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www.english-house.net

english-house in France

Thought about a study trip to England but put off by the high costs there, the bad weather and the even worse food and then all those different accents?  Well, why not come to France to stay and learn with a native English teacher?  english-house in France offers students a week of learning English, combined with fine food and wine. The school is an old wine-seller's house in a hamlet in West France, about 30 kilometres north of Angoulême, the capital of Charente. Here, small groups of up to eight students (two per bedroom) can live and study together, for a week of intensive English tuition and English and French culture.  The language spoken in the house will be English and this gives you a fantastic opportunity to improve or perfect your language skills in a relaxed atmosphere, staying with the teacher, rather than sitting in a classroom for a couple of hours a day and then being left alone for the rest of the time. Students can have picnics and barbecues in the garden, cook together with the teacher in the evenings and relax in front of an English film and a real fire, or there are good restaurants in the area. This combines learning formally in the house's 'classroom' and informally the rest of the time, by being in contact with the teacher. You will be exposed to far more vocabulary and everyday English than you would ever get just from classroom tuition.  In addition, there will be excursions to local areas of interest and beauty, such as the harbour of La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast, a tour of one of the chateau distilleries of Cognac and a visit to a historical site.  Paris and all the culture that it offers is only two and a half hours away by train.  Nearer to home, there are sports facilities, swimming and sailing, bicycles available and a river running through the garden! This is an ideal chance for you to combine learning English with a summer holiday in a beautiful and tranquil area of France, where naturally you will also be able to improve your French should you so wish.

PROPOSED ITINERY

day one: arrive at the house

day two: shopping trip to Angouleme – swimming, sailing and windsurfing and picnic

day three: visit to local market – market town of Ruffec – evening meal in restaurant

day four:  visit to Confolens – medieval city

day five:  trip to La Rochelle – Atlantic coast – boat trip to Fort Boyard – picnic or evening meal in restaurant on the beach

day six: canoeing on the Charente – Aunac to Mansle – single canoes or for 2/3 people

day seven: trip to Cognac – guided tour of Francis 1s castle, home of Otard Distillery and Cognac tasting. Evening meal in local restaurant.

day eight: leave the house. Early train and late plane means the chance of a few hours in Paris

The house can be rented privately as a holiday home (so-called gîte). This is also possible should you wish to stay longer after the course has ended. Please click here for more details.

www.frenchouse.com will be offering a similar service in 2009, but with the focus on learning French or German. The teachers will all be native speakers of the language they are teaching in.