IS Aix-en-Provence

I liked:
The school feels very welcoming
Many activities and excursions (in the summer)
The teachers are really nice
I learned a lot in my first month

I did not like:
Because of the change of the class and teachers every two weeks, everything gets repeated a lot and it made me really confused, because every teacher explained the topics differently
during my last weeks at the school I didn’t feel like I learned a lot

=> a good school, but I would recommend, only doing one month and going in the summer.

I loved the attention that the teachers had for us, everyone had the opportunity to improve their skills individually even if we where in groups. The school was like a little world, I met Australians, Americans, Thailand people, German people and so many others. For me it was kinda hard to get to the school though, but that's because I was in Gardanne with my family and so in the morning it would take like 1 hour to arrive at school; my advice is, if you can stay in Aix, it's much easier. The town also is lovely, I came from a little town, I study in Milan and Aix it's the perfect middle sized school, it's easy to go around and when I want to the tourist place to buy the subscription for the busses they were so nice and tried to help me in everything.
I manly did this experience because during high-school I had covid and couldn't go to America for 6 months like I wanted to, and this was such a good experience to compensate with the one that I couldn't do back in high-school.

I liked everything about the course.
The way we were tested to get to the right level of competencies and then afterwards were organized in smaller groups.
The teachers were well prepared and made us just work with alle the language skills you need to get better.

I liked the variety of exercises and also that we had to make our own presentation in French was super.
I felt my skills moved forward in those two weeks and I would love to get back!

I really enjoyed my teachers, the pace of the class and the building the school is in. I stayed in an Airbnb on my own in the old town of Aix and that was truly a wonderful experience. I learned a lot. Be prepared as a beginner the course is taught in French so be ready.

Students learn foreign languages differently. IS clearly understands that and provides French through a multi-prong approach. The advantage of having two teachers per class was readily obvious to me. Because they each had different ways of approaching their coordinated lesson plan, we had increased opportunities to learn each subject.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the role played by the other students. In class, they were generally driven, generous with sharing their views. This discipline carried through to non-class engagements. For the most part, we spoke in French (to the best of our respective abilities) even when not in class.

I was also fortunate in that I rented an apartment from a couple who speak little English. They were delightful and I enjoyed our conversations.

Finally, Aix is a wonderful place to spend several weeks. I look forward to a return to IS and Aix this Spring.

The teachers at IS in Aix-en-Provence are talented and professional, and work hard to make sure that students exercise speaking skills in the classroom. The classes were great, and I met met wonderful students from around the world. Aix-en-Provence is the perfect place to learn. The residents are nice and used to students so they have a lot of patience. There are things to do, but not so much that you are distracted from class. It’s also beautiful there. I had a good housing experience with a host family and I would recommend it as a way to quickly improve your French.

The school, its building and location are very good! The building, with different rooms for large or small groups, is a pleasant environment. There are two outdoor places to spend breaks. Drinks and snacks are available in a device. Comfortable and inexpensive.

The reception is occupied by very nice young women. They are very helpful, you can ask for their help with many things.

There is a weekly program for excursions and the other after-class activities. Very nice to participate.

Most of the students are abroad alone and find some valuable after-school contacts.

The lessons are well composed. A mix of listening, speaking and writing, The grammars and exercises are well combined
Lessons- Plus, lessons to improve vocabulary and participate in grammar in the spoken language It was a big challenge for me, I am intimidated easy and with smarter students I had to do my best.
In my opinion the teachers are very competent, very kind and very encouraging.

For me it is very important to build confidence and security when I speak French.

Almost all the time I felt good and comfortable, but with my last group more ... with two people who spoke very good French I was totally lost, intimidated and with that I was afraid to speak.

But in the street and with my school friends I spoke more and better and with pleasure.

Now at home in the Netherlands, I would like to take French lessons here to increase my skills. .

I realized a dream in Aix.
IS-AIX played a very positive role in this experience!

Marion

going into the details takes too much time for me and I should write a book.
Christine and Florian responded very well to the students and rehearsed patiently.
Florence was sometimes a little too fast in her Parisian way.
Many thanks to Anna Diaz for her quick and professional help in finding a new home.
A big thank you to Nastassja, George and all the others who took care of us for two weeks.
By the way: You can also win against the French 13:6 at the Petanque. Of course, you must have at least one Frenchman in your own team ;-

The teachers were great and the class atmosphere was very friendly. I understand why they don’t allow any language but French to be used in the classroom but it’s very difficult to understand at first what is going on and what you are supposed to be doing when you only have very basic comprehension of spoken french. It is very daunting for novice students.

Teachers are good, some with more experience, others with less. The good thing is that in the class we were few. Maybe the school need a room where students can stay for study, but the terrace in summer was good. The housing was good, but for me, a bit far.

I had a fantastic time at IS Aix-en-Provence and wish that I'd had more than 2 weeks at the school. The level of teaching exceeded my expectations, both teachers were fun and kept the lessons very relaxed while providing clear explanations to questions and grammatical points with helpful advice about ways to remember the teaching points. The lessons felt very comfortable and not like a school at all. The teachers gently encouraged us to speak more and more in the lessons, I am a beginner and I never thought I would be able to say as much as I was able to! It was such a contrast to the French lessons I've received at home, I cannot praise the IS Aix teaching and teachers enough!

My class were a really great group of people, a wide range of nationalities and ages (21-72) but we found common ground and it was a pleasure to go to class each day and socialize outside of school hours.

The location of the school is good. An easy walk to the city centre with a lovely park next door to enjoy at lunchtime. The school has excellent facilities, a great library for all abilities and additional tuition one afternoon a week. The school run optional activities most days of the week. I had a bad experience with one that was run by an external company (very expensive for very poor service) but everything that I did with the school was great, I wish I'd had more time to do more.

I stayed with a very kind lady that the school arranged for me. The room was spotless, the location was an easy walking distance and it really helped me to practice my French in the evening. There was a parking space where I could leave my car at the accommodation, I don't recommend driving in Aix if you don't absolutely have to. There is some parking close to the school but it's not so easy, so I would recommend walking or taking public transport to the school. There are stunning places to visit in and around Aix and so having a car for evenings and weekends is a nice luxury.

As I said, I wish I had been able to stay longer at the school and in Aix. I really recommend the school and the location to anyone wanting to improve their French and have a holiday at the same time.

I had wonderful teachers, well versed in the method and with great verve and commitment, who made the classes fun. I was also impressed by the reception staff who really knew their stuff and seemed to remember every student. Terrific excursions were organised - I loved the bus trip with George to gorgeous Arles and the Mediterranean for a paddle. It was all so easy - IS matched me with a Homestay host where I’d opted for breakfast and dinner. I have to say I was absolutely exhausted because of the heat in early September. Afternoons I drifted about the town, so pretty (despite most of the roads being simultaneously re-paved). Let me recommend Le Chat Qui Tricote café for a quiet retreat. The IS building and.classrooms are fresh and lovely. Coffee from a machine for only 50 centimes was appreciated, given the cost in town. For an Australian, this was a perfect study holiday, in an interesting and vibrant town. I recognized that my French had improved so it was warming to receive a certificate at the end. Highly recommended!

positive topics:
teachers
classes
quality of the materials
coleagues interaction
location

I really enjoyed the classes and found the teachers great at creating an excellent environment to learn in. I loved the fact that the other students in my class were a range of ages, nationalities and backgrounds - this made class discussion more interesting. Although I did not use the accommodation offered, I found the school to be in a great location to access and was only a short walk to the center of Aix.

I love Aix en Provence. The school was situated in a nice garden, beside a small park which had excellent walking or relaxing facilities. I used the free car park there, while attending the school, though the spaces are limited. I found the teachers engaging and very pleasant, so because of this I feel I learned more and retained more. I had a bad experience in Spain a few years ago, and so only registered for one week in IS. However, If I attend again, I will do so for two weeks. The classes were small enough that everyone got individual attention. My vocabulary definitely increased, but more importantly, it gave me fresh impetus to continue practicing and learning French.
However, one comment I must make; it is a strain for a person with little French like myself to understand the speakers, especially on the first day, when the whole program is explained and I could understand very little. Perhaps this should be done in English, (the introduction on the first day) to ease the students into the course, being a language most of the students have?
I can well understand the need for the teachers to speak in French, and I agree this should be so. It did indeed help me, as I began to understand them, as each day passed.
Apart from this, the whole course was an enjoyable experience. I'd like to come again.

These 2 weeks went by way too fast.I was fortunate that the group I was in was relatively small and we were all on the same level. The teachers were really professional and the house is lovely. I took part in almost all activities that were offered and enjoyed it very much.

I liked the attitude and we had a very nice group.

The classes were too mixed as to levels, and too large. Overall
I would have liked a greater cumulative sense of the lessons - instead, many of the classes seemed a bit out of focus and not necessarily related to the preceding class. In my opinion the IS style of continually switching teachers every two or three days also disrupted a sense of cumulatively building within the language
Some of the individual teachers were excellent.

If you want to improve your level of language, it is worth it to come for no less than 2 weeks, and it is even better for a month or more, especially when the program is so interesting. I spoke a lot in French and I was pleased to find people from so many different countries and of all ages.

It was in a convenient location, with wi-fi, a coffee machine, a terrazza and a garden, with only a small number of students for each class. There was a calendar of interesting excursions, which were much cheaper than from the Tourist Office.

All the staff were so friendly and helpful! Thanks so much for a great stay!

I developed my skills in French in the most fantastic environment. The teachers were all very good and the facilities in the city center of Aix were good. The only thing that bothered me was that I could not stay for more than a week, since it was my last week of vacation. On Friday (the last day) we did a very interesting excursion to Marseille, a city I wanted to visit for a long time.

Very good location, the staff is really nice and very helpful with anything you may need, the school is very modern and I learned a lot