The best school in the world to learn French?
Which is the best school in the world to learn French? If you’re asking this question, you are likely in search of a higher level of quality to learn said language.
My name is Chris and I run OuiCommunicate, a French school that I started in 2018.
It so happens that the question of the “very best school” interests me also. Is it an Alliance Francaise? is it an Ivy league university like Oxford or Harvard? Is it an unknown teacher in a forgotten village somewhere?
But all rhetorical questions aside, I actually know who is number 1 because we are number 2.
Read on to find out why.
Defining "the best"
The idea of “the best” has to be defined. After all, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley are all the best in their own right. But for other things. it’s Volkswagen that are the best, such as when you want to move an armchair in your car.
In language teaching, schools have to find a method that makes it possible for the student to learn French at a high quality level and in great conditions.
What I’ve found over the years is that French language schools always fell short in one or the other area on the scoreboard. They never made it to number 1.
To my greatest happiness, OuiCommunicate consistently beat them for the coveted number 2 spot.
A school might propose French among several other languages which then makes them non-specialized, as well as focused on expansion instead of quality. This is not what Bugatti does.
Or if they were specialized, (like an Alliance Francaise) they fell victim to hyper-specialization and could only ever teach French following a certain point of view which happens to be FLE French.
To further complicate the matter, there are many schools whose sole purpose is to entertain. They might be the best at providing fun conditions for a low-level learning hobby but not for anything meaningful.
Then we have the corporation-type schools that have international headquarters and employ hundreds of freelance tutors. In their case, it is both their size and business model that renders quality control impossible.
And of course we have our colleges and universities whose teaching format is built for lecture halls instead of individual performance.
There are many language schools that feel that the identity of the owner is of no consequence. Any school “hiding” the linguistic achievements of their manager cannot be number 1.
Lastly, any school selling language by the hour is admitting to a lack of reflection on their trade. Jaguar does not tell you about the miles per gallon. They sell you craftsmanship instead.
Number 2 spot is less achievable than first appears!
The number 2 spot
As I mention above, we are number 2 in the world, which I know from comparing OuiCommunicate to the number 1. It was really very simple maths.
To claim spot number 2, I had to do a series of very unique and rare things. For a start I had to put all my faith and heart into this school, often for zero pay. When the cement of your walls hold together with love, it’s a different type of building.
Next, I had to be born in very unusual conditions, almost like a calling in life. I was a born a perfect bilingual of two languages: English and French.
It doesn’t just mean that I speak them well but that I “feel” them as well as teach them both. This is much of what made us the number 2 school in the world for speakers of English wanting to learn French.
From a very early age I was exposed to the culture of the UK, France, Belgium and the USA. These are things I know as an insider.
I know the smell of these places and the vibe.I know how to small-talk, I know the humour, the food and the culture.
I learned to know my people. I know as my own the French, the Brits, the Belgians and the Americans. I lived there and I left. I was able to compare learning methods and school programs.
All the while I was improving my own teaching method and I found that before you even said a word in French I knew exactly which mistake you were going to make before you made it.
Why? Because I know you inside out, culturally and linguistically. I know what you are going to do when you learn French before you even do it.
At age 34 I did another rare thing. I went to university to do a Masters in Linguistics and Literature, Then a 6th year to be a teacher and after that a few TEFL certificates. I know what is feels like to be a student. It isn’t something that is a distant memory from my youth. And by the way, I learned German and Dutch.
Lastly, OuiCommunicate is always improving. This website is always being refined as we meet new students. The latest is that we can teach you all of French in 43 classes. Only the number 1 school does it better than us.
The number 1 spot
The French school at the number 1 spot puts some amazing abilities at your disposal. They can do everything we do +1.
They are not only small in size (to control quality) but they also so passionate that they poured even more sweat and tears into it.
Not only are they linguistic oddities like us and know the culture and language of 4 countries but they can do it for 5 countries! One more than us.
They can switch between 5 countries in terms of language and culture. They grew up between 5 countries and know them as insiders.
Just like us, they can “read” you as a speaker of English but they can do it +1.
Not only are they experts in UK culture, American, Belgian and French but they can also do it for Switzerland or Luxembourg.
As rare as it is to find someone who matches our set of skills, this school still one-ups us in every respect.
Instead of growing up in a family with 2 languages and cultures, they grew up in a family that had 3.
They then went off to university to study those 3 languages for 5 years, and added a fourth one. They specialized in teaching each of those 3 languages.
This number 1 school has a website just like us but a bit better. They offer online support for any question but better also.
For all the aforementioned reasons, we modestly admit to our number 2 spot. We can’t be any better than our already unusual circumstances allow us.
If any of you French learners are lucky enough to meet this teacher, hang on to them because there’s probably only one such individual on planet earth. It might even be god because I’d bet my last penny that no human does this.
