Read Becca Lloyd's story

Why did you choose your destination?

I wanted to spend my year abroad working as I felt it would give me a better chance of improving my French. I chose to work as an English Language Assistant as I was interested in teaching as a career. 

Immersing into the French culture

I made a big effort to get involved in the French market culture instead of shopping at the supermarket. I didn't work on Wednesdays so it gave me a chance to wander round the market each week, try to chat with the stallholders and diversify my fruit/veg/fish/household goods vocabulary.  

I made friends with the baker at the local boulangerie which definitely had its perks (hello delicious pastry freebies!). I would also regularly visit the butchers to buy meat and eggs. One time when I was leaving I dropped my box of eggs which splatted on the floor. The butcher called out, 'c'est une omelette!' but was kind enough to send me away with another box on the house.  

It could have been easy for me not to make the most of this as I was only in France for 8 months, but going along to the markets made me see how important it is for the community and helped me to feel more connected to the people living around me. 

People can make your time abroad special

I had two mentor teachers at the primary schools I worked in. I was pretty nervous about going abroad as I lived at home with my parents for uni and had only been to France a handful of times before.  

My mentor teachers supported me throughout my time there and felt like family members by the end. It was really interesting to hear about their experiences of learning English and I was grateful of their patience with my French! They also supported me with developing engaging lessons for the pupils and invited me out for meals and trips. 

The success of exchange/placement experiences really does depend on the kindness and support from people you meet there, and you often don't realise how much of a difference it makes until you're home. 

Becca Lloyd

Life changing experiences

Going abroad can be challenging, scary and overwhelming at times, but it is completely worth it for the valuable, life changing experiences you get. I made me realise just how much I was capable of and my confidence in myself and my language skills improved immensely. I would recommend everyone to consider spending time abroad as part of their education or career. 

Current opportunities

Find out about funding for study and work abroad via the Turing Scheme.

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