Farmstay offers an opportunity for students to enjoy the countryside, and experience farm life. The Farmstay Programme gives international students the opportunity to do this, and to get a “natural” Canadian experience.
In Farmstay, students are placed for a 2 to 4 week period at a farm in the wilderness of BC, Alberta, Ontario or Quebec. There, they live with a family and assist in the day to day upkeep of their family farm. Students see the great outdoors, get up close and personal with animals, and try Canadian food, fresh out of the ground.
Farmstay gives students an added opportunity to practice their English or French in a real social context.
Sample Placements:
Vegetable / Fruit Farm: small farms specializing in mixed vegetables or fruits, includes orchards.
Arts/Crafts/Artisanal Food Processing: Farms specializing in production of small craft foods or craft products like certain types of jam, or specialized lamb, or heirloom vegetables.
Mixed Farms (animals and produce): These are typical “family” farms that students would be used to seeing in TV programmes and movies. They include a small collection of animals, and a medium sized patch of crops.
Ranches: Cowboy placements, usually done on a small guest ranch, occasionally done on larger cattle ranches. Students must have experience with horses.
Vineyards: Small hobby vineyards producing regional wines.
Sample Work:
- Gardening
- Harvesting
- Caring and Feeding for Animals
- Cleaning / Maintenance
- Household accommodation duties
Key points:
- Unpaid
- Visitor visa
- Includes room and full-board accommodation
- Includes one-way bus transportation from city to host farm. For any placements out of province, students will receive a $50 transportation subsidy.
- Placements available in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver
- All placements are isolated, far from cities, and students will not be able to commute from a city to their farmstay
- Minimum placement is 2 weeks
- Maximum placement is 4 weeks
- 15 to 25 hours per week
- Students must be registered at least 6 weeks in advance of their placement start date
- No minimum or maximum number of study weeks
- Placements are not available in December and January
- Requirements:
- Low-Intermediate level of English or French
- 19 years and above
- Students must be physically able to perform farm work. This includes being able to lift at least 20 kg.
- No allergies to animals, wild grass or pollen
- Application for Farmstay Programme must be received at least 6 weeks in advance of desired start date.
- Step 1: Student completes application indicating type of placement and length of stay. Student must make more than 1 choice of farm type.
- Step 2: Consultation with the student.
- Step 3: Student is matched with a farm and is sent a Farmstay Profile and a bus ticket with instructions.
This programme will surely complement our EC Montreal students’ studies while giving them an experience of a lifetime! Join our English classes in Montreal and experience our lovely countryside!