What to expect from the trip

What to expect from the trip?
How are host families selected? What should I expect of my child’s host family?
What is to expect of a residence accommodation?
How are the meals going to be? What happens if my child has a special (medical, religious or other) nutritional need?
What are the rules my child will have to abide by during his/her program?
How much free time will my child get during his/her trip abroad?
How will my child be supervised during his/her trip abroad?
How much will my child’s language level improve during his/her trip?
Who are going to be the other participants during my child’s program?

How are host families selected? What should I expect of my child’s host family?
We believe that the success of a stay abroad largely depends on the quality of the host family. Our local coordinators carefully select and visit prospective host families.
Our host families are:
• Warm, welcoming & open minded,
• Proud to share their lifestyle & language,
• Willing to include an exchange student in their family & community,
• Aware that today's youth need to be world citizens.
Sometimes student are hosted in an individual room, sometimes in shared rooms. It depends on the destination and program. However, students of different sex won’t share a room. Generally speaking, there won’t be more than 4 years of difference between two children sharing the same room. In all programs, host families have no duty to organize activities for the student (students must being their own pocket money). Students must be mature enough to get occupied by themselves.

What is to expect of a residence accommodation?
We offer programs with a residence accommodation.
The residence can be the boarding quarters of a school, or a youth residence.
The accommodation may be organized in multishared bedrooms (up to 6 beds per room). Note that the bedrooms may not be locked for security reasons in some residences.
Bathrooms may be common to several bedrooms. Bedrooms and bathrooms are single sex.
A room deposit can be requested by the residence’s representative; this room deposit is given back at the end of the program when no damage due to the participant is noticed.
For some programs like language school, we offer accommodation in residence. Please see the description of the residence on each school’s webpage.

How are the meals going to be? What happens if my child has a special (medical, religious or other) nutritional need?
Generally speaking, participants will get hot meals during their stay when the meals are included in the package. When there are outings/excursions, participants get a cold packed-meal for lunch (if they are accommodated in full board). Exceptionally, when the outing is long, the participants can also get a cold dinner.
The host families and the residence cookers prepare common meals, and will not cook special meals for the participant (except for dietary, health or religious reasons).
Students should be prepared to taste all the food prepared by the host family; host families may feel frustrated otherwise.
Depending on the program, participants are accommodated:
- on a full board basis = one night, with breakfast, lunch or packed meal for lunch and dinner.
- on a half board basis = one night, with breakfast and dinner.
Students developing allergies or who requires special meals for diet or health reasons are requested to mention this on the application form when applying.
Late notices, during the stay, cannot be considered as valid.

What are the rules my child will have to abide by during his/her program?
Depending on the program your child will be participating to, different rules may apply. It can be program specific rules, host family or residence rules, Nacel's rules… You will be informed of the supervision level in your child’s program before departure, or by contacting us.
However, every participant, every group, will be supervised by a Nacel local representative. The Nacel local representative makes sure that the participant is enjoying the stay, and that the host family, the school or the residence’s staffs are also satisfied.

How much free time will my child get during his/her trip abroad?
Depending on the program chosen, your child will have more or less free time. During a summer camp, children’s free time will be the shortest because we organize a complete timetable of courses and activities. On the other hand, during a language school program, student will have free time as soon as he/she is outside of the classroom. Generally speaking, the more independent a program requires you to be, the more free time you will have, even if this rule counts some exceptions.

How will my child be supervised during his/her trip abroad?
Supervision depends on the program chosen.
In some programs, like language schools or home lessons, there won’t be any supervision because these programs are aimed for adults. Students are considered mature and independent enough to be able to go around without any supervision. Of course, if they need assistance, they will be able to contact a local coordinator, but otherwise they will be in total immersion.
On the other hand, for some other programs, like summer camps, language courses, homestay programs and high school programs students will be monitored and supervised all day long, and won’t be independent.
For junior programs with homestay accommodation, students will have to respect the host family’s rules. This means that they can be allowed to go out, or may not and that they have to obey to the family’s recommendations for return hours. 
If they are living in a residence, they will have to abide to the residence regulations. Sometimes, parents are asked for a formal authorization to let their children go out by themselves.

How much will my child’s language level improve during his/her trip?
There is no universal answer to this question. The improvement will depend on your child’s program and language learning abilities, and above all of his/her willingness to take the best out of his/her trip. If your child takes his/her trip to heart, he/she will no doubt notice an improvement back home, even if during his/her trip he/she did not acknowledged it. The more he/she will interest himself/herself in the language and try to communicate while abroad, the most noticeable change he/she will see.

Who are going to be the other participants during my child’s program?
In some immersion programs (like homestay programs), your child will likely be alone in his/her host family. In other programs, with various students, they can come from any country. This will promote cultural understanding, and help students to communicate in the host country’s language, since this is the only one they will all have in common.

Booking the trip!
Preparing the trip!
What to expect from the trip?
During the trip!