Irish Intern Chooses France

Posted on July 30, 2019 by La Giraudiere

Sarah, from Wexford in Ireland, decided to take up an internship in France after graduating from Trinity College Dublin.

Internship in France for student from Ireland.

Sarah chose France for her first internship as she has an interest in all things French, she recently completed her French degree and will be going on to do a masters in advertising. Consequently, in addition to improving her French, she will be interning at La Giraudière for one month to see how the working world functions regarding marketing for a non profit organisation.

Sarah discovered La Giraudière while searching the internet for internships which included French lessons. La Giraudière’s internship page promised an unique learning experience with opportunities to acquire new skills. Most importantly, as a recent graduate, it seemed ideal to get practical working experience.

Sarah flew with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Bordeaux. From the airport, she took the public bus to the train station. She gazed out the window and marvelled at the thriving city. During the train journey, she remarked on how beautiful the lanscape of the region, Nouvelle Aquitaine was. After arriving at Chalais train station, Paul met Sarah and brought her to La Giraudière where she met the other volunteers – a Spaniard, a Portuguese and a Russian. They shared dinner made by the Russian, Vladimir and spoke about daily life and duties at the house.

Many students from Ireland have chosen La Giraudiere for their French experience. Read about Mark’s experience volunteering at La Giraudiere here.

Interested in volunteering? Find out more here.

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Volunteers Explore Narbonne

Posted on July 23, 2019 by La Giraudiere

New month, new adventures! After exploring Angoulême, La Giraudière’s volunteers went to explore Narbonne a new region in France. From 17th to 21st June, the volunteers took part at the “Welcome Seminar” in Narbonne, Occitane region.

Volunteers explore Narbonne Old Town
Narbonne Old Town

Explore Narbonne

This seminar is part of the Erasmus+ program and more than 30 youngsters from 15 countries participated in different team building activities, language games and challenges to discover and explore Narbonne!

All the international volunteers from different regions in France explore Narbonne
The international volunteers from different projects in France

The “Welcome Seminar” leaders aimed at helping the volunteers to set their own goals for their projects that they are working on, taught non-formal methodologies to learn French, introduced tools that will support the daily work of the volunteer’s project, answered questions, gave tips about how to explore France and asked about how the projects are going so far.

The seminar and activities were based on non-formal education methodology which is included in the European Union’s 2020 strategy and is valued as a “strong contributor to young people’s access to education, training and working life”. The EU considers that the combination with other forms of teaching and education contributes to enhancing the skills needed such as teamwork and interpersonal relationships.

Volunteers in Narbonne exploring problem solving
Problem solving workshop

During this week, the volunteers also shared experiences by presenting the different projects they are working on, participated in important sessions and workshops of different themes as emotional intelligence and problem-solving, important topics to consider when you are abroad.

Although they worked a lot, they also had the opportunity to make friends and have a lot of fun and the olunteers explores narbonne.

Narbonne Beaches

Volunteers explore Narbonne Beaches
Narbonne Beach

Check it out the must things to do in Narbonne according to our volunteers:
–  Visit the Cathedral
– Have a nice walk next to the channel
– Rent and drive a boat (license not required!)
– Take a picture in the big bench in the Cathedral garden and feel like a child again
– Visit the beaches next to the city and swim in the mediterranean sea
– Sing your favourite song in “Irish Pub O’brians” Wednesday karaoke night

If you are interested in joining the Erasmus group of volunteers at La Giraudière, you can read more about the Erasmus project at Erasmus Project in France or you can visit the International volunteer’s website at Volunteering in France.

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Volunteers hold an Open Day in La Giraudiere

Posted on July 19, 2019 by La Giraudiere

On June 26th, La Giraudière held its open day. The purpose of the event was to discover all the hidden dimensions of entrepreneurship.


Since last May, the association Les Amis de la Giraudière is carrying out the project ”Recognizing Young Entrepreneurs and Teaching Entrepreneurship”. Funded by the European Commission, it gathers five students of different nationalities.

“An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”

The open day began at 2 p.m. with the introduction of the concept of “entrepreneurship”. Hugo Müller, Erasmus student, presented social and commercial entrepreneurship. These two branches are the most important areas of the matter.

Afterwards, Paul Rice presented the project. His speech was related to schools and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the discussion about improving education institutions was present too.

In fact, several media in the area reported on the event, with the assistance of Jean-Yves Delage from the Charente Libre newspaper and Joël Bideau from the Sud-Ouest. If you are interested in those articles, you can check them out here. The mayor of Brossac, Didier Maudet, was also present.

If you are interested in joining the Erasmus group of volunteers at La Giraudière, you can read more about the Erasmus project at Erasmus Project in France or you can visit the International volunteer’s website at Volunteering in France.

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Canadian Volunteer on Sabbatical in France

Posted on July 16, 2019 by La Giraudiere

Edmond came to us from Canada where he had decided to take a years sabbical from his adminstrative job. He was looking for a volunteering role in France where he could immerse himself in the French countryside and live like a local! Although he was not sure what to offer as a volunteer during his three week stay he tackled the garden, some outside jobs, and worked in the office

Edmond lunching with group at Bardenac

During his stay at La Giraudiere Edmond visited many of the local villages and historical sites as well as sampling many of the excellent cuisines and local wines. Day trips to local events and towns are arranged frequently during stays at La Giraudiere.

Edmond with group in the main square at La Rochelle

Like to know more about Canadians volunteering in France at La Giraudière? Check out a previous post on our blog!

Or maybe you are interested in volunteering in France at La Giraudière? Then visit our website at Volunteer in France.

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Vive la France: Saint-Émilion

Posted on July 12, 2019 by La Giraudiere
Grapes in SW France

Is a truth universally acknowledged that every person that arrives à la France needs visiting Saint-Émilion. Situated in Nouvelle-Aquitaine department, this UNESCO’s awarded city it’s the perfect place for living your best life and to witness one of the best landscapes in the region.

Saint-Émilion’s vineyards

Although the distance between Brossac and Saint-Émilion may seem a bit heavy at first sight. Nevertheless, bear in mind that this city is one of the indispensable ones in your to-do list. The way of life of the people and the culture of the site are directly related to viticulture: starting with the magnificent vineyards, continuing with the unique architecture and finishing with the preciousness of its locals.

Rester, c’est exister, mais voyager, c’est vivre.

Are you thinking about spending one day in Saint-Émilion? Here are some tips not to miss anything!

First things first, if you are looking to visit one of the châteaux and enjoy the best wines in France, try to book in advance online or via phone. There are multiple options but bear in mind that for most of them you might need a car or a bike. On the other hand, there is also the opportunity of walking on sunshine. It’s all up to you!

Our volunteers, Laura and Charlotte, visiting Saint-Émilion

Sometimes less can mean more. Apart from the fact of visiting the vineyards, we cannot forget the historical center. For instance, you cannot miss l’Eglise monolithe, la Tour du Roy, le Cloître des Cordeliers or les Lavoirs.

Last but not least, don’t forget your starter pack: sun cream, water and comfortable clothes and shoes. When we travel, we often forget the essentials. Plus, a good camera never hurts!

If you are interested in joining the Erasmus group of volunteers at La Giraudière, you can read more about the Erasmus project at Erasmus Project in France.

Or maybe you are more interested in Saint-Émilion? Then visit a previous post on our blog!

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