Who we are: We moved to France 15 years ago.  We have three children of our own, Noah 18, Gabriel 15 and Poppy 11. We live in a very rural part of France, surrounded by hills, streams and woodland.  We moved to France for the sunshine and to secure a natural childhood for our children - one where playing in nature was a daily occurrence.  Phil is passionate about wood, although earns his living restoring old houses as a general builder, (his trade before moving to France). Sam is a teacher.  She teaches primary school level with gardening and cooking and secondary to college level with English.

What we do: Although we both work our interest in sharing knowledge and creating a place that can be used for and by anyone or any organization has become more dominant over the last few years. People visiting said how at ease they felt in the area and were able to relax int he natural surroundings. Seeing through her position as a teacher how children are taught English (dominantly as a written language) opened the idea of teaching children English as a spoken language. We learnt French through integrating into the local community and realized that if a language is adopted as a fun, interactive topic rather than book led its far easier and a lot more interesting!

Our vision:  For children to be able to put into practice what they've learnt in school and be encouraged to learn new vocabulary in a family based environment. Each day we run different activities. The activities might be sculpting in clay, face painting, windsurfing or canoeing, paintball or a treasure hunt. Whilst the child is occupied manually the language is absorbed naturally - much like a maternal language is learnt. We want children of any age from 6 to 16 to leave feeling that English is easy and that they can give it a go without being criticized.

Our goal: To make the English language accessible in a fun and enjoyable way.  To build a young persons confidence that they might be able to tackle any new project in the future with the building blocks that we give them.  That we risk nothing by having a go at something. English is becoming more and more a necessity in modern life - our goal is to create a place to spread the language by having fun with it. Language is a living thing, it opens doors and creates opportunities.  We want Pamplemousse Sejours to become synonymous with this concept.

Who are we looking for: We want people as passionate as ourselves about language and children.  People that see that learning whilst young is so much easier than as an adult.  We need helpers to help run the camps and activities with the children and to show them that English is fun!

Why choose us: Because you are a living example of someone using their English language skills to create a new opportunity for themselves.  You can share your experiences, your country and your language tips with children who are willing to absorb life.  Its rewarding for the child and for you.  You may learn new activities, experience cultural differences and live in a beautiful part of France for a few weeks.