FRANCE: POST-SECONDARY
Post-Secondary & Gap Year Program
France is available in:
CLASSIC | GROUP | SUMMER | POST-SECONDARY | BOARDING | HOME-TO-HOME
Finished high school, taking a gap year, participating in post-secondary education or other pursuits and want an opportunity to learn a language or test your skills, immerse yourself in a new culture and see the world? Opportunities abound, whether you wish to become an honourary member of a French family, gain experience as a Teacher’s Assistant, experience French farm life or volunteer and work abroad – the post-secondary options have something for everyone.
Accommodation Based Experience
Family Stay
Spend your stay in Italy with a host family that will welcome you in as a family member.
Language Buddy
Become conversation buddy to a local family while sharing their everyday lives.
Work Based Experience
Language Teacher Assistant
Experience another education system, as well as language and culture.
Farm or Ranch Stay
Experience life on a French farm. Discover the everyday life of a farming or ranching family while improving your language skills!
Eco-Volunteering
Live an eco-friendly experience with a team of volunteers, discovering the rich French fauna and flora, all while practicing your French!
Family Stay
The family stay program offers an authentic insight into the local lifestyle! Spend your stay in France with a host family that will welcome you in as a family member. You will experience what it means to truly live in France, becoming a member of the family, spending your days in the local community, and participating in the day-to-day activities of your hosts.
Cultural Excursions
Choose to participate in or include 1½ days of cultural excursions each week.
If you wish to have some structured or planned activities during your stay you may add the cultural activities program to your stay for 1 week or as many as you would like.
Program Dates & Duration
The program is available year- round. Participants may design their own program duration, a minimum of 1 week is required.
Accommodation & Meals
Live like a local and stay with your matched host family. A single room is provided with full board for the duration of your stay.
If you’re looking to stay in a specific area in France, upgrade your program to allow a specific area guarantee! We can set up the following:
1. Urban placement in a French city of over 50,000 inhabitants
2. Provence: discover the beautiful South of France
3. French Coastline: enjoy the Mediterranean and Atlantic areas
Requirements
Basic knowledge of French is required.
Inclusions
- Host Family Recruitment, Screening and Placement
- Food and Lodging with Host Family
- Activities (if cultural excursions option selected)
- Provision of Program Documentation: Orientation manual and other materials to prepare for student exchange
- Pre-Departure Orientation in Canada
- 24 hour Emergency Support Overseas
- Local coordinator and assistance
- Full and Comprehensive Medical Insurance provided by Guard.me
Not included:
- Airfare (While the airfare is not included in our pricing, we can help you find the best deal and recommend travel sites)
- Round trip ground transfer between final host port (airport, train or bus station) and host family home – can be arranged for additional fee
- Passport and Visa Fees (if required)
- School supplies, uniforms (if required), cafeteria lunch (if required) or extra-curricular activity fees
- Personal Spending money while abroad
- Local transportation
- Any cancellation, change or program addition fees as issued by YES Canada or the partner organisation.
Pricing for Family Stay Experience
Please Inquire
Language Buddy
The language buddy program offers the opportunity for participants to become conversation buddy to a local family while sharing their everyday lives. Participants help one or several of the host family members to improve their English language skills through conversation, helping host children with homework if necessary, like a tutor. While you help them to learn English you will also learn French through day-to-day immersion – it’s a two-way exchange of languages and cultures where the participant is actively involved.
The program requires 15/hours per week of dedicated conversations in English to teach the host family, informally!
Accommodation & Meals
Participants stay with a volunteer host family who will provide full board and a single room in exchange for conversations with a family member.
Program Dates & Duration
The program is available year- round. Participants may design their own program duration; a minimum of 1 week is required.
Requirements
Be 21 years or older
Have a good knowledge of French for communication.
Hold a citizenship that permits a “visa waiver” to allow a stay for up to 3 months.
Have English or French as first language
Be a graduate or currently enrolled in Higher Education/University, in an education related field.
Inclusions
- Host family recruitment, screening and placement
- Food and lodging with host family
- Full and comprehensive medical insurance provided by guard.me
- Pre-departure orientation in Canada
- 24 hour emergency support overseas
- Local coordinator and assistance
- Provision of program documentation: orientation manual and other materials to prepare for student exchange
Not included:
- Airfare (While the airfare is not included in our pricing, we can help you find the best deal and recommend travel sites)
- Round trip ground transfer between final host port (airport, train or bus station) and host family home – can be arranged for additional fee
- Passport and Visa Fees (if required)
- School supplies, uniforms (if required), cafeteria lunch (if required) or extra-curricular activity fees
- Personal Spending money while abroad
- Local transportation
- Any cancellation, change or program addition fees as issued by YES Canada or the partner organisation.
Pricing for Language Buddy Experience
Please Inquire
Language Teacher Assistant
The language teacher assistant program provides participants an opportunity to experience another education system, as well as language and culture. The aim of the program is to introduce language assistants to French elementary, middle or high school students and encourage the meeting of different cultures.
The language teacher assistant may be asked to fulfil various tasks such as helping students develop confidence in speaking and understanding, taking part in class alongside the teacher, providing personal tutoring to students, organizing conversation-based activities and assisting with teaching plans and lessons.
The language teacher assistant works from 15-20 hours/week and can be appointed to 1 – 2 schools in the same area. The teaching placement may be in any area in France, no regional choice is provided.
The program is designed for those participants seeking international job experience and those wishing to develop their communication and teaching skills, while also learning about the French culture and the basics of the language. It is a paid job with a fixed term contract.
Accommodation & Meals
Board and lodging is not included, however a local host family placement may be arranged for an additional fee.
Program Dates & Duration
The program is 3, 6 or 10 months.
The program is available:
Start Date: 1st Saturday of September, January or April
Requirements
Between 20 – 30 years old
Have a pre-intermediate level in French
Be willing to work with school teachers
No teaching experience/degree required, but preferable
Hold a citizenship that permits the individual to obtain a Working Holiday Visa
Inclusions
- Placement in one or two French schools
- Local assistance in France from partner organisation
- Full and comprehensive medical insurance provided by guard.me
- Provision of program documentation: orientation manual and other materials to prepare for student exchange
- Pre-departure orientation in Canada
- 24 hour emergency support overseas
- Local coordinator and assistance
Not included:
- Airfare (While the airfare is not included in our pricing, we can help you find the best deal and recommend travel sites)
- Round trip ground transfer between final host port (airport, train or bus station) – can be arranged for additional fee
- Passport and Visa Fees (if required)
- Accommodation and meals (can be arranged upon request for additional fees)
- School supplies, uniforms (if required), cafeteria lunch (if required) or extra-curricular activity fees
- Personal Spending money while abroad
- Local transportation
- Any cancellation, change or program addition fees as issued by YES Canada or the partner organisation.
Pricing for Language Teacher Assistant Experience
Please Inquire
Farm or Ranch Stay
Experience life on a French farm – discover the everyday life of a farming family while improving your language skills!
In exchange for accommodation and meals, participants will work on the family farm (+/- 25 hours/week) partaking in tasks such as fruit-picking, caring for animals, grape harvesting, planting and tending to the farm as well as selling products at the market. The farm stay program allows participants the opportunity to learn a new way of life, experiencing farm living and practicing you language skills.
If you are interested in working with animals – horses, ponies or donkeys – consider the ranch stay option! Most tasks will be related to the animals but you will also take part in daily farm work. Horse riding cannot be guaranteed but is likely if you have a lot of experience!
Accommodation & Meals
Participants will stay at the selected farm with a French family. Meals and accommodation are provide in exchange for farm work.
Program Dates & Duration
The program is available for 1 to 3 month, between March and November.
Requirements
Be between 18 and 30 years old
Have a basic knowledge of French
Be in good physical health and motivated
Love nature and the countryside
Hold a citizenship that permits the individual to obtain a Working Holiday Visa
Inclusions
- Farmstay family recruitment, screening and placement
- Food and lodging with host family
- Full and comprehensive medical insurance provided by Guard.me
- Provision of program documentation: orientation manual and other materials to prepare for student exchange
- Pre-departure orientation in Canada
- 24 hour emergency support overseas
- Local coordinator and assistance
- Round trip ground transfer between final host port (airport, train or bus station) and host family home
Not included:
- Airfare (While the airfare is not included in our pricing, we can help you find the best deal and recommend travel sites)
- Round trip ground transfer between final host port (airport, train or bus station) and host family home – can be arranged for additional fee
- Passport and Visa Fees (if required)
- Personal Spending money while abroad
- Local transportation
- Any cancellation, change or program addition fees as issued by YES Canada or the partner organisation.
Pricing for the Farm or Ranch Experience
Please Inquire
Eco-Volunteering
Live an eco-friendly experience with a team of volunteers, discovering the rich French fauna and flora.
Projects deal with different aspects of environmental protection so as to safeguard biodiversity. They focus on caring for endangered or injured species, building gates/fences in natural reserves, resorting natural sites, making people aware of the importance of eco-friendliness.
Working as a volunteer is a fulfilling commitment, taking part in teamwork, promoting a cause and enriching your experience with new knowledge. The work can be physically demanding and generally occurs in remote regions. Some bird centres can also be in urban areas too.
Volunteers work 5-6 days a week for about 4-6 hours a day, as needed. The remaining time is yours to relax and discover the area, and hone your French skills!
Accommodation & Meals
Volunteers are accommodated in bungalows, mobile homes, host families or other accommodation as necessary.
Meals are not included with the program, but can be prepared on site. Food sharing between volunteers is customary.
Program Dates & Duration
The program is available from 2 – 12 weeks, all year round.
Requirements
Be between 18 and 30 years old
Have a basic knowledge of French
Be in good physical health and motivated
Love nature and the countryside
Hold a citizenship that allows for an extended stay in France, from a “visa waiver” country.
Inclusions
- Screening and placement process for volunteer opportunity
- Accommodation
- Return transfers (from closest airport/train station)
- Full and comprehensive medical insurance provided by Guard.me
- Provision of program documentation: orientation manual and other materials to prepare for student exchange
- Pre-departure orientation in Canada
- 24 hour emergency support overseas
- Local coordinator and assistance
Not included:
- Airfare (While the airfare is not included in our pricing, we can help you find the best deal and recommend travel sites)
- Passport and Visa Fees (if required)
- Meals
- Personal Spending money while abroad
- Local transportation
- Any cancellation, change or program addition fees as issued by YES Canada or the partner organisation.
Pricing for the Eco-Volunteering
Please Inquire
France at a Glance
Population
66,627,602
Capital City
Paris
Known For
Eiffel Tower, Fashion, Baguettes & Fromage, Cafes
Currency
Euro
Language
French
Say Hello
Bonjour
Payment Schedule
- $500.00 application fee due with the submission of the full application. The application fee is only refunded in instances where the student is not accepted.
- Host Country Program Deposit due upon conditional acceptance. (Please note fees are specific to each exchange country).
- 35% of the remaining program fees are due upon receipt of the full acceptance letter.
- 40% of the remaining program fees are due 95 days prior to departure.
- 25% of the remaining program fees are due 35 days prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy
- The $500.00 application fee is non-refundable, and due upon submission of the application to YES Canada. (Students not accepted to the program will be refunded $425, as a $75 home to home application processing fee applies.) Students must ensure prior to application that they meet the minimum requirements for exchange.
- In the event of cancellation after conditional acceptance either all or a portion of the host country deposit is non-refundable (approximately $500-$1000). Please inquire for specific country details regarding non-refundable deposits (Dependent upon destination: France, Belgium, Australia and Spain have higher cancellation fees at this stage).
- In the event of cancellation after full acceptance but prior to confirmation of the paired exchange partner, 50% of the program fee is non-refundable.
- In the event of cancellation after confirmation of the host family placement/confirmation of a partner match, 75% of the program fee is non-refundable.
- In the event of cancellation after visa forms have been issued 75% of the program fee is non-refundable.
- In the event of cancellation less than 30 days prior to departure 75% of the program fee is non-refundable.
- In the event of cancellation after program commences 100% of the program fee is non-refundable, the hosting deposit included.
- In the event the program is cancelled by YES Canada due to program changes/unavailability a refund will be given. In the event the program is cancelled by YES Canada due to application misrepresentation prior to the commencement of the program a partial refund will be provided based on the stage of the application.
*Some countries vary from the standard policy. Please inquire.
*Extenuating circumstances will be considered. All cancellations must be received in writing.
