50+ - French Course

Inlingua was a very friendly language school set in beautiful La Rochelle. I especially liked the small class sizes which gave an increased opportunity for interaction and participation. The teachers were all very engaging and responsive to class needs and interests. A number of fun extra-curricular activities were organised, such as pétanque, oyster, cognac and wine tasting and local tours of places of interest.

My Appart-hotel accommodation was clean and quiet and well situated within walking distance of both the old port and Inlingua school.

The course was challenging and helpful. They did well to evaluate each participant on the first day to place us in small classes appropriate to our level. We did classroom work in the mornings, and had several afternoon and evening opportunities to see and do things outside of class. These excursions were a wonderful way to practice French in the context of daily life and to experience some of the culture of the area. La Rochelle is a beautiful place and although the weather was unseasonably cool and rainy, it was a fun place to explore with a beautiful old town, lovely waterfront and beaches, and great cycling paths. The apartment housing through the school was in a convenient location, although the room was quite small for two people. It was great to have a boulangerie next door to the school to get breakfast if you did not choose to eat downstairs in the lodging.

The teacher in the morning sessions was excellent, and so was my group. The ateliers in the afternoon were not so interesting and challenging. Location of the school is great, the facilities OK. In the breaks we were outside, I don't know where the students are in the wintertime. I enjoyed the excursions and the company from the staff.

I had hoped for more participants at level C1-C2.

The lodging was good, friendly staff, great location, quiet and plenty of the space in the room. But I missed a lamp at the working table and an instruction for the microwave.

everything OK, good teachers, modern teaching methods

I recommend inlingua La Rochelle 100%. Quality classes and excellent teachers. Enjoyable classes and good well-situated facilities. Family housing, in my case, unbeatable. Like at home!

I was in the Over-50 class with 4 other women, 2 of whom were there for only one week. We all had different skill sets but were pretty well matched in level of French. That said, the teachers did not talk down to us but plunged us right into everyday spoken French. I sometimes felt frustrated at my inability to understand, but at least our regular morning classroom teacher was very patient and made sure each of us finally understood. In addition, there were extra activities for sightseeing and having cultural experiences (eating a special mussel dish and playing petanque, for example).

I can't say enough good things about Tom, who arranged all these activities and made them so enjoyable. Fully bilingual, he let us speak English when I felt my brain was going to explode with French overload.
The classrooms were well equipped, and the school was convenient to the Residence New Rochelle, where I stayed. We rented bikes for the time we were there, which made it easy to get around. La Rochelle is a lovely place with a lot of history.

After our initial short test I was in a small group of ladies from various countries all wishing to improve our French. Our teacher Lisa was young and really good. The location was easy to walk to from my accommodation with good facilities. There were some after class optional social events - bar, pétanque - but I think an organised dinner together would be a nice thing to do as I felt a bit cast adrift in the evening!
I like having a feedback note at the end of the week. Would definitely use again in the future.

Classes OK as there were only 3 students in the class; however on different levels.

I was surprised that the students 50+ was a very small group, so classes had to be created with different age groups (also OK).
Good teacher.

Location brilliant.

Interesting cultural visits in the afternoon.

I attended an intensive course of 30 hours during one week in La Rochelle. It was very pleasant: nice and comfortable installations, everybody from Inlingua was very friendly and supporting at any time. I enjoyed the reduced classes (we were only 2 or 3 students) and my teachers Alix and Mylène did both a very good job. I didn`t have any specific expectations, but I was surprised in a very positive way. I think I improved considerably my French, especially in terms of conversation. Social activities in and around La Rochelle were also very nice. In addition I met some very interesting people and we shared very nice days together. Congratulations to jean, the director of Inlingua La Rochelle.

The classes are very enjoyable and dynamic and I have been fortunate to be in a small group of three people.

Enjoyed the experience with all of the teaching staff dedicated and very helpful. Jean the director (and Tom) organised a bicycle free of charge for me. This was great because it allowed me to see so much more than I otherwise may have been able to.

I would like to have had more cultural activities available to do through the school or at least recommended, but otherwise the school was great.

The housing was very nicely situated close to the school and water and it was easy to get around the town. The actual apartment was sizable and very comfortable. It lacked a few basic kitchen utensils, but otherwise very good.

Thank you for everything
David Chant

Loved the location, only five minutes walk from the beach.
Facilities very good, clean, bright. Classroom sometimes a little cold however.
Teachers and staff were amazing, friendly, engaging and encouraging. Can't fault the staff at all.
Would of liked more activities on offer.

among thirteen language courses I have done to date the INLINGUA school experience can be considered one of the best! The animation team very efficient, the teacher Benedicta very moving and the Director Jean extremely friendly and human to the point of being willing to change its programming so that I could go to Ile de Re. Accommodation at the New Rochelle Residence is well-located and less than 1km from the school and close to restaurants and the beach make life very easy for the student. I just missed having lessons in French culture, music and history.

Classrooms very clean and organised. Different sizes as required on the number of students. The evening function I attended was very interesting, we were several students from different parts of the world and bonded through the french language. Any problems I had were dealt with professionally and I recommend this language college and also La Rochelle for immersing yourself in the french language. I live nearby (1 hour) so it was not necessary to have any housing or pick-ups organised for me. I was in a one to one environment as there were no other students of my level - My first teacher was very good and improved my level, my second teacher built on this and really understood what was needed by me.

The teacher was very good and engaged in teaching, the group was small, actually we were only two students, which gave a good opportunity for learning. The school is situated near the center of the city, so it was easy to take a walk to the center. The family lived at a longer distance from the school, so the best way was to take a bus or rent a bike (which I considered a bit too expensive).
Also walking was possible back and forth to the house, if the weather allowed it. I think everything with the school was very good. As to the housing I would have preferred a family with opportunity for a little more engagement.

I was very pleased with the instruction provided by Inlingua La Rochelle. I enrolled in one-on-one sessions. The environment was conducive to that kind of instruction. Small classrooms where I could hear well which was equipped with white boards.

The atmosphere of the school was family-like with a friendly outer office staff who knew your name and quickly made you feel at ease, which I think is very important in terms of establishing a good learning environment. The director was also very friendly and initially met with me to chat and understand my goals for the classes.

My instructor was Catherine. An excellent and energetic instructor who tirelessly corrected my mispronunciation (which is what I need) and challenged me to improve my language skills. She was very sensitive when to push hard and when to ease up a little and let me process the instruction. She was also a very interesting and well educated person. Catherine made the classes challenging and enjoyable. When I return this summer, I hope to study with her again if possible.

I have no negative observations. The staff, the school, and the instructor exceeded my expectations. I think this school is well managed.

I had a very nice experience, my teacher was great, very understanding and patient. I was able to build a good foundation to try and improve my French. I was sorry there was no other people in class, but it gave me great one on one experience.