French Courses for Irish Leaving Certificate Students

We’re often asked whether we arrange courses for young Irish students who are preparing for the Leaving Certificate.  As we are based in the UK, it’s a common misconception that we only arrange courses for British students.  This definitely isn’t the case!  We have a large Irish client base – so much so that we have a dedicated telephone number for our Irish customers (01 6950417).

All our courses are suitable for students at any stage in their education.  Participants will take a level test prior to starting the course which makes sure they are placed in a group with students of a similar ability.

We do, however, have a dedicated French programme in Nice for Irish high school students who are preparing for the Leaving Certificate.

The programme combines 20 general French lessons per week (maximum 10 students per group) with 6 special mini-group lessons (maximum 5 students per group).

All lessons follow a very communicative approach – the language of study is the only one spoken in the classroom, and students spend a lot of time speaking and listening to each other and the teacher in order to perfect their conversation skills. Of course, reading, writing, and grammar are also covered, but mainly through practical usage rather than lots of blackboard- or book-work.

General lessons are open to students of all different nationalities and ages, although the level test will ensure everyone has the same French ability.

Mini-group lessons (taken over three afternoons) are reserved for oral and written Leaving Certificate exam preparation.

This course starts every Monday, and can be taken from one week to four weeks (or incorporated into a longer programme).

In addition to lessons, our school also arranges a regular activity programme including various social, cultural, and sporting activities.  Some activities are included, while others cost a little extra.

For accommodation, we can arrange a stay with a local host family, a fantastic option for students wishing to immerse themselves in the language and local way of life.  Your carefully-selected host family will collect you from the airport on arrival (transfer on departure is not included), and will provide a half-board meal plan throughout your stay.  If you have any allergies, dietary requirements, or medical conditions, please mention these at the time of booking.  If you are travelling as a group, we can arrange for two or three of you to stay together (we wouldn’t recommend that any more than three students stay together – if there are four members of your group, we’d recommend you stay with two separate families).

All parents will be asked to complete a parental permission form specifying whether they would like to impose a curfew or not.

Our French school in Nice welcomes lots of teenagers each year, and our colleagues are very experienced in welcoming and supporting young students.  Although this is not a fully-supervised programme, and students are expected to behave in a mature and responsible manner, staff are always happy to answer a question or make recommendations for places to visit.

We hope this information will be of interest!  Similar courses are available in other locations as well, so if would like to discuss the options available we invite you to contact us by email or telephone.  We look forward to hearing from you!