Learning in Montpellier has a long history with the oldest university of France which is these day also one of the largest and most important once, hosting more than 60.000 students.

Montpellier itself has about 250.000 inhabitants, which gives it a nice welcoming atmosphere while still being big enough to offer a wide range of cultural events for entertainment.
The historic centre of Montpellier dates back to the 16th century and is popular for its narrow picturesque streets and elegant private mansions.
Enjoy sitting in one of the many nice tree shaded cafés or the long sandy beaches of the Mediterranean sea which are only a few miles away.

As Montpellier is located between the Provence , the Carmargue , the Cevennen mountains and the Pyrenees you will also have plenty of chances to explore the backcountry.

Take an excursion into the Carmague to see wild pink flamingos in the lagoons on the outskirts of Montpellier or visit Avignon, once the seat of various “Antipopes”. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, long summers and very mild winters Montpellier is always a good location to take a French language course.

Direct flights and flights via Paris are most popular ways to reach Montpellier. A good TGV (fast train) connection does also exist.

The main building of our language school partner is located right in Montpellier’s historic centre.
Right in a pedestrian district, it is surrounded by small boutiques, gourmet shops and typical coffee shops. A few steps away you will find the “Place de la Comédie”, the main square of Montpellier with its fascinating opera house. The impressive Chamber of Commerce is just opposite the school building.

The building itself is a private mansion dating back to the 18th century which itself is already worth a visit and been pictured in many books about Montpellier. Meanwhile the building is equipped at a modern standard and only 3 minutes by foot away from the main bus and tramway station.
A further language school building is located very close to the Park “Square Planchon” and just around the corner from the “Rue Maguelone”, only three minutes away from the main building.
The rooms are airy and fully equipped with modern language course teaching material (TV, Video Player, CD Player, etc.) and air condition. The language school itself is a medium sized, family run institute which takes pride in providing personal service for all students.

All teachers are native tongue French and are fully qualified and experienced to teach French as a foreign language with a minimum of 3 years experience in teaching.
During class and on the premises a FRENCH ONLY policy is enforced in order to allow the best learning results and preventing students in their own mother tongue.

The school offers:

•  22 computers with high speed internet access (free of charge)
• Wireless LAN (WiFi) free of charge
• 23 Classrooms
• Library (free)
• Coffee room (main building)
• Social activities
  
• Nationality mix: 18% Swiss, 16% English, 14% German, 8%, Sweden, 7 % Holland, 6% USA, 6 % Spain, 5% Colombia every year student from around 70 different countries

With an interactive teaching method, oral communication is emphasized without neglecting the written aspects. The classes are based on individually composed study units of which each student receives a copy during the course in order to allow total concentration to the teaching and participation in the discussion. The amount of students per class is kept low and has a maximum of 10 students, allowing for active participation and conversation. In order to make the lessons entertaining and exiting, recent topics from newspapers or TV are recorded and discussed during class. A further focus will be French culture and civilization as well as special topics of southern France. The school offers a minimum of 6 levels per course from beginners to advanced. During high season even more levels are offered. The organization of the levels is carried out in accordance with the examination system of the “Common European Framework of Reference for languages” (CEFR) levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.

Details for all courses:

• Lessons comprise of 45 minutes
• Classes run year round (except for holidays)
• Classes start every Monday (except for holidays and 100% beginners)
• Placement test at the beginning (before the first lessons)
• All courses are offered in 6 different levels (Beginner – Advanced)
• Certificate of completion included (80% participation required)
• Maximum class size = 10
• Minimum age = 16
• Learning material included (deposit for business + exam preparation courses apply)

The standard French language course is ideal if you want to have a reasonable amount of time to explore the city and spend some time at the beach or exploring the back country of Montpellier. It emphasizes the following topics:

• Expansion of vocabulary
• Broadening of familiarity with grammar and its structures
• Intensive training in oral expression, group discussions
• Intensive training in written expression
• Improvement of reading comprehension by using authentic documents
• Improvement of listening comprehension
• Study of French culture and civilization
  

The intensive language course includes the standard French course in the morning and offers additional 10 lessons of oral communication in the afternoon.
During those extra lessons you will participate in group discussions on a wide range of topics and prepare presentations which will be held in class.

Many topics will cover French culture and civilization. It is the aim to broaden your grammar and vocabulary and improve your oral and written expression.
The intensive French Language Course also covers all aspects of the exam preparation for DELF A1 and DELF A2.

This French language course is based on the above standard course and includes 5 additional one-to-one lessons.

This language course is a perfect combination of the dynamic group course with tailored private French lessons and the ideal language course for professionals, managers and those who want to proceed rapidly. During the private lessons you can decide about the topics that shall be addressed (general French or special topics).

The Standard PLUS course can also include special exam preparation for DALF C2 during private lessons. The one-to-one lessons are scheduled to room and teacher planning and are usually spread across two or three days.

The course consists of the standard course (20 lessons) and 10 additional lessons of special exam training per week and starts 6 weeks prior to the exam dates (see details of the course below). This course will prepare you for the levels B1, B2 or C1 and is also split in those levels.

The minimum stay is 4 weeks. It is also possible to arrive earlier and take a course of 8-12 weeks prior to the exam.
During the time before the dedicated exam preparation course will start, you will be placed in an intensive course which will cover the main aspects of the exam preparation already.

Should you be a complete beginner willing to take a DELF exam, the Standard (20), Standard PLUS (20+5) or Intensive (30) course will be sufficient enough to prepare you for the levels A1 and A2. There is not dedicated course available at the beginner level.

In order to prepare for the C2 (highest level) you should take the above described combination course (20 + 5). During the private lessons you will especially prepare for the exam.

The exam itself can be taken at the test centre in the centre of Montpellier (see details for starting days) or at any public exam centre around the world. Please be aware that enrolment deadlines apply.

Minimum Duration: 4 weeks
A deposit for books is required  

This course combines the Standard French Language Course (20 lessons) with additional group lessons specially focusing on the acquisition of business vocabulary and business expressions.

The course covers a wide range of topics like current affairs, correspondences, making presentations, marketing, learning company structures etc.

Please be aware of the following:

• Only offerd from 5th July to 24th September 2010
  
• Only offered to students at the intermediate level or higher
• A deposit for books is required
  

Cultural activities play an important role in learning and understanding a foreign language as it is also about learning about culture and people.

Our French language school partner offers a wide range of activities which are announced in all classrooms and on the main information board.

Please find below a list of sample activities:

• Guided tours of the historic center of Montpellier (1.5 hours – free of charge).
  (4 different guided tours over a period of 4 weeks -Historic centre, New City, Private mansion houses, Parks and Gardens of Montpellier)
• Social events – Dinner with teacher in French restaurant, Wine bar etc. (cost for food not included)
• Wine and cheese tasting
• Visit to museums, theatre, concerts, etc. (entrance fee not included)
• Day excursions (approx. EUR 25) which are accompanied by a schools teacher to:

1. Pont du Gard (biggest romain viaduct ever built)
2. Uzes (Provencal market)
3. Avignon
4. Camargue (wild pink flamingos, horseback riding) and Aigues-Mortes (12th century fortress)
5. Provence (Arles, Les Beaux-de-Provence)
6. Carcassonne

• Half day excursions (approx. € 15) which are accompanied by a professional guide to:

1. Nîmes (Amphitheatre)
2. St. Guilhem (beautiful villages)
3. Aigues-Mortes (12th century town, seeing wild pink flamingos)
4. Visit of the famous source of the ‘Perrier’ water and the bottle factory