Biarritz Teens Language & Surf Camp - Biarritz, Basque Coast. France
INTRODUCTION
Exciting French summer camps for teenagers offered by Biarritz Teens Language & Adventures Camp! If you are looking for a summer camp in France with a difference, consider the program offered by a language school. Our young learners’ courses offer the unique combination of French language courses in France for teenagers and exciting sporting and outdoor activities.
Courses are available to youngsters from 15 to 17 years old and typically run for two weeks. These summer camps in France are ideal for active teenagers who wish to improve their French language skills and have a lot of fun at the same time. The program comprise a varied program that balances learning with recreation.
So, in the morning, participants attend intensive French language lessons. Learners are divided into groups according to their linguistic ability, ensuring that each receives the tuition and attention appropriate to their learning needs. The afternoon is filled with various sports activities, excursions. These include traditional sports such as basketball, tennis and golf, as well as more adventurous activities such as tree climbing, kayaking and mountain biking.
A popular location with teenage language learners. Combine your French studies with an Activities or Surfing course. Students love the easy access to golden beaches. Spend two to three weeks during the Summer break learning French with a group of International students. This trip allows you to bring one or more friends, or go it alone.
What is certain is that you will not be alone in Biarritz, or during travel . When it comes to flights, we don’t book them for you, so you can arrive the day you choose. We set up a transfer from Biarritz airport, where you’ll be met by your host family (who have been chosen carefully) and our Staff.
THE ACCOMMODATION
Host family Accommodation
Host families are chosen by us and offer students the chance to experience the culture of France. We are aware that accommodation is one of the most important factors of your stay and their selection process is rigorous.
One of the main criteria for selection is the host family’s enjoyment of hosting a foreign student and a willingness to improve a student’s spoken French. So take full advantage of your stay with them by practicing the language as much as possible. Who cares if you make mistakes!
MEALS
The host family will provide breakfast, lunch (generally in the form of a picnic meal) and an evening meal, each day. Breakfast: Remember French breakfast is a light meal, so don’t expect a fry up! Generally speaking, it will be a coffee or chocolate drink and a roll or croissant. Lunch: The hosts will give you a lunch box meal each day to take into school with you (but you eat with the hosts at the weekend). Evening Meal: The main meal of the day, eaten with your hosts.
BEDROOM
There will be a bed, sheets and covers, pillow, closet space and you will have access to a desk or a table (which may be in another room). Towels may be provided for use in the bathroom but it is generally advisable to take your own, as they can be rather small and useless by UK standards! You will be sharing a bedroom with another student (same gender, different nationality) unless you specifically request to be placed in accommodation with a friend who books with us at the same time as you.
BATHROOM
Please be considerate, in many houses the supply of hot water is limited – therefore do NOT use an excessive amount of hot water.
LAUNDRY
Your hostess will provide bed linen. hostess may be prepared to a little light washing for you (especially if you are tidy) but they don’t have to and they certainly won’t do a stack of washing on demand!
VISITING FRIENDS
Should you wish to invite a friend to the house, please ask your hostess’ permission first (and do not expect her to feed them). It is not customary for guests to invite a friend from the opposite sex into their bedrooms.
DISTANCE OF COLLEGE
All families are located in Biarritz residential districts, but if not within walking distance, they will be within an easy bus ride of the school.
THE ACTIVITIES
French Language Lessons
Intensive French language lessons. Learners are divided into groups according to their linguistic ability, ensuring that each receives the tuition and attention appropriate to their learning needs.
Your First Day & Life at the College
ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL
Your hosts will show you how to get to the college from their house on the first morning. You will be expected to report on the first Monday of your course, at School.
You have already completed the language level test on line which enables the teachers to establish your level and the relevant class, prior to your arrival. Morning classes are followed by a break, during which the students generally go outside and have a chance to get to know the other students. After the break, the 3rd lessons is used to ensure the following information is understood properly by the students:
1) general information: family, tel numbers for the urgencies, Biarritz town, the college exits (in case of fire), course schedules, a timetable of the weekly activities giving the hour & the place to meet, plus details on where to go and what to do for those booked in for the Surfing programme.
2) Map of Biarritz. Each student will have to show where their family lives, where the school is located, the “rendez-vous” points for the activities. Each one will have to say the name of the host family and her address!
3) For those students who are + 15/20 minutes walk from the school, Bus passes will be given out. After which the students go back into class for the final lesson of the first day. Lunch can then be eaten at the school or on the beach before you go for your first Activities or Surfing session.
On the first day EVERY student must come out of Biarritz centre, and be BACK with their hosts, NO LATER than 18.00hrs. Each family is required to call our staff to confirm that the student has found his way back to the hosts and that all is well. A new intake day can always seem a little chaotic, the staff will do everything they can to explain where you should be and what is going on, so please be patient, order will prevail!
And remember If in doubt ASK!
TEACHING MATERIAL
The school will provide:-Pens, books, notebooks…
STUDENTS
The students are drawn from European nationalities (mainly British, Spanish, Irish, Swiss, Italian and German) with others joining from all over the world in smaller numbers.
METHODOLOGY
French Only!
Please note that tuition in class and communication out of class (even for beginners and from the first day) will be in French. English will not be used as matter of course (but there is always someone at the college who can speak English, should there be an emergency).
Motivation!
The atmosphere in the classroom is generally informal, however students need to be prepared to work hard and participate fully.
Lesson structure
The lessons are a good balance between conversation, grammar, reading, listening and writing. Although this is an academic programme, the emphasis is very much on the pleasure and benefits of learning another language. The aim is for students to return home positively motivated and eager to continue making linguistic improvements.
Teaching Aids
A selection of material other than grammar and exercise books are available for the teacher’s use and these can be supplemented with additional material (according to the group’s linguistic capability) as needed i.e. films, newspapers, advertisements, texts on current affairs and topical issues.
Homework
Students will not receive homework assignments to be completed in their free time.
Evaluation
At the end of a course, students receive a teacher’s evaluation concerning the students’ general participation in the class and the level of French attained during the course.
COURSES
Minimum course duration: 2 weeks – 16, 20, 24, 26 lessons x 45 minutes duration per week. Lessons taught: Monday to Friday- 9h00 to 13h15. Although this is an academic programme, the emphasis is very much on the pleasure and benefits of learning a language.The goal is to ensure you return home positively motivated and eager to continue improving, once home.
-Additional classes can be booked as a mini group session on Morning or afternoon.
FRENCH COLLEGE PLUS POINTS
-20 years experience of teaching French has enabled the college staff to develop a detailed and effective methodology.
-The college grammar books have been specifically designed for each level offered and are provided free of charge to everyone for a practical and personalised experience. Learning and revising grammar is guaranteed on a daily basis through written and oral exercises. -Each day one lesson will involve carefully selected texts concerning; social issues, civilisation and history. Each topic covered is accompanied by teacher initiated questions as the basis of discussions and debate in class.
-Carefully designed educational supports enliven the oral classes, (tailored and adapted to meet different language level needs of each class) dependant on the students current experience, to facilitate expression and oral comprehension, whilst strengthening written language skills.
-A professionally designed range of audio-visual data, exploring everyday life situations: at the market, in a restaurant, in the family etc. to ensure authentic language skills needed for day to day life are covered.
-A relaxed and vibrant classroom atmosphere to encourage everyone to get involved in the teaching sessions through role-plays, discussions and real life simulations.
-Phonetic corrections are made by the French native speaking teachers throughout the language course addressing the needs of individual students, according to their level and progress, within the group context. -Each student will be tested prior to departure, by written and oral assessment and will be issued with a certificate of achievement.
COLLEGE STAFF
Patrice DUVERT General Manager
Marie DUVERT Founder
Thierry BOUSQUET Educational Director
Michel PERRIN Activities Manager
THE TEACHERS
All teachers in the school are French nationals with French as their mother tongue, many of them have lived and taught French abroad and speak several languages, therefore relating easily to different cultures. With their enthusiasm and spontaneity, they guarantee lively and effective lessons! Should you have any queries or need any advice whilst in Biarritz please talk to the school office.
THE COLLEGE
Students will enjoy spacious classrooms and excellent facilities in a pretty residential part of Biarritz with easy access to the beaches and town centre. The college is a self-contained college just a 8/10 minute walk from the centre of town. The College offers 10 bright and spacious classrooms, a computer room, Students kitchen, a big lounge, a meeting room…you can really enjoy improving your French.
Surfing
French and Surfing includes:
- French lessons
- Four surf sessions (1 session is 1h30) per week
- It is possible, one excursion (Bayonne, Saint Jean de Luz, San Sebastian (Spain) per week
- Surf lessons take place at the Grande Plage
- Variety of high-quality beach breakers and also waves more suitable for beginners
- All Surf Instructors hold a diploma from the “Federation de Surf” to prove competence to teach Surfing
- The team of qualified French Surf Instructors take care of all there students, whatever their prior level of experience
- The Surf staff speaks English & Spanish, as well as French
- Wetsuits and surfboards are included in the course
- There are a variety of boards available from beginner boards to more advanced shapes
Note: The Activities programme cannot be offered in the same week as a Surf course, but students are welcome to book one of each option, on a two week+ course.
Activities
French and activities includes:
- French lessons
- One sporting activity
- One cultural activite
- One French workshop activity
- One excursion (Bayonne, Saint Jean de Luz, San Sebastian (Spain) per week.
Aside from a Surf lesson these may include:
- Beach ball
- Pelote Basque
- Basket ball
- Body-boarding
- Hiking
- Swimming in a sea water swimming pool etc.
- You will also get opportunities to spend time at the beach.
Cultural activities An organised visit to:
- a local rugby match
- the chocolate museum
- the cinema or going bowling together as a group.
For those less actively inclined the region offers superb sight-seeing opportunities and in order to provide students with the maximum benefit from their time, we organise a range of guided tours and trips.
Students will be informed of the activities on offer for each week and may sign up for them in advance. Depending on the programme you book
LOCATION & GETTING HERE
Location
Biarritz Teens Language & Adventures Camp is in a popular location with teenage language learners. Students love the easy access to golden beaches.
With its long sandy beaches, Biarritz offers endless possibilities for the water-sports enthusiast. The Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne (BAB) is situated on the Atlantic Coast, in the south west of France in the Basque Country. The area is a very attractive holiday destination because of its diversity and its nightlife! Inland, Bayonne offers a beautiful riverside setting, medieval old town, famous gothic cathedral and great shopping.
Biarritz, just south of Anglet, is a surfers paradise and offers a wide range of daytime holiday activity possibilities and good nightlife, while Anglet is also a surfer´s paradise and for its famous beaches.
Getting Here
YOUR JOURNEY TO BIARRITZ
Transfer service
For students staying with private households, the transfer service is offered for arrivals at either Biarritz Airport or the Railway Station and operates for arrivals on Sundays and departures on Saturdays between the hours of 12.00noon and 18.00hrs.
The two-way transfer is arranged by your hosts, free of charge and we recommend all our students take advantage of it unless you are being dropped off by car by your parents. Either way, remember to return the completed travel online form (Link in your confirmation email) as soon as possible. You will be collected from the airport or station by your host family and taken back at the end of your course.
Remember: Don’t worry! There are rarely problems with transfers so do not worry, we have only given you this information as insurance against the unexpected situation.
Travel to Biarritz by air
The majority of students arrive by plane at Biarritz Airport. At present the only direct flight to Biarritz from the UK is operated by Ryanair, there is also a good connection from Dublin with Ryanair. You can also travel by air via Paris where there are daily direct flights to Biarritz operated by Air France from Orly or Roissy Charles de Gaulle airports.
- SWISS AIR Geneve/Biarritz
- RYANAIR Londres/Biarritz -Brussels/Biarritz -Dublin/Biarritz -Stockholm/Biarritz
- AIR FRANCE Paris/Biarritz – Marseille/Biarritz
- FLY BE Compagnie Birmingham/Biarritz – Bornemouth/Biarritz
- EASY-JET Londres/Biarritz – Paris/Biarritz – Lyon/Biarritz
- SAS SCANDINAVIAN Copenhague/Biarritz – Stockholm/Biarritz
- VOLOTEA Lille/Biarritz – Strasbourg/Biarritz
Travel to Biarritz by plane and train
Alternatively, you can take a flight to Bordeaux, Pau, San Sebastian (Spain) and then the train to Biarritz Station. The train journey to from Bordeaux to Biarritz takes one and one-half hours and your host family will collect you at Biarritz station. We have a transfer service From Bordeaux Airport to Bordeaux the main station. Our correspondent in Bordeaux will by you a train ticket to Biarritz and stay with you till the train departure. The transfer will be around €80.00 for a one-way trip. On request, our transfer service can pick up students to Bordeaux airport, San Sebastian or Pau airport and drive you to your host family
Travel to Biarritz by car
Arrival by car with parents Students arriving by car with parents are expected to make their own way to the host accommodation and should arrive between 6.00 am 8.00 pm.
Before your departure
Thinks you must consider:
Travel arrangement
Please organize your travel to France as early as possible (this is particularly necessary for the summer when flights are always busy). If you have any queries about arrival and departure times we are happy to discuss the best options with you. As a rule, it is best to arrive in the early afternoon on Sunday, this gives you plenty of time to settle into your accommodation once you have arrived in Biarritz.
Insurance
You are not covered either by the College for insurance in any form. It is essential that you have some form of cover. Should you wish to take out alternative insurance for your programme we are happy for you to do so but PLEASE you MUST take out insurance cover prior to leaving the country. Please REMEMBER to take your policy document with you to France. We have a multi-risk policy that covers participants as part of its “group” contract which covers responsibilities related to activities, – the people who make up the group, without any nominative list being required: administrators, employees, volunteers, children and adults, participants in activities, – the assets belonging to or made available to the group, – it provides global cover through five guarantees adapted to the needs of the group and its members.
Personal money
This will obviously vary according to your own needs, but we suggest that approximately €100.00 per week should be allowed to cover the cost of snacks, etc…The College will not change money for students and recommends that you exchange your money for euros prior to departure from your Country
Passport-Visa
If you are a citizen of the European Union you will need a passport to travel. Please ensure that it is in a date prior to departure, and, (if you are not a citizen of the EU), it will remain valid for a period of 3 months beyond your departure date If you are not an EU citizen you may also need a visa to enter France. Please check with your nearest French Consulate for advice. On the first day of your arrival, your passport will be taken into the care of the course organizer to avoid loss or theft. As you are required by law in France to carry some form of identification please make & bring a copy of your passport.
Photo
We would like you to send a photograph of yourself because we need to ad it on your emergency file and so that when you are met on arrival, your family know who they are looking for. The easiest option though is to forward a jpeg file of yourself.
Speaking French
Ensure you are prepared mentally before you even get on the plane or train. Language learning is a gradual process, requiring a lot of practice. This includes making errors and being corrected. Don’t hold back and wait for that magic moment when you think you will be able to speak perfect French, without practice, that moment will never come!
Assessment Test
It is imperative that you complete the -Test de Niveau- The best way of allocating the students into the correctly graded classes is to ask you to complete the test without help from anyone, including a dictionary! It is not obligatory to answer all the questions. If you don’t know the answer, leave it and move on to the next question. It’s really not daunting so please don’t worry. We recommend that you do this three to four weeks before your course start date. Don’t forget (or we’ll be ringing you up and chasing you to do it)! If you did not send your test before your arrival, you will have no books to follow French courses
Cancellation
Cancellation information is indicated on “Terms and Conditions”
GOING OUT PERMISSION – LIABILITY – MEDICAL RELEASE
After the booking, you will receive a confirmation by email with a personal link to complete the online test, fill out the Under 18s form and send us your flight details.
What to bring with you to Biarritz
- Sufficient personal money for the duration of the course
- A couple of passport photos
- Passport
- Return ticket
- Passport copy or identity card
- Insurance documents
- EHIC Card (if European)
- A good alarm clock
- Beach plus: bath/hand towels, Suntan lotion (high SPF), Sunglasses, Swimming gear, Insect repellent cream, Waterproofs and hiking shoes
We wish you a very pleasant and successful stay in Biarritz and a safe journey. Have a fabulous time in Biarritz and try and speak as much French as possible, at all times!
PRICES & PACKAGES
Ages
From 15 to 18 years old
For kids 12 – 14 years old only without accommodation
Dates
From June to August
Accommodation is from the Sunday prior to the course start date until the Saturday after the end of the course
Price
1065 eur Per person per week
Inclusions
√ Accommodation full board host family only in Biarritz
√ French courses 20 lessons
√ Surfing Lessons: four surf sessions (1 session is 1h30): After studying hard in the classroom, students get to have some fun in the sun either learning to surf or brushing up on their surfing techniques.
√ 1 excursion per week: Charlie chocolate, Beach, Bike excursion, Excursion Bayonne, Surfing museum, Cup Cakes, Surfing, San Sebastian, Oceanographic museum, Acrobatic trail, Rafting, St Jean de Luz
√ When you arrive at the Biarritz airport, the host family will greet you at the passenger arrivals gate with a sign with your name on it.
√ 24/7 support
Optional
Bus Pass: 10 EUR/week
Extra Night: 45 EUR per person
5/10/20 Private French lessons (one to one): 250 EUR/500 EUR/1000 EUR/week
Transfer one way from San Sebastian airport/train station – 40 EUR per person
Transfer round trip from San Sebastian airport/train station – 80 EUR per person
Transfer one way from Bilbao Airport airport/train station – 200 EUR per person
Transfer round trip from Bilbao airport/train station – 350 EUR per person
Important Information
- We have been professional for teenagers for 40 years. We pay particular attention to the well-being of our students. We know our families perfectly and I am sure that everything will be perfect for your child. If something is wrong, we will talk with your child and change the family to make it a pleasant stay, but I don’t think it will be the case.
- The children are not accompanied by monitors all day long, for example after the surf lesson they will return to their family with other students from the school but there will not be a monitor systematically with them. On weekends they will be able to leave their family’s house and go for a walk alone …
- Please do not forget to send us your full travel arrangements at least 2 weeks before your arrival.