French Immersion Trip

There is nothing more motivating when learning a foreign language, than wanting to communicate with your peers. Your students will benefit from getting to know a French student of a similar age to themselves before, during and after the trip. This friendship will help them grow in confidence when communicating in French and also to develop an emotional attachment to French, thus motivating them to want to learn more!

Students spend three sessions in the French High School with their Pen-Pals. This part of the trip is very popular with all students as they love to compare and contrast to their own school as they meet and get to know their Pen-Pals. The activities are organised and run by our Combination Languages team and we just ask you and your staff to support. Everything is carefully planned so that your students practise their French and the French students practise their English, meaning that everyone is in the same boat and that students can all help each other.

Our French Immersion Trips offer real educational value as they are jam packed with fun, linguistic activities. For example, our ‘Master Chef en France’ competition involves students putting their French into real life practice to purchase ingredients from a local market to make their own lunch. The students are supported by our Trip Booklet so they can look up key vocabulary and phrases. The Scavenger Hunt and the Final Evening Party with the French Pen-Pals, are always very popular and a good chance to interact in a more social setting. The party is a great way to end the experience with many hugs, tears and promises to stay in touch shared among the students.

Some of the trips and visits take place without the French Pen-Pals, and these are times to visit local areas of interest such as Le Touquet, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Amiens and Albert. Guided visits to a Bakery, Snail Farm or Chocolate Factory, for example, give students the chance to develop their linguistic and cultural knowledge. Europe’s largest aquarium in Boulogne never fails to impress students with its huge range of sea creatures and a chance to learn about marine conservation. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais is a beautiful area with many hidden treasures and we can’t wait to show them off to you and your students!

Combination Languages is run by experienced teachers so we understand that a teacher’s workload can be very demanding and we think it’s important to have someone run your trip for you. Suzie or one of her team meet you in France and lead all the activities so that you can focus on supporting your students and enjoying the experience yourself. We also give comprehensive administration support to all Trip Leaders with documents such as draft letters for parents, presentations for students and detailed Risk Assessments available, and by always being on hand to answer any questions.

Our price includes everything; all transfers (UK and France), return ferry, en-suite accommodation with teachers in individual rooms, full board, entrances and all activities led by us. We work with trusted third parties who have the same high standards as ourselves. Dietary requirements are carefully communicated to all food providers to ensure that every member of the group is well looked after. The only things that you may need to add to our price are the cost to supply Cover Teachers for any lessons that you and your team miss, travel insurance and we recommend a small contingency (£10-£20 per student). Apart from that, there is nothing to add!