Alliance Française de Paris Ile de France Review

It was a good experience, fun and a nice way to meet people. Pretty pricey though.

The woman who answered telephone was cold and had very little patience.

Very good atmosphere; incredible, high-level teachers. Wonderful experience; Unforgettable!

Teachers do not have an identical level, it is unjustifiable that it is a coincidence to fall on a pro-active teacher.
You are offered registration in a clean building and on, while the courses are held in a second class building.
The library does not allow you to take the books or dvd to consult them at home.

As for the teacher (Stephanie), the level and atmosphere - everything was perfect.

After what I wrote two weeks ago (a very bad experience with AFParis), and thanks to the help of Marie Lalande, I will be able to do an intensive French course next week. Thanks Marie.

I have to put a note unfortunately.
I have passed the exam for almost a year and have still not received my diploma.
and when we call, I am told that they have a workload.
I pay the envelopes, and then I have to travel to get my diploma
I'm really disappointed.

A place in gold! Ultra competent teachers and comprehensive courses

Impossible to get in touch with, never reply to the phone during opening hours. Slow time to reply via mail, no reactive support.

A dynamic team who responded very quickly to my questions about future students!

Very nice room, superb programming and live music France broadcasts. A nice place !

This is the best place to learn French in Paris. I strongly recommend then. Merci !

So fare one of the best alliances, you will find more interesting activities and the best people , Bravo Team 2020

perfect home, really listening to students. good organization, good school

The worst experience I had in Paris in Aug 2019. I decided to try oral workshop because on the same time I had a course of General French in Sorbonne. And luckily I paid only 4 classes of oral workshops in Alliance Francaise (it is minimum you can pay), I participated in first workshop and the teacher was just...terrible. I am learning different languages since I am 7 years old but I've never had such a bad experience and it is only because of professor! I wrote to Alliance but didn't receive any explanation, any reply at all. Strongly irrecommended. I advise you to take the courses at Sorbonne if you are in Paris!

A medium-sized musical venue, very well located in the wealthy 6th arrondissement, which offers live classical music broadcasts on France Radio.
Nice benefits, on reservation.

Really AMAZING place to learn French! If you want to learn French or go to an event don't hesitate to go here! Super friendly staff and teachers; comfortable environment in the very heart of Paris. Everyone was really nice, encouraging, and knowledgeable.

A very dynamic and welcoming team that allows you to learn French in excellent conditions!

An excellent teacher with a reasonable number of students (~15)

Warm and quite comfortable even if the waiting time for entry into the room was a bit long and if it lacks a little seating in the hall in front of the room ...

This place is not only that of learning French as a foreign language, The French Alliance is also an organizer of cultural events of high quality, the opportunity to meet an audience from cultures around the world who are interested in our culture! A good idea to explore for Parisians.

Most professionell and efficient of the three agency I tried, but also pricy

I sent an application and cheque for the A2 Delf, based on the dates they published for the test. I received a confirmation that they received my application and cashed my cheque, but then they changed the exam dates than what was published / what I was available for, so I could no longer go. They agreed to refund me, since it was their change, not mine.
It s been a couple months and lots of emails and still no money back. It s not cool that they publish dates, you pay, and then they change the dates.

They also did not follow data protection laws, and used the to: field on multiple emails to large groups of people so that all email addresses were visible. This is a great example of their organisational skills and makes one wonder how they treat confidentiality.

The contact with the people working there has left much to be desired - most had no idea what the processes were and gave conflicting information. It gave the impression of gross incompetence.

I have been trying to contact them for over a week now regarding the online classes I enrolled in. Wrote around 7 emails, called the general line around 12 times, I even WENT to the Paris campus and no one was even there. It s unbelievable

I tried calling and emailing several times however i havent been able to get any reponses. Im based in dubai

I'm going for the first time ...
what a beautiful concert I was, delighted ....

With a nice teacher Clair, it would have been better if we didn't need to change the teacher

I went to ask for information and the lady in the reception told me to look at everything on the internet (???) she was not even looking at me. I left with more questions without resolving and it is impossible to reach you by phone.

Classes are good but it would be better if the maximum number of students in a class could be less!

Attending this school was not a good experience. The quality of the teachers and teaching was not up to what they asked for their services (by much lower prices, you can find the same type of course). The library offered very poor service and closed early in the day. It is not a place that invites you to stay and study or share with other students.

HORRIBLE
But what an odious reception and so Parisian!
Worthy representative of France and French Culture .. what a pity, it is missed from the beginning!
Come to become a member, because I deeply love France and Paris, I left very quickly!
We really feel bored (to say the least) the people at the reception (when hostesses deign to look to the people they are supposed to inform)
And I do not speak of the unpleasant reflections received by a Japanese girl and a Mexican student in front of me.
The missions of L'Alliance:
Offer French classes, in France and around the world, to all audiences
Increase awareness of French and Francophone cultures
Foster cultural diversity
Results: Well ... very disappointed and a little ashamed.
I do not want to give money to an association whose representatives are not worthy of working on it.

Not very impressed. Large class sizes and too much disparity in skill level among students who supposedly belong together. The teachers are good though perhaps not supremely motivated --- they know you will be gone next week. I strongly recommend looking for a place with a guaranteed maximum class size.

A year ago, in September 2019, I started taking French courses. I liked my studies, although the results were not very optimistic, the test for level A1 was passed poorly ... then I continued my studies at level A2 and since March 2020 the classes stopped due to quarantine. This was the end of my studies. Now is October 2020 and the courses will not resume in any way, I am not ready to study online, therefore, I hope for a miracle! In general, I recommend this school, but you can find it much cheaper.

A friend told me before that she was not satisfied with AF, but I did not listen.

UNREADABLE !! Neither by email, nor by phone, nothing.
I managed to capture their attention by posting a bad comment on the tweeter but unfortunately it didn't last (a reply message and that's it).
The only way to get information is to travel, but they didn't give me the right dates or the right course materials.
It is deplorable !!!

I am surprised by some negative comments about the welcome. We were very well received with patience by both the general reception and the teachers. Then see my husband's classes for the next few weeks :-)

Rather a business than an educational place. There are good speakers but lack of regularity, change of teachers which influences the good progress of learning.
There is especially one worker with whom we hate places: M ... J ....

Very welcome, with staff available and ready to answer all your questions. The quality of teaching is excellent, and cultural events are always interesting and allow you to practice the language in another context!

From my experience lived 26 years ago, (1990), it was an excellent French language school for me, I had a quality teaching a very good teacher in every sense of the word that made us know the French culture. There were many students from other countries of the world and the experience was really rich. I remember that in my class there was an Iraqi and an Iranian and when they talked about a political issue or customs, the two students always ended up arguing, they kept fighting against each other and the teacher and we all told them to calm down, the truth was funny , the teacher sat them from corner to corner, what a good memory !!

I passed B2, and I asked for the result by facebook, email, phone. But no one answers

The Alliance is not only a high quality language school with very high teaching standards. This is also a place to meet people, to enjoy culture (most of time cultural activities are free), and sometimes even a good glass of wine! They also have a very good Francophone media library. Highly recommended!

They did not give me a diploma DELF because they did not understand my handwriting! But they understood my handwriting before the exam and after the exam!!!

I spent 2 weeks at AF this summer and I really enjoyed my time in the classrooms. Really fun. I was a complete beginner and can now communicate using basic words both speaking and writing. Highly recommanded.

I really enjoyed learning French there, I think it's because of the teacher mostly.

I do the course in French, the teacher are the best sevice learning programs.

I still learn French.

I've been studying French from all over the world, so I met American journalists and models who only go to Paris. Local businessmen can come and eat at lunchtime in the cafeteria. You can learn in a short time.
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The course was absolutely terrible. I was offered a refund which I have now been waiting to receive for EIGHT MONTHS. The alliance repeatedly ignore my emails. I have even been back to their offices (I do not live in Paris) and still, they have my money.

Avoid this place like the plague.

It's a great institution to start with learning French language

unreachable on the phone, it goes off hook but no one answers. The website is not accessible and when it was and when it was indicated that one could register online, in the week of May 18, impossible to do so. Now the website is also inaccessible.
INADMISSIBLE !!!
And the failures continue more beautiful ... my friend goes every day on the site to register for the exam of July 21, 2020, she exchanges many emails, sends all the required documents with merit because the services are almost nonexistent, the website inaccessible three quarters of the time and the result of this incompetence set up as an institution? my friends is not registered for the exam of 07.21.2020 when the file is complete !!! What talent and what contempt for people ...

A prestigious institution that remains the reference to learn French and discover French culture. Beautiful building

The reference in terms of French courses and in-service training for FLE teachers in Paris!

I have the same experience as mentioned by other users. Signed up and paid for an online course that should have started this week, I got no information and am unable to contact them via ANY channel to demand info or a refund. It's unbelievable!!! Also given the fact that I previously had extremely good experiences with AF in other cities in France and abroad.

They need to improve the Administration spesially in Cash.

Excellent school based on communication, with a remarkable lead in the use of digital boards.

I took a three-week course in June / 18, in the company of my girlfriend, and we loved the school. The method, the teacher (merci, Loretto), the cultural program that the school offers, I enjoyed the cafeteria (but I think the daily menu display can be improved), the security offered and the location of the building. I was positively surprised and pointed out the school.
Thanks for the experience.
Fabi e Mari

Very welcome, with staff available and ready to answer all your questions. It is a sure bet for learning French as well as a reference for discovering French culture!

I was a young 22 year old Austrian from a small village who explored the big world in 1974. As an AuPair one year in Paris with a daily visit to the Allianz Francaise. We were 18 students in the class from 12 nations, from Chinese to Indian. The only thing in common was the few chunks of French. But it shaped me for life, until today, 45 years later. I don't want to miss the time and at the end of May I will travel there again with my 38 year old daughter. I still have contact with "my" AuPair family today. Thanks Alliance Francaise

AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE!

I moved to Paris to achieve my lifelong dream of learning French. I decided to enroll in an Intensive Course at the AF (5x a week, 4 hours a day), seeing as how I naively thought that I would learn a lot during a short period of time.

The AF is the main "go to" school for learning French as a 2nd language abroad. But in Paris, it leaves much to be desired.

At first, the lessons were fantastic; small, friendly group with a smart, caring teacher. All seemed to be going well until we started receiving new students each week, changing the flow of the lessons: the classes grew bigger and the quality dropped.

When we moved to a new level (A2) we were surprised to learn that our group had been merged with another Intensive group. All of a sudden, we went from having 10 students to 17. How can a group with 17 students be considered Intensive?! As a consequence, everybody suffered, since our oral production dropped (i.e we spoke less) and we began to feel as though we were being held back.

To add insult to injury, our teacher was sick for two weeks. The AF did a wonderful job of finding 3 substitute teachers for this period. The problem with this is that these teachers didnt really care whether we learned or not - they were only there to teach the lesson and never discussed any long term plans as to what they hoped the class would be able to achieve in the end of this period. In other words, there was no continuity regarding the material of the lessons - the lessons fragmented, as though the learning process had stopped.

I have to be fair, I did learn SOME French. But not as much as I would have liked. The AF has to go on a long spiritual journey to see how they can improve their method and their image with their students, many of whom openly criticise the institution online.

I started at AF from nothing so this was a great foundation. I took the intensive classes and had a great teacher (Annie) who helped me build confidence in my French. But then she was moved to teach a class of visiting Americans so I was moved without much notice to another teacher. This next teacher was horrible. She just sat in front of the class and droned on, when questions were asked she wouldn't answer. Half of my class went and complained asking to be moved.

I decided to move classes and decrease my hours and was put in a class with a young guy who was super nice but was so obsessed with movies and TV that it was all we really talked about (yes it's a section in the AF book, but this was over the top) so I asked to be moved again. I was then put in Emanuelle's class (who is fantastic) and I was with her for about a month. She is focused and there to help you learn. But then of course her time came up and I was moved again so I ended up leaving the school.

The reason for the 3 is that I was never notified of what was happening or told what I should expect. I thought I would be in a class with a teacher and just learn but there was so much unknown and such a mix of great and not-so-great people it made me feel fairly uncomfortable. I think that for the money it's a bit too much. My teachers (with the exception of Emanuelle) wouldn't answer email, return homework with corrections or be generally available for my questions. I understand why - a lot of people come here on vacation and just want to take a class and leave, but I live here and am trying to learn and integrate.

I have tried one other language school which was worse than AF, but am still on the hunt for a school that is geared towards people learning French and integrating into France.

The Alliance Francaise in Paris has jumped the shark. I am an intermediate French student and took a course there in the summer of 2010. The quality of professors is highly variable and the administration is abominable. Every week that I was there, I spent at least one day a week resolving their administrative mistakes. They refuse to communicate via email and told me that they could only correspond in writing via regular mail (which is convenient since the vast majority of students have no ability to receive mail in France and thus would receive correspondence in their native country). They were utterly useless.
The Alliance Francaise has a great reputation in many of the students' home countries and about half of my classmates had taken courses at the Alliance in their home countries prior to coming to France. Consistently, they said that the instruction and administration in their home countries were superior. I think the Alliance in Paris attracts students primarily from its favorable international reputation. There are countless language schools in Paris that are cheaper and that deliver a better product than the Alliance.
I studied French at a good U.S. university prior to attending the Alliance and learned far more in those general courses than I did in the "intensive" Alliance program. The books at the Alliance ("Alter Ego" series written by the AF) are very poorly organized and fail to provide a concise and complete explanation of grammatical concepts. If you have a good professor they will supplement it with their own content. I had one professor who did this, while the other one failed to compensate for the book's shortcomings. I had to supplement my book with Bescherelle and several other resources. In short, look around before you commit to the AF or prepare to be disappointed.

Their registration service is checked mare. They say that they work until 17:45, but in reality they stop to accept the world at 17:00 because there is TOO MUCH WORLD IN THE WAITING GIRL. IF YOU WRITE 17:45 ON THE More

My daughter attended Alliance Francaise in 2008. This month, my husband and I are taking beginning French. As soon as you walk in the door, it is full immersion. The staff will speak French to you and will repeat the question or information in many different ways. It seems that each teacher has some autonomy to conduct the class in their own style. My husband and I are in different classes. We are both following the curriculum in the book, but in completely different styles. His class is doing more verb conjugation. In my class, we are talking more. In 4 weeks we will complete 1/2 of the Version Originale 1 text book. The web site is easy to navigate. All information you need to get started is easy to access before you pay. As soon as you make your payment, you get an e-mail with your confirmation and a placement test. We are in our late 50s and this has been a great experience for us. NOTE : The first Monday of the month is very busy as that is the only day "true beginners" may start. Be early.

I studied there for 3 months last Spring and I had a blast. Teachers were amazing and the methodology is fun and efficient. The classes are limited to 16 students but the average is always lower. It was fantastic to meet with students from all over the world and to enjoy authentic Parisian cultural activities. The area is very convenient, close to Luxembourg garden and Quartier Latin. Highly recommended place to learn French in Paris.

After visiting many of their branches around the world I see the office is below my expectations. You will even find better classes elsewhere. Otherwise the teaching is good.

I am at b1 in this school and Unfortunately we changed 5 teacher in 2 weeks. It effected our level a lot. I Hope, you had a b plan for grev. .. (for example putting 1 teacher for stand by) it is so clear that they are not student friendly and no one explains anything.

I am at b1 in this school and unfortunately we changed 5 teachers in 2 weeks. It affected our level a lot. I hope you had a plan b for grev. .. (for example, putting 1 teacher on hold), it is so clear that they are not sympathetic to the students and that no one explains anything.

I think it is an academy that lives on its prestige and that today the quality of the teaching staff leaves much to be desired, not to mention its facilities, which are really pathetic, in the month of January 2015 in the heat of the cold, we were a week without heating and not even if they took the trouble to provide us with a radiator or something to warm us up and better not remember the teacher who came to breakfast at school while "giving the clae" if that can be called giving a class. Thank you gentlemen of the French Alliance for answering my emails and for not saying anything about my complaints.

French language school for foreigners, welcoming and friendly staff!
Very nice stone building

A Good Place, yes, it's a tad run down, yes, there're lots of students and no one welcomes you with open arms when you walk in, they're just too busy. Yes, they speak French in the classes....and only French. But, that's why you're there. You get out what you put in. Jump into French and get soaking wet, osmosis will do the rest.
The fact that I was in a class with the most divers citizens of this world was an additional plus...and, no they don't all speak english....just communicate! You'll be surprised what you learn.

Two months into an expected three-month stay, I quit, I was simply out of patience. Highly variable professor quality/enthusiasm, professors are often out sick or otherwise not there, one professor routinely came 15min late without excusing himself, homework isn't returned in a timely fashion (1-3 weeks wait in the WRITING course!)...all of this leads to the experienced students sharing the good prof-course combinations they've found. I can recommend Catherine H., Isabella M., and Arnaude L. as profs, and heard Denise/Daniele Baltazar (name is likely off a bit) is wonderful. This said, professors change courses each month, so you must restart the trial-and-error search process. The administration is fairly cold, incompetent (lost my online placement test), and has stonewalled the same completely reasonable request for reimbursement from multiple students. There's a seeming lack of desire from the administration and certain professors to respect you as the paying client and earn your business.

On top of this, from what I've seen, the quality doesn't earn time-pressed students' long-term business. If you come to learn a little French while on vacation/sabbatical, the AF is fine. This is much of the clientele. If you come because you NEED to learn French, be aware that you can learn most French skills more time- and cost-efficiently by studying independently, or by taking private lessons (local university students are useful for this).

What the AF can uniquely provide is a group conversational context (if you don't have this on your own in France), a social context (again, if you lack this in France), motivation if you can't study independently, a work space and book source in its quiet library (warning, books can't be checked out, and WiFi is often unavailable), professors who can answer your gritty, specific questions, and - in my opinion, it's best value - a chance to meet and make friends with interesting young people from all over the globe.

I come from the AF in PR and I have to say that both are great. Teachers are attentive, knowledgeable, patient and entertaining. It is in the expensive side but yet get what you paid for and I got a discount as I came from another AF, and you can go in the afternoons instead of the mornings and enjoy a cheaper price. There are many students per class 10-25 but for me that isn't a bad thing except if you're shy and afraid to ask questions out loud. You can start at any time and the classrooms are comfortable and the resources such as "blackboard" and books are very useful and updated. They serve good food at midday and nice snacks afterwards. It's near various metro stations and right in the heart of Paris which is comfortable. They also provide an Audiovisual/library center which I hear is great practice by watching movies, doing grammar exercises, etc.

It is the worst language school and the teachers are terrible, and by the way very expensive, it has a horrible teaching methodology, I do not recommend burning your money in this institution

During my 2 months there I loved it. Can be expensive, but probably the best option for French courses in Paris.

Pretty much impossible to contact... The phone number is useless... I tried for weeks and never got someone on the line. When it comes to email, you get the auto-reply then nothing for days. Students don't have the luxury to wait indefinitely to get their papers and visa in order. Better go with a school who actually has a front office. What a shame... Not a good first experience for foreigners trying to discover the French culture.

[08-2018] I really like this place. I attended both the evening classes and the intensive classes. The atmosphere is really nice. The teachers use modern media in the courses and all teachers I saw integrated recent events, pop culture etc. into their courses to make the course more fun and to adapt to what the students like. Also the alliance francaise organizes events. I recommend the cheese tasting. :-) I only have one important note to give: You have to respect the opening hours! See "info pratique" on their website. Also you ALWAYS have to make a test before you can attend a cours. So be careful if you want to buy a cours online: don't set the starting date too early because you have to make a online test and go there to make a oral test as well. This is necessary because they have so many different courses. They want to adapt as much as possible to your language level, so you can benefit the maximum. Also please note that you cannot bring a suitcase into the facilities because of security reasons.