Location

When one thinks of France, few images come to mind more readily than those of Paris, the city of lights and home to famous monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the magnificent Louvre museum.  With so much to see and do it's hard to think of a better place to immerse yourself in French language and culture!  Our residence program for 15 - 18 year olds takes place in the lively neighborhood of Petit-Montrouge in the 14th arrondissement in the Southern end of central Paris.  The residence and classrooms are only minutes on foot from the Porte d'Orleans metro station on line 4 and also conveniently close to the Cite Universitaire RER rapid transit station.

Program

The program offers an ideal mix of French lessons and French culture, including exposure to cuisine, history and art as well as fashion and cinema.  It also offers the unique opportunity to meet and make friends with students from all over Europe, Latin America and Asia, making this a very popular program for students who are looking for a truly international experience. Depending on how intensive you want to make your studies, you can choose from 15 or 20 lessons per week with both options offering sports and cultural activities as well as full and half-day excursions to a variety of places of interest such as Versailles, the Loire Valley and Fontainebleau Castle. 

Level Placement

On the first Monday of the program, you will take both an oral and written placement test to determine which class you will be placed in.  There are a minimum of 4 levels offered including beginner, elementary, intermediate and advanced.  If you have no previous experience with the French language, you typically do not have to take this test and will automatically be placed in the beginner class.

Teachers

The teachers are all native French speakers and teach in the local high schools during the school year.  They bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the classroom and design each lesson to focus on speaking and listening skills with appropriate attention paid to reading and writing.

Supervisors/Monitors

The program supervisors and monitors are all over 21 and have an amazing amount of energy! Their goal is to make sure that you get the most out of your program and they do this by being available 24 hours a day to answer your questions, provide guidance and look out for your overall safty and well-being. 

Activities and Excursions

Included in the program are 1 full-day and 2 half-day excursions every two weeks. In addition to this, there are a variety of cultural, sports and leisure activities offered every afternoon and evening.  These are all included in the program fees. Optional activities and excursions are also available. See our price list for estimated costs. On Mondays, you will be provided with a weekly schedule that lists three groupings of activities and excursions for the week. You can sign up for the grouping that you like best and follow that schedule for the week. For a sample weekly schedule and list of possible activities and excursions please visit the sample schedule page.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided in the newly renovated Residence Portes d'Orleans. Located on a pedestrian passage, the residence offers a peaceful place to relax after a fun day of French lessons and exploring Paris.  It consists of single and double rooms with private baths and fully-equipped kitchenettes.  On the ground floor of the residence there is a courtyard of small restaurants and cafes where you can eat a meal or just grab a quick snack.  The residence is only 7 minutes on foot to the classrooms where your lessons will take place and just around the corner from the Metro Portes d'Orleans for easy access to all that Paris has to offer!

Meals

This program automatically includes a half-board option (breakfast and dinner).  Students will be given meal vouchers for use at the restaurants and cafes located on the gournd floor of the residence courtyard, giving you a large choice of food options and the opportunity to eat according to your taste.  For lunch you can eat at your restaurant of choice on a pay-per-meal basis, prepare food in your fully-equipped kitchenette or purchase a full-board supplement and pre-pay for your lunch vouchers.