I came to CILFA equipped only with my very rusty school-boy French. On top of being really good at making the language accessible, all the teachers at CILFA were extremely friendly. The French teaching I received in the few months I was there was really comprehensive and meant I was able to pass the B1 exam. I really enjoyed learning in a very welcoming and multi-cultural environment. Staying in a beautiful city like Annecy combined with time at CILFA it’s hard to think of a better place to learn French.
Je suis arrivé au CILFA avec mon vieux français très rouillé d’écolier. En plus d’être vraiment compétents pour rendre la langue accessible, tous les enseignants du CILFA étaient extrêmement sympathiques. L’enseignement en français que j’ai reçu dans les quelques mois que j’ai passés là-bas était très complet et m’a permis de réussir l’examen B1. J’ai vraiment aimé apprendre dans un environnement très accueillant et multiculturel. Il est difficile de penser à un meilleur endroit pour apprendre le français que de le faire dans une belle ville comme Annecy et en même temps au CILFA.
J’ai bien profité du cours de 11 semaines au CILFA au niveau B2. Trois heures chaque matin pendant la semaine marchent très bien et le cours était à la fois intéressant et varié. L’oral, la grammaire et le français écrit étaient tous inclus dans les mêmes proportions. Mon professeur était excellent, étant très bien organisé et préparé. J’ai aussi trouvé très intéressant d’apprendre à propos de l’actualité et de la culture française, ce dont nous avons discuté en classe. Je pense que la taille de la classe était parfaite et aussi que l’ambiance était très conviviale. Par conséquent, je me sens mieux préparé pour profiter de la vie en France !
I benefited greatly from the 11 week course at CILFA completing the level B2. 3 hours each morning during the week worked very well for me and I found it to be both comprehensive and interesting. It concentrated on the 3 aspects of oral, written, and grammatical French in equal measure. It also enabled students to gain knowledge in current affairs and French culture – both regional and national. My teacher was excellent, being both articulate and well organised and the class size was perfect. The college has a very friendly atmosphere and overall the experience was an enjoyable one. I now feel much more confident in my ability to converse in French and generally much better prepared for life in France!
CILFA provided me a solid foundation as a beginner student as well as a community of friends at various levels to support me and make learning French fun. In particular, I felt the free optional phonetics and conversational classes were a bonus I did not find with other schools and the teachers were outstanding and always willing to go above and beyond.
Une très bonne école où je suis heureuse de poursuivre mes études !
I came to CILFA to do my French Course without any prior knowledge of it. I started as a very fresh beginner. But by the end of the course after 11 weeks class, I wrote DELF A1 and received high marks. It with the help of CILFA, I got greater motivation to learn further the French language. Thanks to the teachers in CILFA who are very patient and concerned with the students and for their dedication. God bless CILFA and its staff.
I loved my experience at CILFA – I studied in the B2 class for two months. The class had such a welcoming atmosphere, it was an amazing learning environment and I recommended it – and continue to recommend it – to anyone who asks about learning French. Annecy itself is beautiful and an incredible place to live. I miss it regularly and it is the perfect place to learn – local enough to get lots of practice in, but international enough to meet lots of new people.
J’ai adoré mon expérience au CILFA – j’ai étudié dans la classe B2 pendant deux mois. La classe avait une atmosphère accueillante, c’est un environnement qui était parfait pour l’apprentissage et je l’ai recommandé – et le recommande – à tous ceux qui me demandent des recommandations concernant les cours de français. Annecy est belle et c’est un lieu incroyable à habiter. Ça me manque régulièrement et c’est un endroit parfait pour apprendre – assez petit pour avoir de nombreuses occasions de pratiquer, mais assez international pour rencontrer de nouvelles personnes.
I came to live in France hardly knowing any French at all. I tried a few different ways to learn – including another language school, online apps, online tutors, and individual tutoring. This got me a small way into my language learning journey, but the thing that made the most difference was doing a semester at CILFA. My teacher was fantastic – I think all of them are – and the atmosphere in the classroom was great. Initially, I didn’t like the idea of coming to class 5 days a week, but this is really what makes a difference. I successfully passed the B1 exam, and would like to come back for another semester sometime soon.
I work part time in England, allowing me the occasional week in France to progress my French language skills. I discovered CILFA via a recommendation from a friend and they were very accommodating, allowing me to join a class that matches my current level, for a week at a time. The students are very diverse, coming from most countries of the world, and spanning all ages from senior secondary school students to older retired students. This diversity is a great strength of the school and makes it an interesting and enjoyable place to be. The teachers are all great at motivating the students and classes are run in a formal but intelligently relaxed atmosphere. Several weeks of language study every autumn works best for my busy schedule and I am just about to start again for my third year in a row. I really look forward to going back year on year.
In October of 2016, I spent four weeks doing a Cilfa course prior to my school’s exchange program. As a sixteen year old at the time I was worried that the course would be geared towards adults, but I couldn’t have been any further from the truth. After having finished the course I not only left having greatly improved my French speaking, and writing (receiving DELF) but I fostered great relationships with both the teachers and the students. For any student looking to improve their French, look no further than ‘le CILFA’!
I had an amazing experience at CILFA! I had already study French previously back in the states, but when I came to CILFA, I was able to properly construct sentences and improve my vocabulary and grammar as well. I’m currently living in Paris and taking French courses, but nothing compares to CILFA and their amazing team of teachers and amazing program!
I’m currently a French teacher in the United States at an International Baccalaureate charter school. I participated in the stage de formation de formateurs FLE (French teacher training/workshop) in July 2016. It was a wonderful workshop led by experienced teachers on a variety of topics: techniques for teaching Francophone literature, music, and creativity in the classroom. It was great being able to collaborate with teachers from all over the world on teaching the French language. I walked away from this experience more confident not only in my French language skills, but also in my teaching skills.
I was also able to participate in the culture activities that CILFA offers in addition to the course. It was great being able to put my language skills to use in a context outside of the classroom and also discover the beautiful things that Annecy and the surrounding area has to offer. The teachers and support staff are excellent. They are experienced, patient, creative and welcoming. I will definitely return to CILFA in the future!