Program Reviews

Our 17-year old daughter enjoyed the most amazing summer homestay experience in France—thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Nacel! From the beginning of the application process until her placement, the Nacel staff was dedicated to identifying the right homestay family for Lily. The results truly could not have been better. The homestay family was caring and generous and really made Lily feel at home and part of the family. Nacel staff checked-in with Lily weekly, ensuring that things were going well and that Lily was happy. Nacel exceeded all our expectations!

My daughter attended a swim camp in Vichy this summer. We were very apprehensive at the beginning as we did not know NACEL and it was the first time our daughter (14) was going abroad to a camp (in a different language). We need not have worried. From the moment we dropped her off I felt reassured. The organisation at the check in was excellent, the atmosphere very friendly and welcoming. We were able to take her up to her room and meet her room mate. The rooms were amazing - large and airy with very nice en-suite. Our daughter enjoyed the camp immensely - both her swimming and her French progressed considerably - she has just had some great new times in her start of season competition - and from a social skills perspective, the camp was also excellent in terms of getting the children to interact with each other. She is keen to do the camp again - maybe even 2 weeks! In short, I recommend this programme. Special mention to the swim coach (Wi-Wi) and also to the camp director who made the effort to come and talk to us at check in and made us feel very reassured.

Going on an exchange is the best thing you can possibly do for yourself. The experience is truly transformative and has entirely altered my world view. For me personally, I feel I could have studied French for years and still only understood the same three words when I arrived - but immersion is very much the best and fastest way to learn. Anticipate that sometimes the language barrier can feel like an impenetrable wall - learning a language can be a looong process but it could not be more worth it. I got placed in Bordeaux, which I am so grateful for because it was the most perfect city for me and I can't wait to go back. I was also so extremely happy in my host family, they're honestly some of my favourite people I've ever met. The orientation in Paris with all of the Nacel program students was also one of the coolest parts of the program. It was also nice to stay in touch with the kids throughout the program because we all knew what the others were going through. I cannot recommend going on an exchange enough.

Honestly, the exchange was the best thing I have ever done. I learnt how to travel alone, immerse myself entirely in a different culture, made amazing lifelong friends and connections and attended school there which was an incredible learning experience. The family I stayed with were extremely generous and hospitable. And of course, my French got exponentially better! I stayed for 8 weeks in the north west of France, a little village called "Ahuille" and I had a truly unforgettable time. I think it's the best thing that a student could do and I highly recommend it.

When I stayed with my host family in a small town called Le Puy, it was my first time out of the country. Because I had the opportunity to stay with a host family for three weeks, I learned a lot about the French culture especially their habits, or maybe it was just my family in particular. A few habits that I picked up on while I was with my host family were eating fruit before every meal, walking to more places, and whenever I travel to a new city, I always try to learn about their history by either researching it or going to the local museum. I still keep in touch with my host family and always think about them. NACEL did a wonderful and accurate job pairing me with a host family that had enough similarities and differences with me to make me feel comfortable yet constantly challenged.

I applied to this program with barely any prior knowledge of the French language. Although I was extremely worried about whether I could assimilate into my host family's daily life, the staff made sure to help both my hosts and myself feel comfortable. I was also impressed by the simplicity of the application process, which came in handy especially because we applied only a few months before my departure.
This experience helped me find a passion for language learning, and over the year since I returned from my 5-week stay in France I have continued to improve my language skills, in the hope that I'll be able to communicate even more fluently with the many friends I made during my stay. After coming back to my home country I have even won an award for a fully paid scholarship to study in France again for a month! This is all thanks to the staff at Nacel for kick-starting my French journey.

I had a great time at the volleyball camp in France. Nacel was really supportive from the start. We had a video call where we discussed the different camps in France. Since I have played volleyball already for a few years I have chosen this option. Most kids in the camp were French, so it was a bit difficult in the beginning, but luckily I studied French for the past 4 years in High school. Everyone was very kind and supportive and I think learning French while playing my favorite sport is a great combination.

The transfers went well and it was easy to find my escort. They took me from and to the airport at the start and end of the camp. I can highly recommend this camp. I had an amazing time and hope to go again in 2024!

Absolutely could not fault our entire experience with Nacel, from the initial contact and information session, through the entire process - right to the end. Responsive and prompt answers to all my questions. Our daughter had the experience of her lifetime so far staying with her host family, who were just wonderful. She saw and experienced so much French culture, she is now planning to return next year when she finishes school and stay longer and explore more. I recommend Nacel without reservation.

I would advise parents to steer clear of this truly dreadful 'edubusiness'.
After paying €300 for a meet and greet service, no escort was there when my child arrived in Paris. After many tears and frantic phone calls I had to instruct my daughter to make her way to the train station, where the escort finally made contact. I complained to Nacel and their attitude was appalling.
While the host family were very nice, the school was very grim, with no sense of community. The promised extra curricular activities were non existent.
If our experience wasn't bad enough, I realised I had been overcharged to the tune of €450, which I have to recoup via legal action. I would advise any parent to avoid Nacel at all costs - they have no integrity and are dishonest.

Being forced to use Spanish to communicate with everyone was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. This program didn't group me together with other study-abroad student so I was the only native english speaker in my school/home. I wouldn't have been able to speak in English even if I wanted to, and I think that this is the reason I was able to learn so much. My host family was amazing, the food was incredible, and the friends I made/fiestas I went to were unforgettable. If you want to learn Spanish or are considering this program my advice would be to just do it because you won't regret it.