Can you organise your own French exchange?

[purpleroses]

My DS's school doesn't do any kind of French trip or exchange. I think it would be great for DS's French to do one. Is it possible to organise your own? How would I go about it?

DS is 14 (Y9)

I went on One organised through a private company, something like dragons international .twas a couple of decades ago, but there may be similar things around now.

There's a company called Lingoo which do exchanges.

When I was at school, my sister and I did an excahange with 2 French sisters who were the dds of a French Penpal one of my Mum's colleagues had been writing to for years. She'd written to Mum's colleague asking if she knew anyone with 2 teenage girls who might want to consider arranging an exchange, and the match was made

Any chance of coming across someone in this sort of way ? Know anyone in France or have any friends who knows anyone who might ask about. You wouldn't have CRBs etc., but a personal knowledge of a family from someone you know might be more comforting.

I also did a private one to Austria through a company in the third year so effectively yr 9. Again, this was a long time ago!

We did an exchange two weeks each way the first year, and the second year we did three weeks each way with the same family so took the whole of the summer holidays together.

I also did a couple of French and a German exchange through the school. They were a great experience.

Is the town you live in twinned with a French town? You could ring the council and ask if so. I know someone who's daughters both did exchanges this way. Coincidentally the same town where I now live in France!

As a teenager I did one through a friend of a friend. This is a good way if you know someone who knows someone in France. Or ask on the "overseas board" here - there's loads of us living in France.

Thanks all. I've found one or two private companies that seem to help you set up your own exchange online now. Has anyone used any of them? I might try MN overseas board too thanks castle