English teaching help welcome in a co-housing project in Dol-de-Bretagne, Brittany, France

Details

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  Description

  Hello!
  Updated , April 13rd : I am looking for a native English speaker ( or someone who lives in an English-speking country and has a C1 level minimum) in May, August, September or October 2024 (you can stay between 1 week and 1 month ) for 2 main tasks :
  - helping me to prepare the C1 (C1 Advanced of Cambridge University) and share conversation in English with me.
  
  - helping children I volunteer with ( Romario 8 years old, Azra 9 and Keila, 12 year old) in Rennes on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I have plenty of games to teach them English, you don't need to prepare anything. They are very eager to learn. I can organize some activities such as cooking, reading books and plays. I use flash cards to teach vocabulary.
  
  Even if the main help is more or less a conversation in your mother language, it's important for me that you take it seriously. It means you respect the time we talk together every day (about 2-3 hours in the evening) and you leave your phone in your room during this time. I would be happy if you are eager to talk about your country, your culture and various subjects such as the news, your job, your studies, your travels, your life experiences. We can share a game, a song, a movie or a recipe. I hope we could have an intercultural exhange. I do not feel confortable if I am the only one who talk or ask questions. I would like you to be proactive and talkative. I would be very happy if you can teach me expressions and phrases in your language. Hosting native speakers is a precious opportunity for me to progress. I am not eager to host people who are reluctant talking to me or who feel bored listening to me. Even if we do some pleasant activities (cooking, chatting, playing board games, looking at the photo album), it is something serious for me.
  
  The cleaning tasks I ask are very simple : vaccuming (every second day), mopping (once a week) and washing dishes together after the meal. My flat is very easy to clean because everything is almost new.
  
  I live in what we call "habitat participatif" (co-housing). That means that I have my own flat but I am part in a group of neighbours who try to share different things to reduce our ecological footprint as well as keeping each one's private life. First, we share a garden we cultivate together. We have hens (we get eggs) and tortoises. We renovate an old restaurant in front of our buildings in order to create a flat with a kitchen and room to host friends and family. We have the project to create a room with washing machine and perhaps have some cars in common. We try to be as environmental concern as we can : we have composts, solar panels and some of us will have toilet without water (not dry toilet but a new technology called "toilettes à séparation"). There are monthly meeting to take common decisions.
  
  My neigbourhood is composed of 23 flats distributed in 3 buildings. There are families with young children as well as old people. Children often play together outside and some of my neighbours regularly garden together on Saturday morning. We sometimes share lunch or pre-dinner drink in front of the garden when the weather is sunny. Some of my neighbours are close friends.
  
  I live alone in a 2-bedrooms flat but I have a boyfriend. I work with asylum seekers but during my free time, I volunteer with children. I also love playing board games, hiking, cooking, reading novels, watching movies, travelling and learning foreign languages.
  
  I travelled and hosted by Couchsurfing some years ago. I also volunteered through workaway in Scotland, Spain, Poland, Italy, Turkey and Morocco before the covid epidemic. I taught French to children and adults in families or associations. I still have my volunteer profile.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  Creating/ Cooking family meals
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can learn about co-housing and ecological way of living. You will meet a warm and nice group of people. You can learn about how having a good compost.
  You can discover other assocciations (des idées plein la Terre) ecological projects and housing (La Bigotière) around Dol-de-Bretagne. You can connect to people and associations.
  
  You can have a trip in a donkey-drawn carriage.
  
  We can share board games, movies, walks, discussions, picnics.
  
  You can improve your French. I was a teacher, so I can teach you grammar, expressions.
  
  There are many places to discover around : the sea, Rennes, the countryside.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  I would like to host a volunteer to help me in English (advance level) AND help me cleaning the house ( mainly washing dishes, vaccuming and mopping the floor).
  
  Languages : I need to practice English even if I am fluent and I would like to improve my Spanish, and why not discovering a new language.
  
  Depending in my level in your tong, my ask will be different. If I am a beginner, I will ask you to teach me basic vocabulary and sentences in a specific time.
  In Spanish or German, I will ask you to talk to me slowly in your language sometimes in all day life, sometime in specific time each day. I would like you to be patient because I am very slow to make sentences in these two languages, I need time to find words in my memory.
  In English, you can speak your language all the time. You just need to correct my pronounciation and I teach me some expressions. I will ask you to teach me synonyms, to to correct texts I write to prefere the C1 examination.
  
  You are not expected to be a teacher but it is important you like sharing your culture, you are proactive, talkative and curious, in other words, you are not afraid of long discussions (at the same time we can have a meal, go for a walk or cook).
  
  Cultural exhange : I am eager to discover new cultures, sharing recipes, discussions. I am very curious about understanding other mindsets and cultural differences. You could talk to be about your country, your religion, whatever. You can bring movies and games from your country.
  
  Once a week, you can meet the girls I volunteer with (9 and 11 years old) to play with them in English and talk a bit about your country. You can also teach them some words in your language.
  
  I would like you to clean behind you and take part in all day life cleaning, which means washing dishes after the meal, vaccuuming the living-room every second day and mopping once or twice a week . Please cook a meal we can share once during you stay.
  Clean your room perfectly before leaving, please.
  
  It's ok if you smoke but outside only.
  
  My place is suitable for you if :
  - you are interested in foreign languages
  - you love teaching your language
  - you are talkative
  - you are looking for an intercultural exhange
  - you are environmental concern or curious about the way to reduce your impact on the environment
  - you are interested in co-housing
  - you like children
  - you don't mind waking up early on Saturday
  
  This is not a suitable place for you if :
  - you are not confortable talking with one person only
  - you aren't able to wake up early (7.30 am) some days
  - if you don't turn off the light when you leave a room
  - you like partying at night

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  German: Beginner
  Hebrew: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This is the main task.
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  Accommodation

  a private bedroom (10 meters square) with a comfy bed and a wardrobe.
  Bathroom and kitchen are shared.

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  What else ...

  Dol-de-Bretagne is a small town but there are all facilities : food shops, a swimming pool, a library, a cinema, which are less than 10 min walk from my flat. There is a train station in 10 minutes by walking. You can go easily to the sea by train (Saint Malo). We are near Le Mont St Michel, Cancale, Dinan. You can go to Rennes by train too (35 min). From Rennes, there are buses to different towns in Brittany. If you have a car, they are plenty of walks and hike around, along Canal de la Rance, along the sea, in forests.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  4 hours a day, 5 days a week

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