While filling envelopes, packing or telesales have never held great appeal for me, hosting foreign students, for the last eight years has proved to be both enjoyable and beneficial.

I took some talking into before accepting a foreign student in my home but thanks to ‘push going to shove’ (the local organiser was desperate) once we had engaged our first assignment, we never looked back.

At the time our daughter was very young but she took it all in her stride. Now she has a very keen interest in the learning of languages. She is not the least phased by any new person speaking a new language, rather she listens to see if she can detect any words she already knows.

The money from hosting a foreign student has also often come in handy. Expect to earn around £15 to £25 per night for an average home with ‘average’ food. If you are to take the student out during the daytime and ‘amuse’ them, expect a little more; depending on their age it could be from £25 to £50 per night/day.

We have hosted students as young as 8 and these students did require more attention. However, more attention usually means more money.

For mothers who need to be at home because of commitments of children, hosting foreign students is an ideal way to work around and include your children as well as earning some extra money by hosting. Students are happy to fit in with your lifestyle, that is why they are here; to learn about how you live. Some students will help you cook or prepare food though it must never be a chore, after all, they are paying guests.

The trick is to work the visit to your advantage while giving both your student and your family a great time.

To find foreign students to host, you can register for free at www.xilfee.eu

I recently came across a site worldenglishclub which has great resources for learning English and they have several pages dedicated to the use of colour idioms.

The site gives some great tips on how the English language uses colour when describing and I hadn’t thought of how many colours we use either; pink, black, blue, white, red, silver, green and brown. I’m sure there are some I have missed too!

Here is an example from the site (which several can easily be listened to directly from the site);

Kathy and Mary were best friends. One day, out of the blue, Kathy told Mary she was moving to a different city. Kathy’s dad told her this was a golden opportunity for him and he was getting a promotion. Kathy said she begged her dad to stay until she was blue in the face. She was so upset she was seeing red. Kathy only gets that way once in a blue moon. She said we should paint the town red before she leaves.

“Out of the blue” means by surprise, not expected.

• Out of the blue Tom asked Suzie to marry him.
• Jeremy’s promotion came out of the blue.
• Out of the blue Tom said he was leaving.

“Golden opportunity” means an excellent opportunity, once in a lifetime opportunity

• This is a golden opportunity, you should not miss it.
• Carl came across a golden opportunity.
• This is a golden opportunity to buy this house since the price is so low.

“Blue in the face” means make a great effort but unable to succeed

• I talked until I was blue in the face but it didn’t do any good.
• Jeff tried to convince Paul to do his homework until he was blue in the face.
• Paula talked to her son until she was blue in the face but he still didn’t clean his room.

“Seeing red” means very angry or disturbed about something

• Kelly was seeing red when she heard her boyfriend was with another girl.
• The teacher was seeing red when the class all failed the test.
• Mindy was seeing red when she lost her car keys.

“Once in a blue moon” means something very rarely happens.

• Once in a blue moon I’ll go to the movies.
• Cindy wears that dress once in a blue moon.
• The boss will give us a raise once in a blue moon.

“Paint the town red” means to go out and party and enjoy oneself.

• Let’s paint the town red tonight since it’s your birthday.
• I graduate tomorrow so let’s paint the town red.
• Mike wants to paint the town red since he got a job today.

Kathy and Mary were best friends. One day, out of the blue, Kathy told Mary she was moving to a different city. Kathy’s dad told her this was a golden opportunity for him and he was getting a promotion. Kathy said she begged her dad to stay until she was blue in the face. She was so upset she was seeing red. Kathy only gets that way once in a blue moon. She said we should paint the town red before she leaves.
The great thing about this site is that you can also download some of their information on MP3 or play parts on the internet. The voice is with an American accent but non the less, it is a fantastic resource.

There are sections on Articles in English, Grammar, Improve your Business English, as well as a selection of downloadable ebooks and manuals.

For more resources on languages and learning English see also www.xilfee.eu

Learning a foreign language can be a huge boost nowdays when you are looking to find a job. So many companies now need to sell internationally to be able to compete and an employee who can speak and write in languages plus English can be a huge asset.

I am ‘well’ today or that was ‘good’ and generally not the other way around.
Do you say little pronouncing the t’s, or not?
When should you use ‘than’ and ‘what’?

I am frequently going back to my text books to check. And you know what, I’m enjoying it and gaining more confidence when speaking my own language, English.

www.xilfee.eu

If you are looking for some extra income, hosting a foreign student is a great way of earning some money on a regular basis which does not affect your family life; only for the better!

No wonder then that hosting foreign students can be fun!

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Joost is here for several months and is settling in well. He is here as he wishes to improve his English (I’m sure he could teach grammar TO the teachers in some of our schools), never-the-less, his thirst for self improvement (in English) and consistent hounding of my poor, over worked brain, is having an interesting effect.
What a wonderful, dynamic, diverse and at times bizarre language we English speak and it is only when we stand back and see English from a different point of view, we realise.
So many words are spelt differently, pronounced the same. So many words spelt the same, are pronounced differently.

I read on a site today ‘English is a crazy language’. I wouldn’t quite go that far.

Eccentric may be a better way to describe it don’t you think?

www.xilfee.eu for more details