1. The concept

What does it consist of?
A language exchange is based on two families each offering hospitality in turn on a reciprocal basis. For example, your child spends a fortnight in a French-speaking family with a child of the same age. In return, the partner family’s child then spends a fortnight with you.

During their stay, the child will be completely immersed in the country’s language and culture in ideal conditions, because they’ll be involved in the family’s everyday life. They may also – why not? – take a language course while they’re there; that will be all the easier if the host family lends a hand in organising it.

This option needs a significant level of personal involvement, a willingness to make yourself available for a lot of the time, a clear sense of organisation and, of course, the physical conditions to welcome their guest appropriately from each of the partner families. If, for one reason or another, it would be difficult for you to meet one of these conditions, the simplest option is for you to look into paying for a stay with a host family.

Who is it for?
Each exchange involves two young people and their families.
- How old do the young people have to be?
With suitable preparation, language exchanges are possible as soon as children have started learning a foreign language in primary school. If the child is ready to leave their parents for a few days and feels happy to stay in a welcoming family environment then the advantages of this experience are considerable. Take time so that your child can learn more about the exchange family in advance and start to communicate with and learn more about their similar aged exchange partner. But it’s essential that the child is sufficiently mature to embark on an adventure of this kind. You need to take account of their emotional independence, their ability to adapt, their willingness to share and their level of curiosity. It’s down to you – and them – to make a judgement.
- What type of families are involved?
There is no one particular type of family. The most important thing for a successful language exchange is that all those involved make a positive commitment to it.

When and for how long?
We recommend (but it’s not compulsory) that the two stays take place within the same school year – apart from long-term stays or where there are other issues at stake. Stays vary considerably in length, and depending on circumstances can last anything from a week to a year.
- Short language exchanges, which are the best option for younger children, generally take place during the school holidays. As school holidays may be different in different countries, it’s possible that the child who comes to stay may spend a few days at school with the child of the host family. This is generally fairly easy to organise (provided you allow enough time in advance) with the school concerned and can be a very positive and enlightening experience for everyone involved
- Long-term language exchanges, (a term, half a year or even a whole school year) are becoming more and more popular. These are more suited to older students. A long-term exchange requires greater commitment from everyone involved. It also means a lot of sorting out in terms of schooling and will involve the student being enrolled in the foreign edcation system. It’s essential that the student is emotionally well balanced. But if the conditions are right – your child is a self-confident person who can fit in anywhere and is curious about the world around them - it can be a 100% positive experience for them. As well as being almost completely bilingual and having in-depth experience of another culture, it’s an exceptional opportunity for personal development... Not to mention the impact on their future CV!

How does it work?
Make a selection.
In a few clicks you can find the published offers of families who could fit ideally with your exchange project:
- Go to www.lingoo.eu.
- Click on SEARCH (green tag).
- Fill in the search criteria important for your project.
- Click on OK at the bottom of the page.
You will obtain a multi-results page. To see each offer in detail, click on See this offer.
If you find families that match your search criteria, in order to contact them, you will need to join Lingoo as a Search Family member.

Register.
To register as a Search Family Member:
- Click on Create Your Account at the bottom of any offer or go directly to the JOIN NOW page.
- Choose Search Family Member.
- Complete the first page of your offer and click on REGISTER at bottom of page.
- This starts the payment process. You can choose to pay directly on line through PayPal, by cheque or by bank transfer. Please click here to see our Prices.

Publish your offer and contact other members.
Once you have paid you will have access to your personal account page where you can manage all of your activities on Lingoo. You will be able to:
- Complete your form and publish your offer.
- Contact members who have an offer that corresponds with your project, either individually, using the contact form which you will find at the bottom of each offer, or as a group, from the See your selection page, that you can access from your Account Page.

Messages that you will send through the Lingoo secure system will contain a link to your own published offer.

... Then, it’s over to you to finalise your shortlist of offers by sending contact requests to the families you have selected, communicating with those who respond and finally choosing the one that best suits your requirements and those of your child.
If you wish, ask for and check the References File of the Search Family you have chosen.
Finalise the practical details of the trip with your partner family.
Finally, if you wish, you and your partner family can complete the Language Study Exchange Agreement form available from your account page.
You’ll be guaranteeing a tailor-made welcome for both the children involved in the exchange.

2. Planning your exchange

Take your time.
If you’re organising an exchange it’s best to start well in advance. Allow between three and six months before the first part of the exchange. It doesn’t need to be stressful: taking the time to choose your partner family and getting to know them is the main factor in ensuring your plans are successful.

Check References.
Once you have selected a family and made contact with them, and before you start organising the trip together, make sure you check their References: this will reassure you as to their good character and their involvement in their local community.

Get to know people.
Making contact by e-mail and then by phone or even video conference will give you a chance to get to know your partner family better. Exchanging photos and videos will also give you plenty of useful information. The children can write to each other to start making friends. All of these ideas will help to prepare your child for their exchange.

Don’t leave anything unclear.
The offers you can view on Lingoo give full details of what partner families can offer during your child’s stay. Of course it’s impossible to think of everything – so there will be plenty to talk about when you first make contact! You may want information on other points that you feel are important. For example, if there are any outings planned, you may want to know how much money to allow for leisure activities. Some questions need to be tackled with a certain degree of tact, such as the level of discipline within the family – what’s allowed, what’s not allowed, how problems are sorted out, and so on. Don’t hesitate to talk all this through with the partner family before the exchange begins.

Confirm in writing.
It is a good idea to confirm these points in writing and to make a list of any restrictions that are important to you. We recommend you use the Language Study Exchange Agreement form available from your account page. This comprehensive document will allow you to summarise all of the important information and to finalise the commitments entered into by the two families involved in the organisation of the exchange. It will help to avoid any misunderstandings.