Our Immersion families truly embody the “homestay” philosophy – completely sharing their lives with you and helping you to learn about their culture. Students stay one to a family, except in cases of extenuating circumstances.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to become totally immersed in Spain or France’s traditions & language, while at the same time forming lifelong friendships!
ECI has developed an extensive network of coordinators in Spain and France who are committed to finding families. Our coordinators do not work for a language school; rather, they work directly for ECI. The families do not host to earn money; rather, they hope to develop a lifelong friendship with you. They share with you their daily lives, culture, home & food. They will involve you as much as possible in family events and introduce you to friends & relatives.
Our families often have teens of a similar age to you and are comprised mom, dad & children. However, like families all over the world, single-parent households are not uncommon.
During the application process you will write a personal letter with information about yourself, your family, ambitions, hobbies & interests. From these important details, our Host Family Coordinators will do their best to select the most appropriate match for you. They will take into account any of your specific requests and will try to match your interests with those of your Immersion Family.
During your Immersion there will usually not be any organized group activity or get-together. The goal of this experience is for you to fully immerse yourself in the language & culture of your family.
Sometimes your family may offer to take you on local excursions or to family parties, but more often than not, you will be living the daily life of the family, enjoying mealtimes, going shopping with your host parents, or simply relaxing and enjoying getting to know your family.
Oftentimes there will be teenagers of a similar age in your host family, but it is important to realize that your experience is also about connecting with every member of your family – the parents, younger children & even grandparents. This will help you to gain the most from your Spanish or French immersion.
During your stay an ECI representative is on-call twenty-four hours per day to assist you in any way needed.
For most students, Immersion with a family is a profound, life-changing experience.