it in and then rush to prep for uni. But look online for au pair ads; there are loads. Some couples only give you pocket money though, not a proper wage, so be wary of that. Also take into account flight costs because you might not break even. Other couples look for au pairs with driving licenses or a background in childcare. This site's fab: http://www.easyaupair.com/findaupair/
Went of a 3 month placement by boostyourfrench. Was the worst decision I have ever made in my life.
Was forced to work outside working hours, doing tasks not even relative to my job description. Accommodation was in a rat house sharing with all other placement students, sleeping on a mattress in the hallway .No support what so ever from Catherine. Her fees are too high and she is very useless. I would not recommend this service to anyone.
Was forced to work outside working hours, doing tasks not even relative to my job description. Accommodation was in a rat house sharing with all other placement students, sleeping on a mattress in the hallway .No support what so ever from Catherine. Her fees are too high and she is very useless. I would not recommend this service to anyone.
Hey asdasderfwefdsdf,
I'm was looking into boostyourfrench and I'd love to know more about your experience. Where did you work? Did you even get any money for it?
I'm was looking into boostyourfrench and I'd love to know more about your experience. Where did you work? Did you even get any money for it?
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by asdasderfwefdsdf
Went of a 3 month placement by boostyourfrench. Was the worst decision I have ever made in my life.
Was forced to work outside working hours, doing tasks not even relative to my job description. Accommodation was in a rat house sharing with all other placement students, sleeping on a mattress in the hallway .No support what so ever from Catherine. Her fees are too high and she is very useless. I would not recommend this service to anyone.
Was forced to work outside working hours, doing tasks not even relative to my job description. Accommodation was in a rat house sharing with all other placement students, sleeping on a mattress in the hallway .No support what so ever from Catherine. Her fees are too high and she is very useless. I would not recommend this service to anyone.
Hi could you please give more info. I am in the process of applying
Original post by Khodu
Hi could you please give more info. I am in the process of applying
I'm in the process of applying too. Catherine gave me the email address of a girl that went to the same placement that I've been offered and I found that really helpful.
Original post by chesterd
I'm in the process of applying too. Catherine gave me the email address of a girl that went to the same placement that I've been offered and I found that really helpful.
I've just given my £10 deposit but haven't heard back from her. We should keep in touch nevertheless, if you don't mind.
Original post by Khodu
I've just given my £10 deposit but haven't heard back from her. We should keep in touch nevertheless, if you don't mind.
Found this thread online
How was your experience? Did you go?
Original post by mrstudenttsr
Found this thread online
How was your experience? Did you go?
How was your experience? Did you go?
I didn't go because I wear a headscarf and couldn't work wearing it. Did you?
Boost Your French is a complete con - I went out to work in a bar, told I was living in the hotel at which the bar was located and that food was also included in my 'free full board accommodation'. When I arrived, I was shown my room which can only be described as the closest thing I've ever seen to squalor. There were dead insects on the floor, no curtains, shared toilet facilities that were dirty and no showers for the first two days I was there. I was in a building across from the hotel instead of the hotel itself. Not only this, I received no hot meals in the 3 days I stayed, instead having two mini croissants, an orange and a small cake. The work I was supposed to be doing was also misconstrued as I was not working in the bar but in fact the restaurant. This is merely slave labour, she lures in young people who are enthusiastic about improving their French but does not fully explain the circumstances in which you will find yourself. I left after the three days as the living arrangements were essentially poverty and flew back to the UK after staying in a hotel in the closest city to where my placement was situated.
Just want to add to this - I know the thread's old but if anyone finds it trying to get info on Boost Your French... I second all that.
There's no point paying Catherine Foucher's fee cause the whole service is shite - my contract was a joke, the directrice of the hotel I worked at manipulated me and the other stagiaire (you will work as a stagiaire, getting paid a fraction of the wage of your colleagues doing the same job, it's how she convinces employers to take you on) to get us to do unrelated job, basically exploring us as much as possible, and I would say that Catherine Foucher did nothing, in fact partly encouraged it by lying about our experience (said we were both studying hotel management and wanted broad tourism, not language, experience, which wasn't true). Anyone thinking about it, please try to find a placement through another site - the best are ones that French people will use to find jobs, not British students - such as poleemploi.fr or other sites looking for summer workers (saisonniers). You could end up with the same job for 3 times the salary if you take that route rather than Boost Your French, for only a little more effort and no extortionate fee
There's no point paying Catherine Foucher's fee cause the whole service is shite - my contract was a joke, the directrice of the hotel I worked at manipulated me and the other stagiaire (you will work as a stagiaire, getting paid a fraction of the wage of your colleagues doing the same job, it's how she convinces employers to take you on) to get us to do unrelated job, basically exploring us as much as possible, and I would say that Catherine Foucher did nothing, in fact partly encouraged it by lying about our experience (said we were both studying hotel management and wanted broad tourism, not language, experience, which wasn't true). Anyone thinking about it, please try to find a placement through another site - the best are ones that French people will use to find jobs, not British students - such as poleemploi.fr or other sites looking for summer workers (saisonniers). You could end up with the same job for 3 times the salary if you take that route rather than Boost Your French, for only a little more effort and no extortionate fee
I know this thread is really old but I just wanted to post on it about my experience with Boost Your French in case anyone looks here in the future. I went to Metz for two months this summer and this was organised by Catherine Foucher with relative ease. My French certainly improved a lot but I did feel quite isolated for periods when I was there. There was normally another
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