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MONEY COMMENT
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A few months ago, a flyer was popped through our letterbox asking if we'd be interested in housing a young, foreign student from the local language school for the occasional week or two. As my husband and I are vaguely investigating the idea of moving to France when we eventually reach our sell-by-date, we thought it might be fun to have the odd French person to stay so we could pick their brains about life in La Belle France. So we got one. A Parisian. She arrived last weekend, she's 15 and she's truly delightful. She's respectful, polite and particularly helpful when it comes to clearing away the dishes. According to the local language school, she also thinks we're Absolutely Fabulous! Which is nice. All we have to do (in exchange for £15.75 a day) is to talk to her in English, feed her in the evening and pack a lunchbox for her for the following day. So, is it worth it? After a week of her delicious presence, I'd have to say no. I must admit here, that we don't have children. But we've had plenty of lodgers in the past so we're used to other people sharing our home. However, lodgers tend to be grown-ups who go out to work, pay their rent and toddle off out with their friends for the evening (if you choose carefully). In other words, lodgers are self-sufficient (and you're allowed to make a free £4,250 a year out of them without having to worry about paying tax). We're discovering that it is a different thing altogether when you are in loco parentis and entrusted with a 15-year-old whose parents have paid vast sums of money to ensure their daughter is staying safely in a family environment in a foreign country in order to be intensively educated in the Art of the English Language. It's not about the money. We weren't after that in the first place although, I suppose, we assumed it would be a bonus. What's really hard about it is that we feel completely responsible for her well-being and all that that entails – and we're just not used to it. It's actually quite tiring having to speak English in a very clear and careful way all the time to make sure she understands us and that she's learning – although goodness only knows how tiring it must be for her having to constantly speak and comprehend a foreign language. But what do we do with her after supper? We've taken to ferrying her around in the car to her friend's house in the evening or, alternatively, feeding and entertaining her friend at our house, just to ensure that she is happily occupied. It also means we can have a bit of a break from speaking English really really slowly! I suppose what I'm saying is that, while we can cope with lodgers from time to time, foreign students who can still be classed as minors are not for us - however delightful they are. But for parents with teenagers who are used to dealing with their funny little foibles, I've no doubt that it can be rewarding – financially and personally. Lodgers are easier though!