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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to let 16yo DD travel to France for a summer school?

28 replies

scrattlepigeon · 14/03/2016 12:39

Our DD wants to carry on learning French in the 6th form and is really keen to boost her language skills over the summer. She wants to go to a language school in France for a couple of weeks.

She's not keen to go to one of the teen summer language 'camps' where she would be at the older end of the age range and would be under constant supervision from the staff. So, the only option would seem to be a course at a language school combined with her staying with a host family. She'd have to make her own way to/from the language school each day.

Does this sound like an unreasonable arrangement for an unaccompanied 16-year old? She is normally very responsible but hasn't travelled independently before.

OP posts:
araiba · 14/03/2016 12:40

sounds great

MissTessmacher · 14/03/2016 12:42

Sounds fantastic.

I travelled to France alone at 17 to aupair for the summer (was arranged by my A Level teacher). I was utterly terrified before but it was a thoroughly positive experience and really character-building.

Ladycrazycat · 14/03/2016 12:44

I would say it would depend on the 16 year old but i don't see why not. It sounds like an amazing experience.

SohowdoIdothis · 14/03/2016 12:45

Sounds great, just make sure the host family are checked out properly.

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 14/03/2016 12:47

It sounds great! It's good to see her so enthused about learning a language and broadening her life experience

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 14/03/2016 12:48

If she is mature enough to know she doesn't want to go with a big group and stay in a college, she's definitely mature enough to go as an indiv.
Most decent language schools cater for older teens, look for courses specifically for 16+ kids.

Noofly · 14/03/2016 12:48

It sounds great! We sent DS(13) to Panama by himself over the February break. He has a grandfather who lives there but he really doesn't know him at all. He had an absolutely fantastic time and is already hinting at how much his Spanish would improve if he were to spend, say a full summer there...

Firstlawofholes · 14/03/2016 12:50

I did exactly that at the same age and it was great!

Abraid2 · 14/03/2016 12:50

I cannot think of a reason why you would not do this.

SugarPlumTree · 14/03/2016 12:53

Another who thinks it sounds great ! DD went to a language school, but in Japan for 2 weeks after GCSE's with the same set up - host family and getting to the school on transport.

It was such a good experience for her, she grew up loads, it opened her horizons and she made lots of friends.

Drinksforeveryone · 14/03/2016 12:53

That sounds great.

Even if she isn't a very mature 16 yo right now - she will be so much more confident after looking after herself in a foreign country for a week or so.

Can I go too ? :)

Sallyingforth · 14/03/2016 13:07

What a wonderful opportunity! - of course she must go.

lalalonglegs · 14/03/2016 13:13

I think it sounds a great idea as well. My only suggestion would be that two weeks isn't really very long unless her French is already very good and I would be tempted to see if I could arrange something for a month or so.

aginghippy · 14/03/2016 13:18

YANBU sounds like a great opportunity. Also great that it is dd's idea and she is keen. All good.

TheDrsDocMartens · 20/03/2016 09:32

I'm looking at this for my dd, she would be happy with a course or a camp but the camps tend to have lots of sporty activities which she isn't keen on.

Have you come across any recommendations?

ElviraCondomine · 20/03/2016 09:42

My DD is going to France for a week at Easter for an immersive study week run by English-trained native French teachers - it's specifically for British AS students. It's not cheap but is absolutely what she wanted. She'll effectively be living en famille for the week and all lessons and 'family' activities will be in French only.

The alternative would have been what you're thinking of OP - which we were happy for her to do, but realised that a lot of the language courses and camps had too wide an age range and actually very little formal language tuition. At that age I went several times to stay with families and as a result had excellent teen slang and the ability to negotiate buses and trains with ease but I can't say either really benefitted my academic results directly; sadly with university entry for DD1's chosen course being so competitive she's taken the very hard headed and understandable approach of opting for something that will have an immediate impact on her exam results (with a plan to do something more unstructured like a sports camp later on)

I can let you know how she gets on in a couple of weeks!

Archfarchnad · 20/03/2016 09:50

The only problem would be that she won't learn that much in 2 weeks. Dd1 did a 3-month exchange when she was 15, and she really needed that full time to achieve fluency. She was also living with a family and went to the same lycee as her exchange partner. The French girl also spent 3 months with us. It really paid off: DD became so much more confident and is now floating through her French A-level (equivalent qualification, as we don't live in the UK). Total immersion is more effective than a language school, but what you're planning is better than nothing.

IceMaiden73 · 20/03/2016 09:52

Wow what an opportunity, I would let her go

Is 2 weeks long enough though?

BlueJug · 20/03/2016 09:54

I'd also be interested in recommendations. So many of the camps have an emphasis on sport or a very mixed age range.

As an aside I went to Paris at 16 with a friend. We went over on the ferry, found a hotel and spent happy week sightseeing.Loved it.

mmgirish · 20/03/2016 09:55

Not to freak you out but my older sister had a terrible experience with a host family in France. It was many moons ago mind you but she had to share a bedroom with the whole family! She didn't talk about it when she returned but later made a comment about something to my uncle who then coaxed all the information from her. When my parents complained to the school who organised it, they found out that the family were a last minute substitute family as another had dropped out.

MrsChrisPratt · 20/03/2016 09:57

During university summers I worked at an English language school that had similar arrangements. It is a fab opportunity at that age, most host families will host 2-3 students so maybe ask that she is allocated a host with similar age/gender to give her a head start on building a little social network out there.

FithColumnist · 20/03/2016 10:40

This is an amazing opportunity! Your DD sounds mature enough to know what she wants, and this could be the making of her, OP. Even two weeks of immersion in French will help enormously: it won't get her fluency of course, but the transition between GCSE and AS is a hell of a learning curve, and much of this is to do with confidence in speaking.

TheDrsDocMartens · 20/03/2016 13:40

Elvira who is that with?

ElviraCondomine · 21/03/2016 11:37

Learn French in France.

TheDrsDocMartens · 21/03/2016 15:39

Thanks!