I recently spent an incredible four weeks at Ecole Suisse in Paris, and I can confidently say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life!!
I joined in May 2024 as a 26yo Australian with very basic French skills and absolutely no confidence speaking the language, however thanks to the fantastic teachers and immersive pedagogy at Ecole Suisse, I left feeling so confident in (and truly amazed at) my new French language skills!
I think the school was so great for a few different reasons, none more so than because of the exceptional teaching staff/administration. I found that all the teachers were not only extremely knowledgeable with backgrounds in education and a strong understanding in current pedagogical practices, but also because they were all incredibly caring+supportive and ensured the learning was varied/catered to our needs/interests. I expressed through the end of week learning surveys that I really wanted to learn the conditionnel and the futur simple, and the school was great at accommodating that into my learning program.
The full immersion approach was fantastic for accelerating my learning and vocabulary development. As somebody who had not done French at school previously- nor had done any sort of group French classes- the immersion approach to learning was extremely helpful for me as my general oral comprehension and personal pronunciation both were quite poor, but I feel as they both really improved thanks to constant French exposure at the school. Importantly, the school fostered a relaxed environment where I wasn't afraid to make mistakes and as a result, I felt comfortable participating in conversations each day at morning tea/lunch as well as throughout my classes. I feel as though the support from all the teachers and focus on comfort truly helped my French flourish!
I also loved the social aspect of the school. The teachers created opportunities for us to connect with classmates, and I made some great friends during my time there. Attending classes each morning was the highlight of my trip to Paris. I could still explore the city in the afternoons and evenings, but each morning offered a chance to actively improve my French, make friends, and have a great time learning. Each Wednesday the school offers cultural excursions of the city for free, which were great fun and an awesome chance to see cool/interesting things I might not have known about without the guidance from some actual Parisians.
I plan on returning to the school after Summer and I highly recommend Ecole Suisse to anyone else visiting Paris who wants to improve their French language skills. I can't thank the school, teachers, staff, and my classmates enough for making this such a fantastic experience for me!!!! (June 2024)
