Learn French to Leave The U.S.
Hi, I'm Chris. Your French teacher.
Quite a few Americans mention leaving the US because of recent political changes.
In this post, we'll talk about how to make this project happen.
Why are they leaving?
I regularly speak to Americans on the phone who mention the political climate as a reason to go abroad to seek greener pastures. Whichever way you voted, the promises of becoming “great again” have quickly backfired into tariff-driven counter-attack from all countries involved. (Yikes! You mean they weren’t just going to sit back and have tariffs imposed on them??) People are already tired of this.
Where are they going?
The most popular choice remains France, and with it the prospect of a more peaceful and simple life. A need for authenticity is often the driving factor, as well as a desire to escape the drama brought on by orange-faced megalomaniacs and their Nazi-saluting sidekicks.
We’re here to help!
Quite evidently, moving to any French-speaking country of Europe requires conversational French. There is an unfounded notion that all Europeans get by quite easily in English, but this is dependent on the country. Scandinavia fares better than Slavic or Southern countries of Europe. When it comes to France, most will speak broken English – which they practice a handful of times a year in most cases.
How to prepare?
If your intention is to learn French for the project of moving to France, it can be done. But it will take strategic planning and targeted work. You will have to dedicate several months to your course (or classes) and come armed with the essentials on which you can later build.
Explore our resources
How we use bilingualism
A checklist to prepare your move
Have you ever learned a language before?
In the case ou haven’t there will be a distortion between what you imagine it to be and the reality. The lack of experience usually leads to dead-end roads and wasted efforts.
Will you learn in a school in France?
It pays to know which social aquarium you are stepping in. France is a monolingual country with deep-set traditions. A French teacher from France will teach you according to what makes sense to them, not to you. They are not speakers of English.
Do you know the teaching industry?
Word to the wise: language teaching is an unregulated industry, meaning that anyone can step into it. The reputation of a brand does not mean quality. Cheap tutoring platforms or apps are full to the brim with unqualified opportunists and “sidegig” youngsters. Being a native in a language does not mean you can teach it.
Can you get to the finishing line?
When we don’t know what the job entails, it’s hard to plan for it. You might know that you need “French” but where does it start and end? How will you know how fast to drive without a destination?
How much will it cost?
In language learning there are 2 types of costs: time and money. A free app saves you money but costs a fortune in time because it doesn’t leads to much learning. A badly-chosen tutor costs money and time. And it costs even more money later when you have to pay someone to correct the mistakes they taught you. Ideally, you will want to combine effectiveness and learning at a reasonable cost.
Will you pick up French in the street?
In the case you are, there a many linguistic and practical reasons it will not happen. Learning in full immersion carries more problems than solutions, of which bad grammar and bad pronunciation.
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How our classes work
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We're happy to talk about your plan to learn French
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And even before that, we are happy to phone you to learn about your current level of French.
