Cheltenham-based inlingua offers high-quality language training, specialising in teaching English as a second language, offering home stays with host families to foreign students while they learn.
Host families don't just help students improve their English language skills through conversing with them, they also help students from other countries learn about British life and customs through sharing meals together and enjoying social activities, when they're not in class.
They can also earn between £170 and £245 per student, per week, depending on the type of home stay they can provide to students, with self-catering, half board and full board options available.
SoGlos spoke to three of inlingua's host families about their experiences.
Cally has been hosting students since 2013 and says she has loved nearly every minute of it.
'I am on my own but that gives me more time to interact with the students. I have sometimes catered for three students from different countries and find it fascinating to learn about their cultures. I provide half and full board where needed. Some students stay for three months and some for only a week. I treat all students as if they are family members.
'The students and I have had many laughs over the years and I have had lots of lovely comments in my visitors book. I hope all the students who come to me have enjoyed their experience in England as much as I have enjoyed having them to stay with me.'
Ruth hosted a teacher from Italy for a week, providing breakfast, a packed lunch and an evening meal during his stay.
She described the experience as positive and said that being able to exchange conversation about different cultures and finding out about Italy were the best bits. She also really enjoyed involving her student in her family's social life and hobbies, as well as hearing about his work, family and way of life back home.
She said: 'Leonardo's English was excellent, but we enjoyed teaching him some English slang and sharing a sense of humour! Mealtimes were the most fun as he was keen to try everything and even liked a pasta meal we made - a bit scary cooking pasta for an Italian!'
Julia also hosts inlingua students at her home, providing a single room to an individual student along with breakfast and an evening meal. She has been a host for around 18 years and has welcomed students from many countries, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, South Korean, China and Japan, with students of all ages from 16 to 65 staying anywhere from two weeks to months at a time.
She said: 'My main reason for hosting students is that I have found it interesting meeting people from other countries and hearing about their various customs and their culture. I have also enjoyed teaching them about British customs.
'I have enjoyed helping the students with learning English and it's been great to see them improve and grow in confidence.
'The best bit for me is when I take the students out to visit places of interest. I find that they usually love going to the Cotswolds and it's lovely to see their faces light up when they see all the beautiful scenery around here and they are able to take photographs.'
inlingua is currently on the lookout for more local host families - for more information, visit inlingua-cheltenham.co.uk.
