Frequently Asked Questions
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You may have questions regarding both our policies surrounding lessons, and the practical organisation of our French lessons.
That is why, we have selected 10 key points that our students regularly ask us about before committing to our French lessons.
1- Can I try out a French lesson prior to enrolling ?
We offer a trial French lesson before you commit to a course with us. This lesson will be charged at the regular price with payment made directly to the tutor. The goal of the trial lesson is to ensure that that you are satisfied with the teaching method and that you feel at ease with the tutor.
2 – For how many lessons will I sign up?
Once you have decided to commit to a course with us, after the initial trial French lesson, we offer a regular course package of 10 private French lessons (10 lessons of 1.5 or 2 hours). If however, you are in Paris only for a short stay and only wish to have a few French lessons, we are flexible and can reduce the number of sessions to meet your schedule. If you decide to follow an intensive programme, we can tailor the course to meet the times you are available.
3 – How and when will I pay ?
Payment for the course is due with the first French lesson once you have decided to commit with us after the trial lesson. We accept payment by CC, Pay Pal or in cash.
We kindly ask our learners to pay bank transfer payment fees on their own account.
For students who reserve their lessons several months in advance, we won’t ask you to make a deposit. If however your plans change, we would ask that you kindly let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer the teaching times to other students.
4 – What is our cancellation policy ?
A student must give 24 hours’ notice to cancel his or her French lesson during the working week. If a shorter notice period is given, the lesson will be charged for. So, if you have to cancel or reschedule a French lesson, please let your tutor know by e-mail or text, at least 24 hours in advance, to avoid charges.
5 – Will I have an initial assessment to evaluate my level ?
French à La Carte always offer an introductory and free-of-charge meeting on Skype (Facetime or telephone) prior to the trial French lesson.
This meeting on Skype helps us to assess your current level of proficiency in French based on comprehension and expression skills. In addition, a written test is also possible prior to the Skype session for those who are interested in a more detailed assessment of their linguistic skills: writing, speaking, and comprehension.
The initial Skype session will also give you the opportunity to express your exact needs and goals and will allow us to define a tailored learning programme.
Read our testimonials to see the feedback of students who decided to learn French in Paris with us.
6 – Are French lessons conducted exclusively in French ?
We will obviously mainly communicate in French, however if an English translation of a French word, expression or a grammatical rule is useful to you and helps avoid a misunderstanding, we will then switch into English for a minute or two.
7 – Where will the French lessons be held?
Most of our French lessons in Paris are held either at the student’s home or at his or her office. We also sometimes teach in the suburbs, close to central Paris.
For those who would like to learn French in a Parisian environment, outside these settings, we also offer lessons in very quiet cafés in central Paris.
For our students who choose French lessons in Paris while immersing themselves in the city, courses will be held walking and discovering different neighbourhoods in Paris.
8 – Will I be reimbursed if I decide to stop my French lessons?
If for different personal reasons, you have to leave Paris earlier than planned or if you decide to stop your French lessons, we won’t directly offer a reimbursement but you will have the possibility to continue and finish your contract with lessons on Skype.
Another alternative will be to postpone your remaining lessons for your next stay in Paris (within a 6 month time limit)
Our contracts are valid for 6 months (extended to 1 year to larger volume). After this period of time, the contract is no more valid.
9 – Will you provide an invoice?
As a company, French à La Carte provides a quotation, a contract and an invoice as well as a payment receipt.
10 – Are there any extra fees?
You can sometimes choose to have your lessons in cafés or museums; in these instances, additional expenses such as drinks or museum tickets will be at the charge of the French learner for both the French tutor and the student.