French Lessons in France
When you volunteer at La Giraudière you will receive a French lesson one day each week during your stay. The lessons are carried out by English speaking qualified French teachers.
Many volunteers and interns have profited by the French lessons provided but also just as important is the opportunity to become involved in rural French life which the different programs at La Giraudière provide. If you are wondering whether it is worth your while to learn French then please read the articles on this website by following the links below and decide if learning French is for you.
Practice your French by volunteering
How the programs at La Giraudière can help you learn French. Whether you arrive at La Giraudière as a volunteer in France or as an intern in France, apart from the French lessons offered, both programs will present you with occasions to practice your French. Yes, real life situations; but only if you want to, there is no pressure. Here are some examples of how it as worked at La Giraudière:
Monday and Thursday evenings in Brossac village there is a meeting of the Brossac Olympique boules or petanque club, and by the grace of La Giraudière, the group is invited to participate. These are great occasions for you to meet and converse with the locals, all of whom have different French dialects and accents. By your third week you will know the first name of many of the players; you will know where in France they are from; and they will know you because you will have to tell them. But not to worry; there will be someone to help if you feel you lack some vocabulary or the confidence to converse.
The Brossacaise love to show foreign visitors how to play boules, and typically it is the winner who pays for the verre de vanquer (a glass of wine costing 50 centimes). So even if you lose, you win; very French.
Learn French – Live France
Monday morning is market day at Chalais and Tuesday evening is the weekly shopping trip for the LG group. Both are great occasions to practice your French. Just imagine this scenario: you are going to the market town of Chalais to purchase some fresh produce for the week for the group at LG. The first difference is it is in kilos and litres, the second you will be paying in euros, and the third is you have to get it right or everyone back at LG will go hungry! But don’t worry, there will be someone with you to help if you start to falter.
The supermarket will also present new challenges, such as you will need how many centimes for the chariot! Or at the checkout the cashier may say, “votre carte videlity svp,” or maybe, “il doit étre pesé et le prix.” But again, not to worry, help is at hand.
I hope from these examples you can see the difference between learning French in school or university and learning French in France, whilst living and working there. All the programs and projects at La Giraudière will offer you the chance to either learn or improve your knowledge of the French language, and most important of all, to improve your confidence in using the language. Here is more information about How to Learn French. All you need to decide now is when you can Volunteer in France and we look forward to seeing you at La Giraudière.
In a special report produced by “Forbes 2000,” it has been shown that 3 out of the top 50 companies in the world are French. They are: 15. Total France Oil & Gas; 17. BNP Paribas France Banking; and 28. AXA Group France Insurance. Read just why French Important Language to learn.
If you are serious about your career, international business, export or you are a serious traveller, then French should be a prime candidate. Remember that 29 countries in the world have French as their second language.
Acknowledgment of help from the following: The Forbes 2000 Report; Will Smale, BBC News and Wikipedia.org. and the volunteers and interns from La Giraudière and The Académie Française.
The dates for 2025 Summer program are presently
26th June 2025 until 30th September 2025
The recommended volunteering period is 3 weeks but you can apply for any length of stay during the 2025 program dates.