Features

TourMaG – You are the founder of Anglais in France, but before that you were a teacher. What was your journey?

Jennifer Laur : The path is fairly straightforward. I hold a licence in English and civilization, then I worked as a teacher, both with the national education system and at the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, this led to the creation of Anglais in France in 2008.

TourMaG – How did the idea of creating this agency come about?

Jennifer Laur : With my family, we were host families for English girls coming from a Welsh secondary school. I really enjoyed welcoming these girls into our home and I found this work very interesting.

My mother was in contact with someone who had set up an agency in Versailles, and I already found that sector interesting. Then, with the rise of the Internet, I thought it was the right moment to take action.

TourMaG – At what point did you realize there was a real market?

Jennifer Laur : Being a former civil servant, I didn’t really think in terms of a market. I mainly aimed to do something enjoyable for myself and to please people who wanted to learn English differently.

I also wanted to enable English speakers, mostly British, living in our rural areas to share their culture and their new life in France with the residents of their host country.

TourMaG – Your concept is unusual: 100% English… but in France. How does it work?

Jennifer Laur : The starting idea was to allow French people to connect with Britons living in France who hold a qualification to teach their language. As a teacher, that pedagogical aspect seemed essential.

The goal is to live an “English way” of life without crossing the Channel. These British families also understand cultural differences very well since they themselves are immigrants in France. They know how challenging certain situations can be when you don’t fully master the language or the cultural codes.

TourMaG – Do you address both young people and adults?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, absolutely. The stays start from 12 years old and go up to 80, including students and professionals.

TourMaG – Do you learn English just as well in France as abroad?

Jennifer Laur : It’s not necessarily the same approach. People who choose our stays often seek something very cocooning. We see more and more young people who refuse to go abroad for a first stay and who prefer to stay relatively close to home.

They need to feel reassured, to know they are only a few hundred kilometers from home and that they will be cared for all week within a family setting. There are no transportation logistics to manage, everything happens within a family environment.

TourMaG – What new features are you launching this year?

Jennifer Laur : We have launched a second-year internship called “Bridge’nWork.” It allows high school students to come to our agency in Vazerac, in Tarn-et-Garonne, to practice professional English.

They meet British partners with whom we work daily and discover how Britons build their activity in France: administrative difficulties, language barriers, but also the entire Anglo-Saxon culture of associations.

For example, we have 100% English-language charitable bookstores or associations devoted to protecting stray cats. All of this associative fabric around animals is very developed in the United Kingdom and also represents an interesting cultural contribution.

TourMaG – And for the younger ones?

Jennifer Laur : We have also created a mini summer camp in Vazerac, with a maximum of six youngsters and a native English-speaking animator.

There is always equestrian activity, English outings, and a very rural, family setting. It’s designed for youths who don’t yet feel ready to go abroad on a full family immersion on their own, and who want a first step before a more intensive stay.

TourMaG – CPF training programs are now capped at 1,500 euros. Is that a barrier for you?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, clearly. It compels people to fund a larger portion of their training themselves. We can offer shorter trainings, but it’s a pity because a full week yielded very good results.

We already have an advantage by offering immersion in France. The trainers must have an activity number and be based in France. If they are not auto-entrepreneurs or micro-entrepreneurs, they must hold Qualiopi certification, which is very challenging for language schools located abroad.

TourMaG – Does offering stays in France shield you more from the current geopolitical context?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, without a doubt. We haven’t seen a drop in demand; on the contrary, we think it could rise this year.

Our clients look for something very specific. The market has matured: people know exactly what they want and what they don’t want. Usually, when they contact us, they book a stay.

TourMaG – Yet the language-stay market has struggled since Covid…

Jennifer Laur : Yes, the sector is generally struggling, but it depends a lot on destinations and the types of stays offered. We are in a period of transformation. Young people may want something different today, and we must reinvent the language stay of tomorrow.

TourMaG – How do you specifically imagine the language stay in ten years?

Jennifer Laur : Very honestly, I don’t foresee it clearly. We discuss this a lot with my colleagues at UNOSEL, and it’s hard to project. Everything evolves very fast, just like travel agencies or tour operators. We must stay attentive to market evolutions and try to sense where the wind is blowing. Today, projecting ten years ahead is difficult.

TourMaG – And how do you see your company evolving?

Jennifer Laur : We picture ourselves remaining a two-person team. We don’t aim to expand the agency beyond measure. The idea is above all to continue doing what we enjoy and to satisfy our clients. We like developing new products to adapt to the market, but we want to stay in France, notably to preserve the closeness with the host families we meet in person every two years. Human quality and tailor-made experiences remain essential for us.

TourMaG – Are your clients loyal?

Jennifer Laur : Extremely so. Today we welcome younger siblings, cousins of former participants, and the like. Families find us mainly through Google and increasingly via AI. But more than anything, people want to speak directly with the founders. They seek that human contact.

We simply explain what we do, and if they connect with the concept, they book a stay.