Three-quarters of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 want to go abroad, according to a survey conducted by OpinionWay for 20 Minutes. Au pair, volunteering, working holiday permit, Erasmus… Traveling has never been easier. Focus on these programs that help you take the plunge.
The adventures lived internationally form us, both professionally and personally. Learn a new language, enrich a CV, meet new people… There are many reasons that push us to take the plunge and move abroad for a while. In addition to the famous Erasmus+, different programs exist.
Language stay: the à la carte programme
Language stays have become an essential way to learn or improve a language, because they allow you to leave for a more or less short period. From a duration of one week to several months, you are free to decide according to your project. Note that you can leave whenever you want in the year and in your life. There is no age to get started!
A language stay can come in several forms depending on your objective: learning the language, helping to pass a test such as the TOEFL or preparing for entry to a university. You can, of course, just leave by focusing on the leisure aspect.
Once the goal is defined, it's up to you, once again, to decide on your accommodation. Depending on your language level and degree of autonomy, you can head to international residences or choose the homestay accommodation formula, which will be much more immersive.
This program has the advantage of immersing you in the country with other people in the same situation as you, which makes the adventure much less scary. You will probably find yourself in class with people from all over the world. No one knows each other and meetings are often ephemeral, which makes them magical. It is very enriching from a cultural point of view.
Combining the discovery of a country and a city with the learning of a language is a great adventure that will mark you for sure. The only downside: the price of a language trip is high, given the language courses, accommodation, visits, transport … Most programs are relatively expensive.
Au pair: combining theory and practice
Going as an au pair allows above all to enrich your language skills in total immersion. If you want to live the full American life, for example, this is the ideal program. The idea? Living with a family abroad (fed, housed and with some pocket money) in exchange for participation in domestic chores and daytime childcare.
The objective is to be able to live a full-fledged cultural experience in a protected family setting. And yes, you are not released into nature! A good plan at the same time to discover daily life in the dream country.
The stay is a more affordable solution, because the young person is taken care of by the family and even receives some pocket money.
The experience we can gain from this is not negligible. At the end of the stay, you are completely grown, more independent and open-minded. The relationship here takes a very big place. Be careful, however, to choose your host family (mandatory exchanges before to know where you are putting your feet!)
Working Holiday Visa: a first step into the professional world
Travel to countries like Canada, Australia, Argentina etc. While being allowed to work, do you want to?
Aimed at young people aged 18 to 30, the Working Holiday Visa promises to be an extraordinary way to meet a new country for a year. The permit allows you, as the name suggests, to combine work and travel, which reassures our wallet. For the more independent, this program is perfect to soak up the culture and atmosphere of a country.
The France has already signed more than ten agreements for the WHV: in Latin America, Oceania and Asia for the moment. For Belgium, the number is smaller, but still not confined to Australia and Canada. It now has agreements with New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea.
Before embarking headlong on this journey, several points must be taken into consideration: the possible eligibility conditions of the country, the savings requested on your account on arrival, insurance … A lot of paperwork in perspective, but a beautiful trip that awaits you once you arrive there.
In any case, agencies exist to facilitate administrative tasks, but you can of course go alone if you are quite independent on that side. Get started early enough and keep in mind that no matter which program you choose, the experience is unique.
Encounters, memories, breath of fresh air and experience are at the end of the trip. Pack your bags!
