LEVELS: Intermediate and higher
AGES: 14 to 17
CATEGORY: Individuals – must have previous international homestay experience
DURATION: Variable, from late June to late August
LOCATION: Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta (June and July only)
DESCRIPTION AND PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Total Immersion
The Total Immersion program consists solely of homestay with a Canadian family. The student has no English classes at all and improves his/her English by living with a family, participating in their daily life and sharing some cultural and recreational activities with them.
This program is designed for teenagers aged14 to 17 who want to take advantage of their summer holidays to improve their English in a family environment without attending classes. The daily opportunity to practice their English in an informal setting, is one of the best ways to learn any language.
The host families for this program live and study in towns, small cities, and villages. We have found that these communities provide a very safe environment for teenage students. In particular the host families show a great interest in the students and their welfare. The Total Immersion host family has the particular characteristics of having an adult at home almost 100% of the time, and a host brother or sister within three years of age of the visiting student. Each week, the family provides two half-day activities outside the home and a full-day excursion, guaranteeing that the visitor has some enjoyable tourist experiences to help create a unique and memorable summer program.
The ideal Total Immersion student has already traveled abroad in a homestay program, and knows the maturity required of him/her to spend this time without seeing other students of the same language background (the host Family may receive a maximum of two students of different languages). he or she has a good level of English skills and is an outgoing and active participant in family life.
