FAQ
THE SCHOOL
The school is located in the Marais area and is just around the corner from the Place des Vosges park. There is an abundance of shops, bars and restaurants close by and the nearest metro stations are Bastille (lines 1,5 & 8), Saint Paul (Line 1) and Sully Morland (Line 7).
There are fully equipped classrooms with audio visual equipment, coffee/snacks/lunch area, wifi.
Yes, at least twice a month, after French lessons, FAYLI offers a cultural activity : visit of historical sites and museums in Paris, pique-nique, pétanque, parties (Halloween, Christmas, Carnaval, etc). As you already know, participating in cultural activities is one of the easiest way to learn French in France!
- Age range?
Our student age range is 5 to 80 but on average, in our group classes, the age range is 25-55 but also many instances of younger and older students come to FAYLI.
- Nationalities?
Our students come from all over the world. The major nationalities are American, British, German, Russian, Australian, Chinese, and Japanese, and other European, American and Asian countries.
- How many students?
Typically, we have 20-30 students taking classes on campus and that rises to 60-70 during the June-September vacation period
- Average length of enrollment?
Students taking Private classes normally start with an engagement of 15-30 hours and then add time as and when is required.
For our group classes, typically 2-4 weeks is the initial period that students sign up to study and then decide to continue with morning lessons or choose different evening classes or private sessions
If you are joining our group classes, we ask that you arrive at school 15 minutes before the class begins to check your oral French level before placement in your group. All equipment is provided, including pens, notebooks and folders for your French learning materials throughout your course.to the class.
If you are having Private lessons outside of our school, then we recommend you bring a notepad and pen.
Only on the 25th December and 1st January every year. Private lessons can take place on any day of the week and our group classes take place during public holidays.
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT
Once you’ve made the deposit, we’ll reserve your teacher for you and you’ll receive a confirmation. We’ll then get in touch within a day or two for the private sessions, or the Friday before the first class for micro-group sessions to introduce you to your teacher and confirm your lesson schedule and location.
If you have already registered as a student at FAYLI, then you will not have to pay any registration fees on any future bookings.
CHANGES, CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
Students can exchange their course for a course of similar value. Students who choose to exchange their original choice of course for one of greater value must pay the difference between the two, at the time of requesting the upgrade. Students may also transfer any French lesson credit to a friend or family member if they are unable to use their credit personally within the 12 month timeframe of the contract.
French classes:
Student cancellation of a private French class is only accepted without penalty if made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled start time. If cancellation is received within less than 24 hours, the student will be charged at the regular rate.
b. Cancellation after course has started: If the student is unable to complete the number of weeks of lessons booked, then a cancellation fee equivalent to one week’s course fees will be charged
Each contract shall set the terms of the French course, including start and end dates, rates and schedule. All contracts expire 1 year after the date of your first lesson. After 1 year the student is not eligible to receive a refund for any remaining lessons. FAYLI reserves the right then to cancel a course, to offer alternative dates or venues, and to make changes to course arrangements as required.
PUNCTUALITY & HOMEWORK
a. Private sessions: If your teacher is delayed by public transport and arrives late for a lesson, the time lost will be added to the end of the lesson or to the following lesson. Our teachers will wait for you for 20 minutes from the scheduled start time. If you haven’t arrived within this time, the lesson will be cancelled and unfortunately cannot be refunded.
b. Microgroup: Students arriving more than 30 minutes late will after the beginning of the class will not be able to join that day to avoid disrupting the group.
Private French lessons are sometimes given in cafés or other public places around Paris and other major French cities. When applicable the student will pay for both his and the teacher’s expenses (e.g., coffee, museum tickets, etc.). Students’ expenses for the teacher should rarely exceed more than €5 for a beverage or the entry price of a site.
Students may sometimes request homework or e-homework assignments. The teacher will correct such assignments during class time. If the student requests the homework to be corrected outside of class, the amount of time spent on correction will be subject to an additional fee.
FRENCH PLACEMENT TEST
When students are quite strong in grammar but very weak in oral, we generally put them in lower class level where they can relax and focus on practicing speaking. Even though there may be “nothing new in grammar”, they can concentrate on reinforcing their verbal skills by participating actively in class, remembering the once-learned-but-forgotten vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures. For such students, the objective should be placed on gaining confidence in speaking and improving the balance between their oral/comprehension skills and grammar understanding.
The same thing can happen to a student with strong verbal skills but with a weak understanding of grammar. For example, there are students who have lived in France for a while but with little or no formal French language education. They can speak (roughly) and understand quite well. For them, it is important to acquire the basic rules of grammar in French so that they understand if what they are saying is grammatically correct or not. This will give them a confidence in their French proficiency.
Thanks to our small class format, we can constantly monitor your progress and make adjustments to your class level if necessary.