A language exchange can be an educational and rewarding experience for you and your child, as you exchange culture and language with a child from a different country from your own. School facilitated exchanges were once a staple of the language learning process, taking the pressure off parents to find a suitable family to connect with. However in recent times school language exchanges have been in decline, with just 39% of schools now operating an active program. This decline in supply, alongside the continuing demand, was the inspiration behind the creation of the Lingoo platform. It is this need for tailored immersive experiences which drives its growth. Here are some of the reasons that families are choosing Lingoo to facilitate their language exchange:
Ability to Use Own Criteria To Find An Exchange
Unlike school exchanges, through Lingoo parents and children have the opportunity to find a family that suits their needs by taking schools out of the equation. Instead families find each other via the database in our platform using the criteria most important to them.
No Commitment Until You Are Ready
Traditional school exchanges could see children matched without any involvement from the child or the parents, who would also be expected to host a stranger in their home for up to a week as part of the exchange. With the Lingoo platform, two potential exchange families can use our secure messaging platform to talk to each other and confirm whether an exchange will work. The two parties can then use this to arrange details and keep in touch confidentially in the run up to the exchange. You commit only once both parties are happy with the exact details of the exchange.
Flexibility
School-led language exchanges typically take place at a time choreographed by the schools, who arrange transport and time out of the curriculum. This gives parents little flexibility, which is particularly problematic for the part of the arrangement where it is your turn to host a child. With the Lingoo model you arrange the time that suits both parties, which could be during the school holidays so that no classroom time is lost.