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Success! How French As You Like It Made A Difference in This Expat’s Life

 

We are excited to share the French language success story of one of our students, James. James, who hails from Australia, arrived in Paris in 2014, unable to handle basic transactions in French or hold a conversation. But thanks to FAYLI that has changed…

 

My wife Lily and I moved to Paris from New York City in August 2014 after my wife received a job transfer.   Lily is Parisian and her family is here, so it felt like a good move for us…except that I spoke hardly any French.

Why I chose French Lessons with French As You Like It

As part of my wife’s transfer, I was entitled to have a year’s worth of French lessons. So, when we arrived, I started Googling “private French lessons in Paris” and came up with FAYLI. The structure of the classes and flexibility appealed to me, so I signed up for trial lesson to see what it was like. And I thought it was great!

After my trial lesson, I learned that my wife’s company only paid for lessons with one specific French language school, not FAYLI.   But I enjoyed my trial lesson with FAYLI so much – and the teacher that I had worked with, Blandine – that I decided to go ahead and continue taking lessons with them. Now I study both with FAYLI and the other organization, even though I pay for FAYLI lessons on my own.

What I Like Best About My FAYLI Lessons

My lessons with Blandine are mainly conversational, which is perfect for me. We spend a good chunk of the lesson talking about our respective weeks. This is probably my favorite part of the lesson, as one of my main goals is to improve my conversational skills. She’s extremely patient with me, which I appreciate since I don’t have a lot of time to study outside of class and forget some of the things we discuss.

I also like that Blandine writes down any concepts or words I’m having trouble with during the lesson on a separate sheet of paper. It’s helpful because I can file these papers and use them for revision. That was one thing that made me decide that I wanted to pay for lessons with her even though I had the free ones.

How I’ve benefited from lessons with FAYLI

Thanks to my lessons with FAYLI, I’m definitely progressing, although only now am I beginning to get any real speed in my learning. That’s because when I first started my lessons, I was overwhelmed with the move, having a new job and living in a new country. But I see myself reaching my goal to be conversant within the next year or two.

Already, I’ve been happy to engage in some decent conversations in French at parties with my wife’s friends. And now I can handle myself around in Paris so much better!

For example, when we first arrived, my poor wife had to handle all the red tape and administration of the move to Paris. I couldn’t help at all. But recently, we had some important things we needed to send by post and I was able to communicate fully in French all the things we needed to the post office workers. I was so proud to successfully navigate that transaction. I couldn’t have done that last year. I’ve definitely got more confidence speaking in public because of my lessons with FAYLI.

Why I recommend lessons with FAYLI
French As You Like It is a great class, especially if you want something tailored to your needs and schedule. Out of all the places I investigated, French As You Like It seemed the most willing to suit your timetable. They’ll even go to your apartment. I definitely recommend it for someone who needs flexibility with work or family life.

Also, it’s more personal than other schools. With FAYLI, I always work with Blandine. I can tell her my needs and she can monitor my progress. It’s all tailored for me. 

I really like that.

Want to take a private French class tailored just for you?  Contact us today!