Q: How do French lessons work on Zoom/Skype?
A: The teacher will send you a Zoom link. You will have to click on this link to start the session. On Skype, you’ll need to exchange usernames with your teacher, on the day and time of your lesson, you just need to be logged in to Skype and the teacher will call you; you’ll hear the ring of a telephone and you just need to click on the green button in order to respond. You will then hear your teacher speak. You can either use a headset with a microphone attached, but if you own a recent computer with a built-in microphone, the sound quality should be good enough. At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will open the Zoom/Skype chat board option and will type any new vocabulary, corrections, grammar points, etc… so that you can have some visual, textual feedback to complement the audio. The teacher will use the chat board like a black board in a classroom!
At the end of the lesson, you will decide with the teacher directly about the next lesson date.
If you sign up with regular lessons or light lessons, the teacher will send your homework attached in a Word file via email within 24 hours after the lesson.
*Skype is a software application which ables us to make voice calls over the internet. It is free and very easy to use.
Q: Can I use Skype or Google Hangouts if I cannot have Zoom on my computer?
A: Yes, many students are also using Skype, and a few are using Hangouts.
Q: Do you use the webcam for the lessons?
A: Yes, we typically use a webcam. It adds a nice visual aspect to the lesson, and it helps the student to understand better by seeing the teacher speaks. In addition, with the webcam on, we’re able to share the screen and bring you to different documents, videos and websites.
Q: Will I follow a textbook during the lesson time?
A: Not usually but it depends on the language programme. If you sign up for the DELF/DALF programme, you will have a book assigned and the teacher will choose particular exercises to work from the book during the class time.
With the other programmes (Regular, Light, Conversation, Intensive), we usually work with you on helping you gain better verbal expression and comprehension during the lesson time. Any new grammar point will also be taught during the lesson time and followed with immediate verbal practice. For homework, the teacher will provide you with practical work on the grammatical constructions and vocabulary that you’ve recently gone over in the lesson. Most student’s objective is to gain a comfortable level of speaking and understanding. Nevertheless, we customize each programme to the student’s objective, so a book might be needed during the lesson time.
Q: How do I get more information and sign up for a programme?
A: You need to fill out the following contact form: Contact form
Once we’ve received the form, one of the main teachers will send you an email to set up a Zoom/Skype or telephone appointment. During this short conversation, you and the teacher will define your objectives and your current level of French, and the teacher will suggest a programme that will best help you meet your objectives.
If you then decide to move forward with the programme, Learn French at Home will send an email with the payment links. Then a second email will be sent to you including the teacher’s details and the confirmation date for the first lesson.
- The different payment options are as following:
- Credit Card or Paypal.
- A bank transfer to a European Bank Account.
Q: When registering for classes, what is the minimum commitment?
A: 4 lessons.
Q: Do I have to have the lesson on the same day and time every week?
A: No, we try to be as flexible as possible. At the end of each lesson, you will decide directly with the teacher on the next lesson date and time. If you need to skip a week or more because of your work, vacation time, etc., that’s no problem; you just need to let the teacher know in advance.
Q: How long are the packs of the lessons valid for?
A: For packs of 4, 10, or 12 lessons: they are valid for 6 months from the first day of the lesson.
For packs of 22 lessons: they are valid for 1 year from the first day of the lesson.
For packs of 35 or 55 lessons: they are valid for 2 years from the first day of the lesson.
Q: What is the difference between the Regular programme and the Intensive programme?
A: The Intensive programme needs to be taken within a week’s time: 5 consecutive days. Each lesson is followed with 1 hour of homework.
With the Regular lesson, you can take the lessons at your pace (1 or more lessons per week, skip a week if needed…).
Q: Is it possible to do a combination of Regular lessons and Conversation Sessions?
A: Absolutely! The student may book a programme with 2 types of lessons and take them alternatively…
Q: I’m a complete beginner; can I book one of your programmes?
A: Yes, we have many beginners at Learn French at Home. At this point, you will need to start with the Regular programme as it will be important to do some homework in between the lessons.
Q: What material do I need to purchase for the homework?
We created our inhouse material in form of ebooks. There is a one time fee at the registration which will give you access to every ebook published by us. If you are following the DELF/DALF programme, we will tell you which book to order on Amazon or other stores.
For more information on the e-books:, please click here
Q: The connexion on Zoom/Skype can be a bit unstable at times? What can I do?
If the connexion is unstable, we suggest that, if possible, you use a wired connection to your modem with an Ethernet cable, rather than using the Wi-Fi system. With the cable, you should experience excellent stability.
Q: I don’t have a French keyboard, how can I type the accents?
A: We can suggest a couple of alternatives. You can either:
Download the following software and application – With the Lexicool toolbar you simply click the relevant character on the toolbar and it is automatically inserted into your document: https://www.lexicool.com/lexibar_french_special_keyboard_characters.asp?IL=1
Use the following keyboard with the letters and accents to type your homework, your letters or your texts; then copy the text onto a Word file: http://french.typeit.org/
Q: What is the cancellation policy for scheduled lessons?
A: If you need to postpone an already scheduled lesson, you need to send a message to your teacher at least 24 hours before the scheduled lesson. The class can then be postponed to a latter date. If the cancelation happened less than 24 hours before the scheduled lesson, the lesson will be counted as done.
Q: How can I renew for more lessons?
A: You can book a new pack of lessons directly on the website. Or you can send a message to your advisor who will direct you to the right link.
Q: Can I take the DELF/DALF exam at your school?
A: We prepare the student to pass the exam but you will have to take it at one of the registered exam centres – to find the nearest one to you, click on the following link: http://www.ciep.fr/en/delfdalf/annuaire_centres.php
Q: Can I choose my teacher?
A: We usually appoint a teacher who will be most suitable to help you reach your objectives and according to your availability to take the lesson. If you wish a particular teacher for any reason, we will see if he or she available according to your schedule.
Q: Do you teach other languages?
A: We have teachers who also teach Spanish, and English. The same conditions apply as the French programmes.
Q: How were the French teachers at Learn French at Home selected?
A: The teachers are selected based on their past teaching experience, their university degree, their ability to speak and understand English very well, their patience, their flexibility and adaptable teaching style, their positive attitude, their gentle personality, their communication skills, and their overall cultural knowledge of the world.
Q: What if I am not comfortable with my teacher’s style of teaching? Or what if we don’t seem to get along well during the lesson time?
A: For any issues or any discomfort of any kind, please send us an email and the main teacher, Céline, will get back to you very shortly in order to discuss the situation.
The conclusion might be that we will need to appoint you a new teacher.
Q: Do you offer some certificate or evaluation after a certain number of lessons?
A: You can ask us to provide you with a certificate or an evaluation at any time.
Q: What makes you different from the other services that offer French lessons via Zoom/Skype?
A: The following strong points make Learn French at Home a serious and devoted French learning school:
1.We are a serious and caring institution where the teachers work in a team with constant access to advice and in-house resources. We started Learn French at Home in 2004 and we were the first school on the net to offer French lessons on Skype. Therefore, we have a lot more teaching experience on the net than most online schools.
2. The teachers are carefully selected and are trained to truly personalise their lessons to the students’ objectives and pace of learning.
3. We truly understand the challenges in learning another language – every teacher has gone through the process of becoming fluent in another language. We know what it takes and have the patience needed.
4. The management of Learn French at Home follows up directly with the students to make sure that they are constantly progressing.
5. The teachers respond quickly to any questions the student may have in between the lessons.
6. Most schools don’t offer homework follow up, but we do! We find it important to encourage the students to complete the assigned homework and each assignment is also corrected by the teacher and promptly returned to the student.
7. We also offer extra work for the student via the Question du Jour which is a unique service!
8. We create our In house material in form of ebooks. If you are located far from a language book store or if Amazon doesn’t reach you, you will still have access to books with us. We send our ebooks via email. Learn French at Home also has an in-house magazine in order to continue to help expatriates adapt in French life and give another resource to practice French. For more info about French Accent Magazine , click here: http://www.frenchaccentmagazine.com
Q: Can I get a refund for any reasons?
A: The lessons are non refundable. However we will consider special cases related to a sudden health issue which makes it too difficult for the student to continue taking any further lessons. The lessons are transferable to other family members or friends. If your teacher stop working with us and you have lessons remaining, we will assign you another teacher. It is forbidden for the teachers to keep working with the students outside of the company.
Q: Outside of the lessons, do you have any useful tips on learning French?
Yes – please read our blog: https://www.learnfrenchathome.com/blog/