ALIORE, Worldwide Workshops

I had an incredible experience with this program. Aliore was very well organized and very helpful and I had all the information I needed. Any questions I had were answered in a timely manner and everything was very clear. I was matched with some incredible families and the experience was a lot of fun! It was a great way to experience another country and be able to share your language and culture, while the families share their language and culture with you. Really great experience and it was so lovely to make new friends abroad and see new places. If you are considering the program, definitely do it! Lots of great memories that I won't forget! And now I have people to visit when I return to France :)

I have recently returned from four weeks in central France as a Language Assistant through Aliore. The experience far exceeded my very high expectations. The family warmly welcomed me into their home and immediately made me feel as a member of their family. I enjoyed speaking English with the parents as well as the children. It was a pleasure to help the teenage boy with his English homework. In the evenings the entire family and I played games together in English. On the weekends the family took me on wonderful sightseeing trips and during weekdays they made sure that I had interesting activities. I would love to have the family visit me here in the U.S. and I hope to see them again on my next trip to France. Soizick Chartier, the founder and director of Aliore, is always available to answer any questions. She takes a personal interest in matching Language Assistants with families, which results in excellent experiences for everyone.

Aliore allowed me to spend 6 weeks living in the South of France with an amazing host family. By the end of the six weeks, I truly felt like their fourth daughter, and was beginning to feel like a local in the city of Toulon. This experience gave me the freedom to explore on my own, but more importantly, Aliore matched me with a host family that truly cared about me and wanted to show me all the amazing things that Provence has to offer. My host family wanted a more hands-on basis to learning English, meaning we never sat down and had grammar lessons. Rather, we would talk in English at dinner, watch movies in English, ask each other questions about our languages, and much more! I can clearly see how much my host family has improved in their English (they talk to each other in English now, even when I am not in the conversation, it's so awesome to see!) and I know that my French has drastically improved. They have already invited me back to Toulon, and have even chatted with me about coming to visit the US! That same kindness was shown by our advisor at Aliore, Soizick, who we added to our family groupchat to share photos, videos, and updates. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is looking for a volunteer based cultural exchange without feeling micromanaged at every step!

Photos

I have studied French and it had been a dream of mine to live in France for a couple of years now, but my financial circumstances always held me back. Then one day I stumbled upon ALIORE and the rest was history. I was fortunate enough to have been placed with an amazing family that lives in the beautiful historic center of Montpellier. They welcomed me into their home with open arms. I was to help improve the English of the two 7 year old daughters. The family had every possible board game and book imaginable so it was never boring to practice their English. Whenever possible, the family would speak to me in French and I would attend language exchange meetings in my free time. I felt like my comprehension and spoken skills improved very much. Their schedule was quite flexible so I had the opportunity to explore the city on my free time. One thing to mention is that you definitely must do your part in order to meet and interact with locals. I was fortunate that I met people through the family I stayed with. I also looked into language exchanges and that is where I met the friends I made in Montpellier :) This program was an amazing way to have fulfilled my dream of living in France. It was inexpensive and it truly is a cultural exchange. I now have someone to visit when I go back to France!

Photos

Spending over a month with a French family was an amazing experience. I was immersed in French culture and my knowledge of the French way of life and of French cuisine improved a lot. Through teaching English to the children and spending time with and playing sports with the host parents, my French improved too! I was very lucky as my host family were very kind and told me on the first day to "treat our home as if it is yours for the month". Communication was very good and I never felt unwelcome. For me, personally, a month was the right duration of programme, because I had other commitments to return to. Soizick, the founding member of Aliore, is very helpful and organised. She understands and actually cares about the programme participants and the host families. 10/10! I have two pieces of advice for future applicants: 1) Sometimes, you will find your host family have a different way of doing things than you, this is life, and the best way of dealing with it is to be happy and respectful and go along with it. Every family has their own habits and curiosities- I know mine does! I learned a lot about culture by doing this too. 2) You MUST keep learning French in your private time. Even just half an hour a day- this keeps everything you've learned fresh and solidifies what you already know. I recommend Aliore.

Photos

When looking for a host family program, what drew me to Aliore was the locality of it. It's based out of France, so I knew that I would have an experience catered towards French culture. Soizick, the program coordinator, was super helpful every step of the way. She made me feel relaxed and confident and sent many helpful links and materials. My host family was beyond great - I bonded with them right away. They were so welcoming and hospitable and really tried to make me feel at home. Not to mention the city I was placed in, Annecy, is gorgeous. I truly believe I have made lifelong friends, and I plan to return to France to visit my host family again in the future!

A beautiful first experience as an English assistant - the placement, execution was very smooth and prompt. Selection was most appropriate, location and hospitality of the French family was excellent. Am sure the Parents improved their conversational English - kids not so much.Overall a very immersive experience, meeting their relatives and friends and living the French way,was encouraged to savour local specialities and excursions. Celebrating Bastille day and the victory of France in the World Cup made it all the more exciting and memorable. Was truly happy with the outcome. As and added bonus for the family held many Yoga classes & taught an entire routine. Everyone going for this must go with an open and welcoming mind, you shall have a very nice experience.

I stayed with the sweetest family ever! They were so accommodating, especially of my toddler. I met the whole family (siblings, cousins, grandparents), friends etc and everyone was so nice. I got to experience the culture and learn the slangs that books don't teach you. In all of was wonderful. I look forward to doing something like this again.

Aliore offers a great opportunity to share the languages and culture, a true immersion in the French way of living. Both my host families in Annecy and Velleron have been extremely generous and ready to introduce me to their friends and family members. We shared precious times together in terms of our own life experiences, opinions, interests and emotions. Thanks to their generosity I have visited the most amazing, spectacular locations around Annecy and Velleron. I am extremely grateful !!!! While both the host family and the volunteer enter in this adventure with an open heart and excitement, in my humble opinion a great deal of flexibility is needed to adapt to the different life styles of each host family. At any given moment this can be a challenge. I also raccomand volunteers to be able to bear costs of living, including traveling from the village to town and food. I am truly grateful to Aliore and both my host families for a wonderful experience! THANK YOU!!

Photos

I highly recommend anyone who's looking for a rewarding cultural experience in France to do this program with Aliore! I was matched with a host family in the city of Montpellier. I had the best time ever being completely immersed in French culture and living like a local. All the while, helping with my host family's English and adjusting to their daily routines and lifestyle. My host family were extremely friendly, hospitable and kind-hearted that I adjusted with no problems at all. The program itself offers great flexibility as I had plenty of time to engage in cultural activities locally and explore nearby towns in the region. My French improved immensely too with self-study and constant exposure to the language and culture. The application process was very simple and straight-forward thanks to Soizick, the program organiser. She was very patient, helpful and quick to reply to any questions I had about the program. It really took away any worries that I initially had. The program is definitely of great value and I got so much more out of it than I expected. I have many wonderful memories with my host family and many enriching cultural experiences that I'll never forget. The most important thing to remember is to be open-minded, flexible, and you get out what you put in!

November 6, 2017 - December 3, 2017... Best vacation ever!!! I decided that I wanted to travel to France for the month of November 2017 and spend some time in the Languedoc region. I have spent the last seven years traveling to France for a month or more at a time exploring different areas of the country. I had never used a placement agency before, and I came close to using one in the US but then I happened upon the Aliore website and decided to give it a try. Soizick Chartier, one of the founding members of the organization, was my contact person. She was extremely attentive to my needs and my questions. It made me feel extremely comfortable. I sent her my bio with picture and received information about a possible placement in Nimes with a French teacher and her 16 year old daughter. I said YES! That first week of my time in Nimes, Soizick hosted a get together in Montpellier with the other students who were also on placement in that area. It was a nice way to meet fellow explorers and also to meet Soizick. My family lives in Nimes. Nimes is a fantastic jumping off point for a lot of other great places to visit within an easy day’s train ride. I visited Toulouse for a weekend, Avignon 4 times, Montpellier many times (where I attended a French language school based on Soizick’s recommendation), Marseilles, and Carcassone to name a few. My host family honestly could not have been more perfect. I fell in love with them! Because I am a “senior” my host gave me all the information to get a senior discount travel card for 80 euros that was good for a month. I must have logged in over twenty five train uses and only had to pay extra once. The daughter in my family wanted to write a short film in English. She is interested in being a director and writer, so that was my English teaching assignment during my stay. We did not write a short film, we wrote a full length feature. Since we did not have time to finish, I am now skyping with her on a weekly basis to finish her wonderful script. I speak Intermediate level French and was really challenged to keep up with my speaking and listening. Mothers and daughter have their own “short-hand” in any language and they kept me on my toes. I learned a tremendous amount and could NOT have enjoyed myself more. We went to the movies together, cafes, they took me to an amazing light festival in Montpellier and many other activities. They were both busy during the day, so I had all day to myself to explore and experience. They are currently trying to make plans to come visit me in Los Angeles this summer. I am 66 years old…so if you are a senior (or not!) I highly highly encourage you to run, not walk to ALIORE if you want to have the experience of a lifetime. It was my best vacation ever! Thank you Soizick and Aliore! I will do this again!

I was very lucky to be placed in the beautiful city of Montpellier in South France where I stayed for 8 weeks right in the city centre with a very friendly and highly-cultured family. The organiser of Aliore offered a lot of help throughout the whole application process to make sure I am 100% happy with my placement and I couldn't be happier with my stay there. Working with kids and teaching them English was also a great opportunity to engage in their culture and the French way of thinking and doing things. What's more, the family often took me to a variety of social, cultural and sports events including friends gathering, music concerts, hiking and day tours so that I could be fully immersed in every possible way. The Mediterranean city Montpellier had tons of entertainment to offer too ranging from museums and bookstores to film and wine festivals. Even the small towns and cities surrounding Montpellier such as Nimes, Avignon and Carcassonne are perfect weekend destinations for you to explore the rich French history and culture, and of course, the irresistibly delicious cuisine of Provence Region. Overall I highly recommend you to go with Aliore for your next exchange program, I really had the best time and in the meanwhile my French improved more than I ever expected. Thank you so much Aliore, I can't wait for my next adventure in France!

Soizick was very helpful and efficient at organising a host-family for me and at responding to any queries that I had. I was very happy that Soizick managed to find me a host-family in the city in which I had specified wanting to stay. Soizick was keen to organise social activities with other people on the same program and staying in the local area, which was a nice touch.

My experience with Aliore was great! The family placement met my expectations, were relatable and kind. Communication and information from Aliore was very efficient. It was definitely an economic way of travelling while getting the best of a country. The flexibility offered by the program ensures that you do your role and get a cultural exchange at same time. Based on my experience of 4 weeks, i sure would recommend Aliore.

I had wonderful experiences and unforgettable memories through this program! Everyone at the host place was very friendly to me. Some took even special efforts so that I settle in well over there. The main host made sure I have everything I need for comfortable arrangements. Moreover, he made schedule such that I get to not only experience all the activities that happen there but also be a good part of the team! I have been on 'garde' with the goats, got to be part of 'traite' for milking of the goats and cheese making process. Along with that I did some gardening, made bread and even fabricated dry toilettes for their festival! I got to be part of the hosting team where I generally used to have most of my meals along with helping them. Thus got an opportunity to interact with interesting groups of children, teachers, professors and the french-german group. I also had time to explore things by myself. So I have gone on 'balade' many times, visited Balazuc very well and nearby regions, visited Avignon and swam in Ardèche. The place is so beautiful that each day I was amazed by it in its own way! I must have taken hundreds of pictures there, including many pics at the same locations! I will miss being so close to the nature, with the sound of the birds singing, wind blowing past and just the perfect amount of sunshine! Moreover, I got to experience the life in a village in France. Got to learn a lot about the french culture and also improve my spoken french. The people there were multitalented, amicable and very inspiring to me personally to care more for the environment and to live a simple life. I would totally recommend this program to people who like to travel, meet new people, experience French culture and who are up for an interesting adventure!!

Photos

This was hands down the best experience of my life. I was placed with a family near Paris, not in the south, so I was able to visit Paris as much as I wanted. My family is incredible. They made me feel so welcome in their home and included me in their family like one of their own. I was already fluent in French before coming, but this solidified my knowledge of day-to-day vocabulary you can really only learn by living in France. Some days we only spoke English. Others we only spoke French. Each day was different but I can see improvements in their English and my French! I cooked American food for them and they made French dishes. All in all, the experience is what you make of it. You can go out every day or spend your whole day in your room when you're not explicitly doing lessons, but in the end you will never have as good of an experience as you can if you immerse yourself in the culture and spend as much time with your family as possible, like I did. I gained so much out of this program, I would participate again in a heartbeat.

I feel truly fortunate to have had the most wonderful experience experiencing French life , family, friends and culture with a truly kind host! I found the experience remarkable and would love to do it all again in the year ahead if I am able which says it all regarding my expereince of the programme!

Photos

With Aliore, I spent 4 weeks on the Mediterranean Coast with the most incredible family! I couldn't have gotten a better family. They made me feel so welcome and we'd do so many things together as family outings. They even went out of their way to make me feel more comfortable like when they realized that I really strongly dislike seafood (I tried to hide it but I guess it was a bit noticeable) and they subtly stopped cooking so much seafood for the rest of the 4 weeks which is one of those little things that just make an experience so much more enjoyable. The area was absolutely stunning and there was so much to do and see! I felt completely welcome and safe in the area and even strangers in the city couldn't have been more kind. I was able to use the volunteer hours to fulfill my university requirement since Aliore is a nonprofit, and for my university I was even able to use the 4 weeks as study abroad credit. As well as improve my french while I was there! There isn't one thing I would change about the experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Photos

The language assistant program with ALIORE was an amazing experience. It allowed me to delve into southern french culture while offering lessons in my own native language in exchange. The family I was placed with was a perfect match and living in the downtown core was incredible. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone in search of a long and meaningful vacation!

My time in France at Montpellier, Nimes and La Vacquerie, (Languedoc-Roussillon), was an fantastic experience: a highly rewarding and beneficial cultural immersion! During the three month placement, I have considerably improved my knowledge of the French language. It has been wonderful meeting with the locals and cultivate meaningful relationships. Due to unusual circumstances the role of the program manager had been vital in changing my placement when it became necessary. I have been very fortunate to be placed with different families all very kind and cooperative, who went to lengthy measures to ensure I would explore amazing locations, beautiful attractions and breathtaking scenery and nature. The experience has been beneficial in terms of my personal growth and professional development.. In terms of my role as Language Assistance having all of my ESL lesson plans proved to be extremely helpful, it saved me time and frustration. Definitely greatly rewarding experience I would do again. I advise prospective Language Assistants to ensure they are placed with a family whose specific needs are not too dissimilar and diverse to their own. In other words ensure not to underestimate their own needs.

Photos