Aliore

If you have some time and have always wanted to travel abroad, this is a really great and cost-effective way to do it! I highly recommend this program. Aliore is really great and very organized and I always received answers to my questions in a timely manner. The program itself was so much fun as you get matched with a French family and are there to assist with English. It was so fun to share your language and culture, while the family shares their language and culture with you. The families were so kind and welcoming and it is a really great program.

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!

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!

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!