Language Magazine goes in search of where French is well said
Paris
Paris, known as the City of Light, is considered by many to be the intellectual and cultural capital of Europe. The city hosts a rich array of museums, universities and international institutions as well as cultural celebrations, festivals and a vibrant nightlife. This majestic and stimulating city truly enchants its visitors and locals with all that it has to offer, making it the most visited city in the world with more than 30 million visitors per year.
The American University of Paris
Founded as a liberal arts institution in the 1960s, The American University of Paris (AUP) is an urban, independent, international university located in the 7th arrondissment of Paris, right next to the Eiffel Tower. AUP welcomes around 1200 students from over 100 different nationalities to its Paris campus every year.
The American University of Paris is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and provides the finest American undergraduate and graduate programs to students from all national, linguistic, and educational backgrounds.
In addition to its 17 interdisciplinary Bachelor’s degrees, the University also offers nine graduate programs at the Master’s level. AUP also offers summer programs that include a seven-week intensive semester, or two three-week French immersion courses. The French Immersion program is an all-inclusive course, with intensive conversation and grammar courses, as well as excursions and meals in Paris that expose students to the French culture and architecture.
AUP offers an innovative pedagogical model integrating classroom learning and hands-on experience that prepares students for both the academic and the professional fields. The University has articulated partnerships with other academic institutions, such as New York University, George Washington University, Emory University, Eugene Lang College of The New School, Cape Town University in South Africa, and the Sorbonne in France, to name but a few.
Escapade Boutique School
Escapade Boutique School, located in the historical center of Paris, offers a variety of FLE courses such as general or intensive courses, business courses, and internships. Students learn French in brightly designed and well-equipped classrooms with a maximum of twelve students per class.
Every week, included with their course, students have a welcome apéro party, one half-day excursion and one evening activity. The school also offers extra-curricular activities and excursions for students to enjoy as well as different accommodation options.
Education en France is a great opportunity for international students to learn French while enjoying their holidays. The package includes French classes, activities and excursions, residence accommodation (or host family in Cannes) in half or full board with Education en France group leader supervision.
The “Academic Year Program” is a fantastic way for students to become fluent in French, sharing the daily life of young French teenagers at a high school and living with a host family. Placements are offered in locations all over France for periods of four weeks to nine months.
South of France
Created in 1931 by Paul Valéry, the Collège International de Cannes is located just in front of the sea on a large campus including classrooms, multimedia library, student lounge, theater, gymnasium, and television room. The lodging facilities include 114 bedrooms, dining room and parking lot. The whole campus offers free wireless internet. The services are for students as well as professionals (courses of French language and civilization, business French, French for Law, specialized seminars) and teachers (educational training courses, Gundtvig and Comenius scholarships). The student activities department offers numerous activities each month (sports activities, guided tours, themed parties). The University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis also runs a journalism school for French students on the campus, which enables foreign students to easily meet French students.
The town of Cannes, with its 70,000 inhabitants, is not only famous for the biggest Film Festival in the world, for its beaches and la Croisette, but it offers also the charm of a town en Provence with its provençal market, the Suquet and its mediterranean port.
Ceran Provence
The Ceran Provence center offers a real cultural and linguistic immersion in the heart of Provence, near Avignon. Tutors are native French speakers — a team of qualified and motivated professionals are here to lead students through various activities, meals, breaks and socio-cultural events, which enables constant exposure to the language. Each day is made up of nine training activities including lessons and guided self-study activities such as workshops, language laboratory, and phonetic training. Each evening, the learning program is supplemented by socio- cultural activities such as role-playing, wine tasting, and a field trip to Avignon. The exclusive use of the target language throughout the day forms the Ceran Provence concept of complete immersion. From breakfast until the end of the evening, students benefit from the constant support of tutors, so students can concentrate on a single objective: communicating in French.
Crea-Langues
Since 1984, Crea-Langues has been offering total immersion French courses with permanent guidance by its qualified and passionate teachers, who provide French practice from dawn till dusk.
The school is located in a renovated 19th century monastery, which offers a warm, hearty atmosphere and delicious Provencal cuisine. The monastery is tucked away in a large estate with gardens, swimming pool, patio, terraces, salons and library. The tranquility and sunshine all contribute to the privilege of staying in this exceptional place. The estate is located at Moustiers-Ste-Marie, classified as un des plus beaux villages de France, in the heart of Provence. The Lac de Ste-Croix and the Gorges du Verdon are at less then six miles away. The school offers a wide range of cultural, artistic and sports activities to aid in discovery of the magnificent region. Classes in mini-groups for adults (max six people per class) enable a personalized approach. The school also offers private tuition, pronunciation workshops and courses tailored to the needs of professionals, as well as special programs for interpreters, teachers and immigrants.
Alps
Institut de Français Langue Etrangère
The IFLE (Institut de français langue étrangère) is located within easy reach of the French Alps, bordering Switzerland and its Lake Geneva. It is also about six miles away from the city of Geneva, headquarters of many international organizations and a historic town where Calvin’s Protestant Reformation was born. Just minutes away from the Alps’ most exiting ski resorts and Mont Blanc, the school is the perfect location for sport lovers, and the breathtaking scenery will surely enchant explorers. The IFLE has received a quality certification from the French State and offers a university-level French course. It can be taken over a full school year or in a summer course. The program follows the standards of the European Common Frame of Reference for the teaching of languages, set by the Council of Europe. For 50 years the IFLE has given hundreds of students the necessary tools to access national and international careers. The mastering of the French language is rewarded by certificates and diplomas delivered by the State Department of Education. The IFLE organizes a number of cultural trips to discover the history of France, its natural regions and its fine arts: the Loire castles, Paris, the Versailles castle, the French Riviera, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Provence and its enchanted scents and colors, Alsace and Strasbourg, headquarters of the European Parliament, the beautiful Haute Savoie and nearby Switzerland.
Centre International de Langue Française d’Annecy
Located in the French Alps, Annecy is an average-sized city (80,000 inhabitants), surrounded by mountains, and renowned for the pure waters of its glacier lake. Annecy is the ideal location to combine study with tourism, Annecy-le-Vieux has a commanding view of the lake, less than two miles from the old city of Annecy. In the afternoon or on weekends, students can water ski or sail on the lake, indulge in the joys of skiing, hiking, climbing or paragliding and discover a region that offers a very rich cultural heritage. CILFA welcomes students from 17 years old and from all levels (from beginners to advanced). There are a maximum of 12 students per class. It offers courses from 15 to 20 hours per week and preparation for the DELF/DALF exams. Some courses are combined with outside activities to discover the surroundings and practice French in other ways. CILFA offers also courses for teachers of French as a Foreign Language in July. CILFA is examination centre for the DELF and DALF exams and TCF and TEF tests.
ISEFE
Located in one of the most beautiful areas of France, on a green, pleasant campus which is a ten minute walk from the center of Chambéry, ISEFE is a university institute specializing in the teaching of French as a foreign language. It also is an examination center for the national TEF, DELF and DALF diplomas from the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During the academic year, it offers a wide range of lessons in general, conversational and everyday French (grammar, syntax, vocabulary), commercial, economic, and cultural French courses, as well as seminars, conferences and workshops in French literature, politics and cuisine. Students are also given the opportunity to attend appropriate courses at the University of Savoie. ISEFE offers many cultural, sporting and recreational activities, where French and foreign students can meet. Students have access to all campus facilities (library, sports hall, restaurants) as well as ISEFE’s own facilities (a library specialized in the teaching of French, a multimedia room, internet and e-mail). Summer school students benefit from the tourist activities and festive events that take place every year in Chambéry and Savoie. The summer school programs include a particularly rich and varied range of extra-curricular activities. ISEFE welcomes younger students from the age of 16 if they come with a responsible adult.
