Nick, Lafage, France

Your host

Nick and Gemma

My name is Nick and I have been teaching languages since 2009. I first taught English when working in France as a student and then went on to teach French, German and Spanish as a secondary school teacher in the UK. When I moved to France, I continued to teach whenever possible, both English to French students and adults as well as French to English people living in the area. I feel that learning and speaking multiple languages puts me in a great position to find the best way for my students to acquire new language skills and overcome any difficulties they have in learning English. I make my lessons as varied as possible to develop the full range of skills required to speak and use English effectively.

I always invite inputs from students to adapt and change my lessons wherever they feel that something would work better for them or want to try a new approach. I also endeavor to link any work we are doing to real-world situations or something that is of personal interest to my student. When not teaching lessons, I love being outside and would encourage students to join me in exploring the local area or maybe even creating something in our large vegetable garden. My wife Gemma is also a former language teacher with experience in teaching English, French and German. She currently works as a travel agent for a UK based holiday company. On evenings and weekends, we visit local attractions, go walking in the mountains/local countryside or enjoy cooking something delicious at home.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel is an adventurous boy who loves riding his bike, playing football and helping out around the house. He attends creche in the nearby town of Belpech four days a week.

The home

We have a large house in the centre of the village that was once the mairie and school. We bought the house in 2016 and fully renovated the first floor to create three en-suite double bedrooms. There is a garden overlooking fields to the back of the house and a large, bright living and dining area downstairs where lessons can take place.

Location

Lafage is a peaceful village 15 minutes from the tourist hotspot of Mirepoix in Ariege. It is also 15 minutes from the A61 motorway at Castelnaudary and 35 minutes to the nearest airport in Carcassonne. Toulouse airport is around 1 hour away.

Things to do

Lafage is a lovely rural village which is perfect if you enjoy walking or running. Nick does a lot of cycling and the roads around the village are great to explore by bike.

They are well placed to visit some of the biggest tourist attractions in the area. Mirepoix is a short drive away with its pretty medieval centre, variety of restaurants and busy Monday market. Carcassonne is just over half an hour drive from Lafage and its walled City is a must see if you are new to the area. To the south, the mountains provide a beautiful backdrop to most drives and walks in the area and there are many opportunities for short and long walks when the weather is nice.

Local amenities

Restaurants, Cycling

Other details

Wifi throughout the house, double room with en-suite bathroom, smokers not accepted, garden. They have a cat that has access to the downstairs living area only (not to the bedrooms).

Other languages spoken

French, German, Spanish