Testimonies

"C'était vraiment une très belle expérience humaine. Nous souhaitons continuer l'aventure. Pour l'apprentissage de la langue mais pas seulement, nous aimons beaucoup faire découvrir notre pays. C'est très intéressant de constater les différences .. Merci à vous et à bientôt pour un autre échange."

Béatrice et sa famille

29/05/2018

"Les deux mois d'immersion en auberge m'ont vraiment beaucoup apporté tant au niveau de l'apprentissage de la langue anglaise mais aussi sur mon autonomie au quotidien. Super expérience que je recommande. J'ai aimé la facilité de chercher une auberge de jeunesse puis dialoguer avec celle-ci tout en ayant l'aide d'un conseiller Aliore. De plus le concept de faire du bénévolat en auberge de jeunesse est vraiment super."

Julien

29/05/2018

"Une semaine en immersion totale. Un vrai bonheur pour les passionnés de flamenco. L'école est très bien placée en plein coeur de ville, et l'accueil ainsi que la prise en charge est top. C'est aussi l'occasion de rencontrer des personnes de toutes nationalités autour d'une seule passion... le Flamenco !"

Zorika

22/05/2018

"My time in France was wonderful! My family welcomed me as one of their own and we laughed, learned, and challenged stereotypes together. This was so much better than taking a French course abroad-- it was a chance to participate in the day-to-day life of French culture and discover the nuances of this beautiful language! My only regret is not being able to stay longer."

Gabrielle, placed near Grenoble

17/05/2018

"Accueillir une jeune américaine dans la famille a été une superbe expérience d'ouverture, d'échanges et une façon de vivre autrement notre quotidien ; mieux s'écouter, pour se faire comprendre, reconnaitre tout ce que nous avons à apprendre, mieux saisir " l'universel " pour les enfants, faire découvrir notre patrimoine. Les liens humains qui se sont créés avec Gabrielle sont très forts et nous avons grandi par cet échange."

Catherine et sa famille

15/05/2018

"I highly recommend anyone who's looking for a rewarding cultural experience in France to do this program with Aliore! I was matched with a host family in the city of Montpellier. I had the best time ever being completely immersed in French culture and living like a local. All the while, helping with my host family's English and adjusting to their daily routines and lifestyle. My host family were extremely friendly, hospitable and kind-hearted that I adjusted with no problems at all. The program itself offers great flexibility as I had plenty of time to engage in cultural activities locally and explore nearby towns in the region. My French improved immensely too with self-study and constant exposure to the language and culture. The application process was very simple and straight-forward thanks to Soizick, the program organiser. She was very patient, helpful and quick to reply to any questions I had about the program. It really took away any worries that I initially had. The program is definitely of great value and I got so much more out of it than I expected. I have many wonderful memories with my host family and many enriching cultural experiences that I'll never forget. The most important thing to remember is to be open-minded, flexible, and you get out what you put in!"

Linda, placed in Montpellier

17/04/2018

"J'ai passé de très beaux moments à Tamegroute. Très bel accueil de Tarik, ainsi que d'Ali et d'Abdel au campement. Abdou, le prof de derbouka est également très sympathique et j'ai vraiment fait des progrès sur l'instrument en jouant ainsi beaucoup plusieurs jours d'affilée. La visite de la casbah souterraine, de la bibliothèque et des poteries par Mamadou est intéressante. Sans oublier un petit tour au souk avec mes hôtes pour faire les courses et la randonnée en dromadaire avec le repas à Tinfu. Bref, très bon séjour, et avec un très bon rapport qualité-prix."

Michel

08/03/2018

"J'ai passé de très beaux moments à Tamegroute. Très bel accueil de Tarik, ainsi que d'Ali et d'Abdel au campement. Abdou, le prof de derbouka est également très sympathique et j'ai vraiment fait des progrès sur l'instrument en jouant ainsi beaucoup plusieurs jours d'affilée. La visite de la casbah souterraine, de la bibliothèque et des poteries par Mamadou est intéressante. Sans oublier un petit tour au souk avec mes hôtes pour faire les courses et la randonnée en dromadaire avec le repas à Tinfu. Bref, très bon séjour, et avec un très bon rapport qualité-prix."

Michel

08/03/2018

"I decided that I wanted to travel to France for the month of November 2017 and spend some time in the Languedoc region. I have spent the last seven years traveling to France for a month or more at a time exploring different areas of the country. I had never used a placement agency before, and I came close to using one in the US but then I happened upon the Aliore website and decided to give it a try. Soizick Chartier, one of the founding members of the organization, was my contact person. She was extremely attentive to my needs and my questions. It made me feel extremely comfortable. I sent her my bio with picture and received information about a possible placement in Nimes with a French teacher and her 16 year old daughter. I said YES! That first week of my time in Nimes, Soizick hosted a get together in Montpellier with the other students who were also on placement in that area. It was a nice way to meet fellow explorers and also to meet Soizick. My family lives in Nimes. Nimes is a fantastic jumping off point for a lot of other great places to visit within an easy day’s train ride. I visited Toulouse for a weekend, Avignon 4 times, Montpellier many times (where I attended a French language school based on Soizick’s recommendation), Marseilles, and Carcassonne to name a few. My host family honestly could not have been more perfect. I fell in love with them! Because I am a “senior” my host gave me all the information to get a senior discount travel card for 80 euros that was good for a month. I must have logged in over twenty five train uses and only had to pay extra once. The daughter in my family wanted to write a short film in English. She is interested in being a director and writer, so that was my English teaching assignment during my stay. We did not write a short film, we wrote a full length feature. Since we did not have time to finish, I am now skyping with her on a weekly basis to finish her wonderful script. I speak Intermediate level French and was really challenged to keep up with my speaking and listening. Mothers and daughter have their own “short-hand” in any language and they kept me on my toes. I learned a tremendous amount and could NOT have enjoyed myself more. We went to the movies together, cafes, they took me to an amazing light festival in Montpellier and many other activities. They were both busy during the day, so I had all day to myself to explore and experience. They are currently trying to make plans to come visit me in Los Angeles this summer. I am 66 years old…so if you are a senior (or not!) I highly highly encourage you to run, not walk to ALIORE if you want to have the experience of a lifetime. It was MY BEST VACATION EVER! THANK YOU SOIZICK AND ALIORE! I WILL DO THIS AGAIN!"

MaryElizabeth, placed in Nîmes

31/01/2018

"Ambleside restera pour moi une magnifique expérience. David le manager de l'Auberge m'a tout de suite considéré comme quelqu'un de son équipe sans distinction. Toute l'équipe était vraiment incroyable, se rendant disponible dès que je leur posais une question. Aux abord d'un sublime lac, l'auberge vous dévoile chaque jour des paysages époustouflants avec les montagnes en arrière plan. Vous pourrez vous adonner à des randonnées dans la région des grands Lacs, manger du Gingerbread et tenter d'approcher les moutons de la région. J'y retournerai, c'est déjà prévu !"

Baptiste

07/01/2018

"Nous aimons partager, échanger et apprendre des autres cultures. Cet échange nous a permis de faire une belle rencontre avec une belle personne. Je suis heureuse d’avoir rencontré une personne aussi intéressante et enrichissante grâce à votre association. Cette expérience fut très constructive. Je recommande votre association à toutes les personnes désireuses de ce type d’échanges."

Véronique et sa famille

20/12/2017

"I was very lucky to be placed in the beautiful city of Montpellier in South France where I stayed for 8 weeks right in the city centre with a very friendly and highly-cultured family. The organiser of Aliore offered a lot of help throughout the whole application process to make sure I am 100% happy with my placement and I couldn't be happier with my stay there. Working with kids and teaching them English was also a great opportunity to engage in their culture and the French way of thinking and doing things. What's more, the family often took me to a variety of social, cultural and sports events including friends gathering, music concerts, hiking and day tours so that I could be fully immersed in every possible way. The Mediterranean city Montpellier had tons of entertainment to offer too ranging from museums and bookstores to film and wine festivals. Even the small towns and cities surrounding Montpellier such as Nimes, Avignon and Carcassonne are perfect weekend destinations for you to explore the rich French history and culture, and of course, the irresistibly delicious cuisine of Provence Region. Overall I highly recommend you to go with Aliore for your next exchange program, I really had the best time and in the meanwhile my French improved more than I ever expected. Thank you so much Aliore, I can't wait for my next adventure in France!"

Jennifer, placed in Montpellier

08/12/2017

"Semaine de vacances certes studieuse mais relaxantes/depaysantes avec de jolies rencontres."

Géraldine

07/12/2017

"J'ai passé un mois magique à Séville à la découverte du Flamenco, la ville est super et cette musique incroyable. L'école de Flamenco est une très bonne école, les professeurs sont accueillants ouverts et exigeants. J'y ai trouvé exactement ce que je souhaitais et y retournerai avec joie."

Karine

29/11/2017

"Ce fut une expérience enrichissante de part les cours reçus et les rencontres faites. L'équipe d'Aliore et celle de l'école sur place sont très disponibles et à l'écoute. J'ai atteint mes objectifs à savoir remettre à jour certaines de mes connaissances en anglais et avoir davantage confiance en mes capacités de communication. Je recommande sans hésitation ces programmes. D'autant plus que la ville de Totnes et ses alentours sont très jolis."

Lucile

18/11/2017

"Conversations au quotidien qui deviennent de plus en plus fluides au fil des jours. Des échanges et des discussions sur les différences de culture entre nos 2 pays. L'avantage est que toute la famille en profite !"

Gaëlle et sa famille

31/10/2017

« C'est la première fois que nous participions à des vacances différentes du mobil-home/plage et cela a été nos meilleures vacances. Nos 3 enfants de 4, 7 et 12 ans étaient enchantés et tristes de devoir quitter les familles rencontrées. Le lieu en pleine nature et la région étaient magnifiques, nous avons eu un superbe temps toute la semaine. Merci infiniment à la famille de Rachel et Bruno pour leur accueil, leur bonne humeur et le temps qu'ils ont passé avec nous. Merci également à la famille américaine exceptionnelle que nous espérons aller voir très vite ! »

Flora et sa famille

25/10/2017

"This program is excellent! The advance materials were clear and helpful. It is very useful to have the structure that Aliore provided for the program, so that everyone understands expectations, etc. I was very happy to see the followup questionnaire after one week with the host family, and the final program evaluation that I am now responding to. This program offers an excellent opportunity to learn french--and, more important, I think, to get to know more about french people and french culture. My particular host family was absolutely wonderful! We had a lot of fun. They were extremely generous with their time and attention. I will always feel a great deal of gratitude and affection for them. I hope that the relationship continues! Accommodations were great, too. And the town of Annecy along with the region around the town.(lake and mountains) were spectacular."

Jeanette, USA, placed in Annecy

25/10/2017

"I valued very much Soizick's manner and prompt communication throughout the time of organisation. I was extremely fortunate to have a truly lovely and open-minded family. I believe this was the foundation of an excellent experience."

Cleone, South Africa, placed near Nîmes

24/10/2017

"I could not have been placed with nicer people. The children and I had a good time together and I feel that they improved their English too. The parents are special people and I feel that I have made new friends. The greatest barriers for me was my fear of trying to speak the language and getting myself out and about on my own using the language. I feel that I over came both of these barriers. I am already thinking about my next trip."

Laurel, placed in Arleux

11/10/2017