A group are reaching out to families in Yeovil who might be interested in a unique and rewarding experience this summer.
They are seeking families to host Spanish students for three weeks during the summer holidays, from July 23rd to August 14th.
Their program focuses on cultural immersion and language improvement, specifically looking for families with 14-year-old boys and girls to match with their students.
They also have a 12-year-old girl who speaks excellent English but is eager to further enhance her language skills through daily interaction with an English-speaking family.
Why Host a Student?
Hosting a student provides numerous benefits:
- **Cultural Exchange**: Gain insight into Spanish culture and language while sharing your own traditions and way of life.
- **Personal Connections**: Many of our host families have developed lasting friendships with their students, who often return for future visits.
- **Generous Compensation**: We offer nearly double the usual host family stipend, acknowledging the important role you play in the student’s experience.
What They Are Looking For?
They aim to place students in villages or small towns to ensure they have an authentic experience without regular contact with other Spanish students.
This isolation helps them immerse fully in English and adapt to the local lifestyle.
Families who participate will welcome the student as a family member, integrating them into daily activities rather than structured classes or organized social events.
How to Get Involved
If you are interested in hosting a Spanish student this summer, they would love to hear from you. Please contact them at your earliest convenience via email at
info@westcountryhostfamilies.co.uk or by phone at 07723497879.
West Country Host Families is a family business that has been operating since 1962, when the founders, Isabel Ward in England and her sister Julie Franks in Spain, started with a group of five Spanish children.
Julie’s son, William Garcia Franks in Spain, and Isabel’s son and daughter, Mark Fowler and Harriet Haines in England, are now running the business and continue to benefit from the knowledge and experience of the founders.
Most of the children are from the Basque region of northern Spain, but quite a few now join us from other parts of Spain. The children’s ages range from 7 or 8 to 14, though we may also have some older teenagers in the group, too.
They have families who have hosted children for us over long years (and even generations) and they very often have the same child again and again.
Spanish children and youngsters are sociable and gregarious, and host families have found the experience very rewarding, with lasting ties of friendship being formed in many cases.
