Language school in Italy - stay at teacher's home. Anyone who has tried it?
Aug 27th, 2007, 08:17 AM
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Language school in Italy - stay at teacher's home. Anyone who has tried it?
I know there are many language schools in Italy as I have been searching the net and this forum.
There is a program called "Live and Stay at Your Private Teacher's Home", and I have not seen any reviews. Has anyone try that or something similar?
I don't want to attend a "regular" 3-4 weeks' course where one attends 3-4 hours school and then the rest of the day you hang out with fellow students or your travel companion(s) and speak English. That would ne just like taking an intensive Italian course here at home.
Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated.
There is a program called "Live and Stay at Your Private Teacher's Home", and I have not seen any reviews. Has anyone try that or something similar?
I don't want to attend a "regular" 3-4 weeks' course where one attends 3-4 hours school and then the rest of the day you hang out with fellow students or your travel companion(s) and speak English. That would ne just like taking an intensive Italian course here at home.
Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Aug 28th, 2007, 12:56 AM
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Hi John - No personal experience - but I'm interested to know more.
Do you have a website for this program?
My cousin (- who teaches English in Italy) - occasionally does the same thing in reverse, i.e. having Italian students to stay for a couple of weeks intensive English.
It can be a very successful approach, I think ...
Steve
Do you have a website for this program?
My cousin (- who teaches English in Italy) - occasionally does the same thing in reverse, i.e. having Italian students to stay for a couple of weeks intensive English.
It can be a very successful approach, I think ...
Steve
Aug 28th, 2007, 05:54 AM
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Hello Steve
There are so many language schools in Italy that it is hard to decide on one. A lot of these schools also have optional homestay programs. Additionally there are also language teachers who offer homestay and they are not associated with any schools.
My heart is in Venice but since I've been there a few times, I also want to spend 3-4 weeks in a place I've never been, such as Sicily and southern Italy. I don't know if it's true but I have been told that people in the south are friendlier and not as reserved as in the north (??).
Here are 3 good sites I found:
1) A good overall site where you can search the type of school and the cities in Italy:
http://www.asils.it/default_en.php
This website lists the Babilonia school in Sicily. Although it is a "regular" language school offering courses of different levels and durations, they also can arrange homestay for students. But the hosts are not teachers - you just stay with an Italian family, and you can tell them whether you want to stay with a family of one person, a couple or a larger family:
http://www.babilonia.it/italian_lang...omodation.html
2) A website on homestay courses, and I especially like the one in Montegiordano (last one on the list):
http://www.it-schools.com/sections/i...ay/index.shtml
3) This last one is good because it also has reviews from students:
http://www.languagecourse.net/templa...ubmit=continue
There are so many language schools in Italy that it is hard to decide on one. A lot of these schools also have optional homestay programs. Additionally there are also language teachers who offer homestay and they are not associated with any schools.
My heart is in Venice but since I've been there a few times, I also want to spend 3-4 weeks in a place I've never been, such as Sicily and southern Italy. I don't know if it's true but I have been told that people in the south are friendlier and not as reserved as in the north (??).
Here are 3 good sites I found:
1) A good overall site where you can search the type of school and the cities in Italy:
http://www.asils.it/default_en.php
This website lists the Babilonia school in Sicily. Although it is a "regular" language school offering courses of different levels and durations, they also can arrange homestay for students. But the hosts are not teachers - you just stay with an Italian family, and you can tell them whether you want to stay with a family of one person, a couple or a larger family:
http://www.babilonia.it/italian_lang...omodation.html
2) A website on homestay courses, and I especially like the one in Montegiordano (last one on the list):
http://www.it-schools.com/sections/i...ay/index.shtml
3) This last one is good because it also has reviews from students:
http://www.languagecourse.net/templa...ubmit=continue
Aug 28th, 2007, 06:10 AM
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Sorry Steve, I just realized that I did not answer your question directly.
The Study and Stay at Your Teacher's Home program is in the third website www.languagecourse.net
if you scroll to the bottom, you will see the link to the homestay program:
http://www.best-language-schools.com...ernational.pdf
Apparently this is a world-wide program offering teachers' homes in different countries (and language tuition). If your cousin is registered with them it may be easier for him/her to be "found".
The Study and Stay at Your Teacher's Home program is in the third website www.languagecourse.net
if you scroll to the bottom, you will see the link to the homestay program:
http://www.best-language-schools.com...ernational.pdf
Apparently this is a world-wide program offering teachers' homes in different countries (and language tuition). If your cousin is registered with them it may be easier for him/her to be "found".
Feb 20th, 2009, 04:04 AM
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John, thanks for bringing up this interesting topic. This is something I would like to do someday. My only comment is to wonder if the Sicilian pronunciation you would hear in someone's home would be very different from the more classic Italian.
Feb 20th, 2009, 05:55 AM
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Hi Eks - From an accent viewpoint Sicily wouldn't be a good choice for a language stay IMO. Much better to stay somewhere in central Italy (- e.g Tuscany) where they speak something close to classic Italian.
JMHO ...
Steve
JMHO ...
Steve
Feb 20th, 2009, 08:34 PM
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I have chosen Florence instead, and will leave in about a week attending the Michaelangelo Istituto, for a 2 week class.
It is not a home stay, but rather attending 6 hours of lessons every day, and staying with a local family (room and full board). I guess it's the next best thing to a "home stay" because honestly I am not too sure about clinging onto a teacher at his/her home all day. This way I still get to practise the language after class, and have home cooking.
It is not a home stay, but rather attending 6 hours of lessons every day, and staying with a local family (room and full board). I guess it's the next best thing to a "home stay" because honestly I am not too sure about clinging onto a teacher at his/her home all day. This way I still get to practise the language after class, and have home cooking.
Nov 27th, 2009, 10:53 AM
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John, can you come back and tell us how your course turned out? I am in the process of researching courses and would love to hear your experience. So far I have looked at the Leonardo school.
Anyone else have italian language school experience to share? I am looking for beginner courses in Florence or environs.
Anyone else have italian language school experience to share? I am looking for beginner courses in Florence or environs.
Nov 27th, 2009, 11:46 AM
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Hello Jen,
I can highly recommend Saena Iulia school in Siena. I don't know if it qualifies as "environs" of Florence (it's a little over an hour from Florence), but it is a lovely city and the school and the teachers are fantastic.
I can highly recommend Saena Iulia school in Siena. I don't know if it qualifies as "environs" of Florence (it's a little over an hour from Florence), but it is a lovely city and the school and the teachers are fantastic.
Nov 27th, 2009, 02:34 PM
#12
I too would like some feedback about this - I'm doing AS level Italian this year and feel that my language skills, especially spoken ones, definitely need this sort of assistance.
have you got a link for the Saena Iulia school in Siena, Cruiseluv?
have you got a link for the Saena Iulia school in Siena, Cruiseluv?
Nov 27th, 2009, 02:57 PM
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Nov 27th, 2009, 03:01 PM
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If you want a hill town, there have been some good reports for Il Sasso in Montepulciano.
http://www.ilsasso.com/eng/
http://www.ilsasso.com/eng/
Nov 27th, 2009, 03:14 PM
#15
oops, sorry cruiseluv.
I'm not sure what AS would correspond to in the US. in the UK it's one level above GCSE which is what [mostly] 16 year olds take at the end of compulsory schooling. as it's a public exam, anyone can take it, including an oldie like me. mostly adults do a course at evening class before the take the exam. [typically 2-3 years before they would do a GCSE in a language] and if you go on further, like I and some others in the class are, the classes get longer and more intense. [3 hours a week plus homework]
the AS level course should take one academic year and, if i pass, can be followed by another year to get an "A level", which would be more literature rather than grammar and language, which is what we are doing now. to give you an idea of the standard being aimed at, A levels are the traditional route into University in the UK, and when i went many years ago, you needed 3 of them to get in.
this is all hypothetical of course - i don't see myself going off to university to study italian!
thanks for the link - I'll have a look at it.
ditto kybourbon - thanks for posting.
I'm not sure what AS would correspond to in the US. in the UK it's one level above GCSE which is what [mostly] 16 year olds take at the end of compulsory schooling. as it's a public exam, anyone can take it, including an oldie like me. mostly adults do a course at evening class before the take the exam. [typically 2-3 years before they would do a GCSE in a language] and if you go on further, like I and some others in the class are, the classes get longer and more intense. [3 hours a week plus homework]
the AS level course should take one academic year and, if i pass, can be followed by another year to get an "A level", which would be more literature rather than grammar and language, which is what we are doing now. to give you an idea of the standard being aimed at, A levels are the traditional route into University in the UK, and when i went many years ago, you needed 3 of them to get in.
this is all hypothetical of course - i don't see myself going off to university to study italian!
thanks for the link - I'll have a look at it.
ditto kybourbon - thanks for posting.
Nov 27th, 2009, 04:24 PM
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Thanks Annhig,
It seems like I have been studying Italian forever but I have never done it in a college or university setting. I think it would be fun to be able to go further and take some sort of literature course but I feel I need to be better for that.
Good luck with your search!
It seems like I have been studying Italian forever but I have never done it in a college or university setting. I think it would be fun to be able to go further and take some sort of literature course but I feel I need to be better for that.
Good luck with your search!
Nov 27th, 2009, 05:29 PM
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We are off next week to the ABC Langauge school in Florence www.abcschool.com . I had my heart set on a school in Orvieto originally, but the sessions did not work out with Christmas and our trip. So, Florence it is where we will do 2 weeks of classes. We don't get back until late January but I will post on our experiences then.
Nov 28th, 2009, 12:03 AM
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PRLCH, please tell us how your course went. I too have been taking adult ed Italian classes in the UK and think that a more intensive approach would help, especially with speaking. The da Vinci School in Siena has an option to stay with a teacher in Viterbo, but it sounds a bit formidable to me.
