Studying Abroad with a Home Exchange

A home exchange experience can be a great way to study abroad at an affordable price. This is what Anna, thought as she embarked on her first home exchange in order to learn English in Boston.

Anna has been studying English in Barcelona for a long time and last summer she decided to put her knowledge into practice by spending 1 month in an English-speaking country.

I saw the opportunity of home exchanging as a way to travel affordably and improve my English skills, which was the main goal of my trip. So, I looked for an exchange anywhere within the United Kingdom or the United States, and after a few emails, I managed to organize two back-to-back exchanges in Boston for a month.

While in Boston, every morning Anna went to her English classes; then, she came back home for lunch with her fiancé, Miquel. In the afternoon they did some sightseeing together, both within and outside of the city, using the car that they also had exchanged with their Boston exchange partners. While Anna was improving her English, Miquel stayed at home, doing some reading and writing. For them, the formula worked perfectly:

We recommend that everyone sign up for some sort of social activity during your home exchange; this way you have a true feeling of living like a local and also everyone can have their own space and routine.

How did Anna start looking for an English course and found a suitable language course for the exact dates of her stay?

I asked my exchange partners to refer good places to study English in Boston, and they advised me to check out the summer classes available at the Brookline Adult School, a public school located in the neighborhood where they lived. I looked online and saw several language courses and cooking classes, as well as painting, musical instruments, history, pilates, etc. In the end, I chose a specific language course for non-native speakers to improve my communication skills in English.

Boston is well known for being one of the great university centers of the US, and many courses are available with different price levels.

The course I chose costs $280, and lasted 4 weeks with intensive classes every day from Monday to Thursday for 3 hours in the mornings. It was not an official course (those are much more expensive), but rather some practical lessons for foreigners and non-native locals who wish to improve their oral English. Just what I needed!

When we asked Anna if she enjoyed her experience studying English during a home exchange, she could not be more enthusiastic:

I would recommend it to everyone! Learning is a dream that never expires! HomeExchange allows you to make this dream come true exactly the way you want, anytime you wish, anywhere in the world. Thanks to an affordable accommodation, I could invest the money on the course. The money I would have spent on a regular vacation, I invested in my education. The experience was extremely positive. Don’t be overwhelmed by the destination or the course logistics; there are many possibilities out there and many schools prepared for foreigners who stay just for a few weeks. As an example, at the Brookline Adult School, they welcome hundreds of students each week who come to learn for a month and then leave back home. Really, it’s never too late to learn.

Tips to find a course during your home exchange:

Ask your exchange partners. They live there and as locals they know better than anyone else what schools are best and closest to their home. They can even help you get the necessary information from each site if you do not find it on the internet.

Don’t hurry to join the course. In many schools you can sign up until the day before the classes start. Check the internet options and go to the facility that you like in person after your arrival at your exchange destination. This way, you will be able to see exactly how it works, talk to someone from the school, alleviate any doubts you may have and choose the course that best suits your learning goals.

Cooking classes, painting lessons or any other hobbies you may have, can also be a fantastic way to practice a language during your home exchange holiday. Plus, you will meet some locals too!