Cultural immersion Homestay in the USA

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Total immersion in the United States

Total immersion enables you to make progress in English by naturally developing ease and fluency in speaking. As well as simply practising your language skills, it allows you to discover the culture of the country from the inside, the way of life and customs of its inhabitants, and to share authentic moments with your host family.

Communication and exchange are key to the success of this stay, as are open-mindedness and the desire to adapt to another way of life.

This option is therefore recommended for young people who are sufficiently independent, sociable and open-minded. To facilitate integration, it is also recommended that you have studied English for at least 3 years and have a level that allows you to communicate and exchange ideas.

In the United States, the tradition of hospitality is deeply rooted in the culture: families are volunteers and receive only a small contribution towards their expenses. They want you to share their culture and discover your own, and expect you to make a real investment in the experience.

You will live with a family and share their daily life.

It’s important to understand that the main motivation for signing up for such a stay is to accept the discovery of a family whose habits and daily routine are different from your own.

The participant’s adaptation and commitment are therefore crucial to the success of the stay

Host regions

The families live within a radius of around 2 hours’ drive of the cities listed below:

Colorado : Denver (DEN) ; Illinois: Chicago (ORD) ; Kansas/Missouri: Kansas City (MCI) ; Texas: Houston (IAH) ; Tennessee: Nashville (BNA) ; Utah: Salt Lake City (SLC) ; Washington state: Seattle (SEA), Spokane (GEG)

East coast: Philadelphia (PHL), Richmond (RIC), Washington DC (IAD)

Length of stay: 2 to 6 weeks, except for Chicago and Washington DC, maximum 3 weeks and for Philadelphia and Richmond, maximum 4 weeks

Minimum level of English: B1

Benefit from group or individual tuition in the sporting field of your choice, supervised by professionals and in the company of young Americans. A perfect opportunity to practise your favourite sport while improving your language skills and discovering a new culture.

We organise your travel arrangements, whether by car pooling or public transport, to make it easier for you to take part in the activities.

Our programmes are available in a number of American cities, including Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City and Seattle, each offering different sporting options.

Various Programme Options :

Basketball
Mountain biking
YMCA Youth Camps
Space Camp (only available in Denver and Kansas City)
Fishing
Golf
Gymnastics
Horse riding
Ice skating
Paddle, Kayak
Climbing
Skiing, Snowboarding
Soccer/Football
Surf Camp (only in San Diego)
Tennis
Other options available on request

Take part in our Individual Arts Programme and explore your passion for the arts alongside young Americans. This stay is a unique opportunity to develop your artistic talents through individual or group lessons in the artistic field of your choice.

We organise your travel arrangements, whether by car pool or public transport, to make it easier for you to take part in the activities.

Programme options: Dance, Theatre, Music, Visual Arts, other options on request.
Locations : Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City.

Our Individual Stay Leisure Programme offers a wide range of relaxing and leisure activities, ideal for meeting young Americans and sharing moments of conviviality.

We organise your travel arrangements, whether by car pooling or public transport, to make it easier for you to take part in the activities.

Programme options: Leisure centre (swimming pool, gym, indoor and outdoor pitches), Amusement park, Water park, Skateboard or BMX park, other options on request.
Locations : Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Richmond.

The American Buddy Programme allows you to spend time with a young American your own age. An exceptional opportunity to experience everyday life in the United States and make unique friendships.

Activities: Shopping, swimming, discussions, sports and other leisure activities.
Frequency: 1 to 4 times a week, approximately 3 hours per meeting.
Responsibilities: Admission or transport costs related to the chosen activities are the responsibility of the participant.
Locations : Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Spokane.

This option is ideal for integrating into the host community and making a useful contribution to community life by volunteering with an association or non-profit organisation. It’s also a good way of meeting people outside the host family and practising your English with people of all ages.

You can choose between 5 to 10 hours or 11 to 15 hours of “Community Service” per week (to be indicated at the time of enrolment)

Host regions:

Families live within a radius of approximately 2 hours’ drive of the cities listed below:

Colorado: Denver (DEN) ; Kansas/Missouri : Kansas City (MCI) ; Virginia : Richmond (RIC) ; Texas: Houston (IAH) ; Washington: Seattle

Length of stay: 2 to 6 weeks, except for Richmond, maximum 4 weeks

Minimum level of English: B1

You will have a zoom interview with our American partner to assess your level of English and discuss your project.

Examples of volunteering:

Options vary according to the specific needs of a community at the time of the participant’s stay. Participants should be open to suggestions.

The sectors involved in volunteering may be: Community Organisations, Agriculture, Arts and Culture, Forestry, Historical Interpretation, Parks and Recreation, Tourism.

Here are a few examples of organisations where participants have carried out voluntary work : soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food banks, retirement homes, children’s camps, park beautification (cleaning, signposting).

This option is designed for serious, motivated students with a good level of conversational English who want to discover American business culture in a professional context.

The “work placement” is in one of the areas listed below, depending on your qualifications. It is unpaid.

The tasks assigned are varied and depend on your age and level of study. The learning process is as follows:

“Business shadowing: observation
“Assist”: active participation in a professional project in your chosen field
“Administrative”: basic office tasks that are an integral part of any professional life: computer input/encoding, photocopying, file management, telephone, etc.

Level 1: corresponds to 18-20 year-olds or students who have not completed their 1st cycle of higher education (2 years). The aim is to understand and acquire American business practices

Level 2: for over-20s who have completed their first 2 years of higher education. You will be able to choose the professional field best suited to your university course.

Sectors of activity

Arts and culture	Community services	Information technology** (IT)	Design
Education** (in French)	Agriculture and livestock	Information media and communications** Marketing	Marketing
Office operations	Translation	Tourism

**Sectors open to students who have completed their first 2 years of higher education

Length of stay: 4 to 12 weeks

Entry requirements:

To apply, it is essential to have the following qualities:

A clear career plan
A good level of English (particularly comprehension and oral expression)*
A professional attitude and appearance
An interest in American culture
Ability to adapt to and respect the family’s way of life
Flexibility and enthusiasm

* You will have a zoom interview with our American partner to assess your level of English and discuss your project and experience.

Suggested regions:

The families live within a radius of approximately 2 hours’ drive of the cities listed below:

Colorado: Denver (DEN) ; Kansas/Missouri : Kansas City (MCI) ; Washington state: Seattle (SEA) ; Virginia : Richmond (RIC) ; Texas: Houston (IAH)

Transport to the company is the responsibility of the student.

Families live within a radius of approximately 2 hours’ drive of the cities indicated in the programme descriptions, regardless of the option chosen.

For total immersion programmes, the host families do not necessarily have children of the same age as the participant (some may have left home). However, they will do their utmost to put you in touch with teenagers in their area.

It’s important to understand that the main motivation for signing up for a stay of this kind is to accept the discovery of a family whose habits and daily routine are different from your own.

The participant’s adaptation and commitment are therefore crucial to the success of the stay.

Travel arrangements

The airport of arrival depends on your choice of destination. We will let you know when our partner confirms your enrolment.

You should expect to arrive and depart between 8.00 and 20.00 local time.

If you wish, we can book a return flight to your chosen destination. Your booking request must be made when you register. There is a €50 booking fee for this optional service.

If you wish to book your own flight, please wait until we have confirmed availability and dates before booking your ticket.

Documents and insurance

An individual passport valid for more than 3 months after the date of return for European Union nationals
The ESTA form is compulsory for all travellers to the United States. It must be completed at least 72 hours before departure by following this link.
Travel insurance (medical assistance/accident/repatriation/RCI) is compulsory for entry into the USA.

Langues Vivantes offers optional travel insurance specially adapted to young people’s stays abroad. For details, click on our travel insurance.

If you are a citizen of the European Union, no visa is required for this programme.

Dates & Prices 2025

Dates 2025

To register :

at least 2 months before the desired departure date for total immersion programmes and the community service option
at least 3 months before the desired departure date for the “Business Education Experience“programme. For stays of 7 to 12 weeks, the deadline for arrival is 15/06. It is not possible to do a work placement during the Christmas period from 15/12 to 03/01.

No arrivals or departures are possible between 03/07 and 07/07 inclusive, the bank holidays period.

School holiday dates vary from region to region. To make sure that young Americans are on holiday, here are the possible holiday periods by region for young people under the age of 18:

Destinations	Arrival	Departure
Chicago, Illinois	14/06	25/08
Denver, Colorado	02/06	10/08
Salt Lake City, Utah	14/06	17/08
Kansas City, Missouri	02/06	10/08
Seattle, Washington	30/06	01/09
Spokane, Washington	22/06	01/09
Houston, Texas	02/06	10/08
Nashville, Tennessee	02/06	01/08
East Coast	Arrival	Departure
Richmond, Virginia	14/06	10/08
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	26/06	10/08
Washington, DC	12/06	10/08

Chigaco and Washington D.C. regions: stays of 2 to 3 weeks

Richmond and Pennsylvaniaregions: stays of 2 and 4 weeks

Other destinations : stays of 2 to 6 weeks

Prices 2025

Rates (host family placement, meals, standard round-trip transfer, and all administrative fees included)
Program	Total Immersion (14-18 years)	Community Service (16-21 years)
Duration		5 to 10h/week	11 to 15h/week
2 weeks	€ 2.060	€ 2.320	€ 2.395
3 weeks	€ 2.290	€ 2.615	€ 2.700
4 weeks	€ 2.525	€ 2.910	€ 2.995
5 weeks	€ 2.750	€ 3.200	€ 3.295
6 weeks	€ 2.930	€ 3.440	€ 3.560
Additional American Buddy Sessions	1 week	2 weeks	3 weeks	4 weeks
1 meeting per week	€ 280	€ 315	€ 375	€ 430
2 meetings per week	€ 315	€ 385	€ 475	€ 570
3 meetings per week	€ 375	€ 475	€ 580	€ 710
4 meetings per week	€ 430	€ 570	€ 710	€ 875
Business Education Experience (18-24 years)
Duration
4 weeks	€ 3.480
5 weeks	€ 3.720
6 weeks	€ 3.755
7 weeks	€ 4.315
8 weeks	€ 4.425
9 weeks	€ 4.770
10 weeks	€ 4.975
11 weeks	€ 4.965
12 weeks	€ 5.485
Additional Transfers
Round-trip transfer East Coast Regions & Chicago	€ 120
UM* Supplement	€ 170
*Students traveling with the airline's "Unaccompanied Minor" service

Rates include:

Family search and selection fees
Shared or single room, full board
Placement in a non-profit organisation/business (Community Service or Business Education Experience)
On-site assistance and monitoring by our local partner
All administrative costs
Return transfer from the designated airport

Not included:

Return travel to the designated airport
Local transport costs (Business Education Experience programme, between US$10 and US$25/day)
Meals taken outside the host family, for example on outings
Travel insurance: medical assistance/accident/repatriation (compulsory for travel to the USA)
Cancellation insurance

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