It can be daunting planning a year abroad during your degree. Ideally, before you commit to a whole year, you would know what it is like living in your country of choice and have at least a working knowledge of the local language. But that isn’t always the case; which is a shame because you could, in essence, ‘try before you buy’ with a short Lingoo break.
Staying for a few weeks with a local host family gives you access to friendly local people who are there to help you learn or improve your language skills. And unlike a traditional holiday, you’ll get an insider’s taste of the local culture. This can help you become oriented to your new environment quickly and gain a better understanding of whether or not you’ve made the right decision. If you like what you find, you’ll be off to a great start on your third year abroad and have already established new friendships in the host country.
Of course, who you stay with is very important as you will be living with them in their home. All hosts provide accommodation, meals, language support and a friendly welcome. But to help you choose the right host for you, all Lingoo hosts provide a detailed online profile of themselves, which you can search without being a Lingoo member here.
Each profile includes photos of the host’s home, themselves, other family members, (sometimes their pets), and the room where you would stay. It also provides a detailed description of their interests and lifestyle - from sports and hobbies to diet and religion. This makes it easier to find someone you could easily get along with.
Before you book, it’s also a good idea to read reviews from other guests and contact the host to get to know them first. You can do this through our secure internal messaging system as well as on skype. This helps both parties establish a relationship before deciding to go ahead with a booking. After all, there is nothing worse than that awkward moment when you first knock on your host’s door to be greeted by a stranger. But by getting to know them first, it’s more like staying with a friend.
It’s also important to state that all of Lingoo’s host families have been through a stringent validation process carried out by the Lingoo team. So you know they are who they say they are.
And lastly, here’s another idea for a third year abroad. Do you think you could offer language support yourself? If so, you could spend your year abroad as a Language Au Pair.
You don’t need any teaching qualifications. Working as a Language Au Pair is a new approach to working holidays for anyone aged between 18 and 27 who is unmarried and has no dependants. Just like the short Lingoo stay described above, you choose who you stay with based on detailed online profiles. As a Language Au Pair, you pay your travel costs but you can stay in the homes of local people for free, in exchange for teaching them conversation skills in your own language.
It’s an opportunity to travel, work, and gain valuable experience, as well as insights into another culture. You can find out more about working as a Language Au Pair here .
