L'Atelier 9 language school is a small school housed in a typically Parisian apartment in the 9th quarter of Paris. It is run by two incredibly friendly multilingual-speaking language teachers, Ignacio and Eric.

I spent a month at the school in September 2003 and can thoroughly recommend it. My experience there was fantastic – it is a great way to not only learn the French language, but also to learn about Parisian and French culture – and to finally work out how to correctly hold those little forcep - like things that you use to eat escargots!

The school is small, but where it lacks in quantity, it more than exceeds itself in quality. The class sizes are purposely kept small, with an average of less than 6 pupils per class (and sometimes with only 2 or 3 pupils) so the tuition is very personalised and there is much greater student-to-teacher contact. Things are also very flexible at the school and they always seem to manage to accommodate you if you have a problem making the class, if, for example, you have another commitment.

The teachers are very experienced and friendly, but also extremely relaxed. Their motto is 'at your own pace' and while the course content is well structured, there is a lot of room for flexibility. If you're feeling a bit tired on a particular day and want to take it slow, or if you're progressing at a great rate of knots and want to push on, they will accommodate you.

Apart from the structured classes, much of the learning experience at L'Atelier 9 occurs at an informal level around the coffee table, and this was what I loved so much about the school. Every day we would meet with Ignacio, Eric and the teachers over a coffee and chat about everything Parisian – from the weather and politics, to the latest French music and 'whats on' in town. There were also many informal breakfasts and lunches in the school – where we would spontaneously decide to drop in to the local patisserie to sample the delights over tea and coffee during the break, or all go out for lunch together to a typically French restaurant. There is also a well organised programme of extra-curricular 'workshops' once a week, including cooking classes, French wine and cheese tasting, and sight-seeing tours. There is also a cinema night each Friday, showing French classics with free pizza and drink, charcuterie, French cheese and red wine. These workshops are a great way to meet other students in the school and to mix with others whose French may be at a different level to yours.

The prices of the courses are extremely reasonable and, considering some of the larger, more well-known language schools in Paris charge a lot more money and have class sizes of 20 or more pupils, I believe L'Atelier 9 to be excellent value for money. I did a lot of research and visited a lot of different language schools in Paris before deciding on L'Atelier 9, but could not have been happier with my decision.

There are no hidden costs with L'Atelier 9 – such as extra registration fees, and the expense of buying course books. All course material is included at L'Atelier 9, and the only 'extra' payment required is for the workshops, which are optional.

So take my advice, and let L'Atelier 9 enhance your experience of learning the wonderful French language! You won't regret it!!!

* Philip Crain - pmcrain@ozemail.com.au

I can’t speak highly enough of L’Atelier 9. The school is fantastic. It had everything I was looking for: small classes (from 2 to 7), excellent teachers, and a very effective teaching method. The managers, Eric and Ignacio, were very well organised, which made the process of enrolling, finding accommodation (which they did for me) and determining my level of French (and thus being put into the right class) a worry-free experience. And on top of all this, their rates represent excellent value for money.

If you are looking for a school in Paris to spend some time learning French, don’t look past L’Atelier 9.

Uma amiga me falou sobre este curso de francês. Eu já tinha mudado de curso umas 5 vezes em três meses. Nao havia achado, até então, um curso que me motivasse a aprender francês. Sempre tinha algo que não me agradava... Salas lotadas, preços altos, professores que não sabiam explicar a matéria etc.
Quando achei o curso de francês do “L’Atelier 9” fiquei satisfeita. O curso tem bons professores, o preço é acessível, o material didático é oferecido pela escola, há uma quantitade limitada de alunos por classe e o ambiente é super agradável.

L’Atelier 9 is a practical language school that emphasizes oral practice of the French language without compromising grammatical and written instruction. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at l’Atelier 9, and I am very satisfied with the progress that I have made in only one month in the intensive course.

The small class sizes allow students to ensure progress. Our class instructor was very accommodating and open to tailoring the course to our needs, and conducted the class in a very interactive and laid-back but very effective manner. As well, the supplementary activities and workshops provided by the school were helpful in widening my knowledge of French culture. The friendly, relaxed atmosphere, the diversity of students from around the world, the helpful staff and unique teaching style and interactive classes are the reasons why I truly recommend L’Atelier 9 to anyone looking to improve their French!

At gaa i skole er ikke noedvendigvis ensbetydende med kedelige boeger og uengagerede laerere – i hvert fald ikke hvis man vaelger l’Atelier 9 !
Gennem snart 4 maaneder har l’Atelier 9 vaeret en fast del af min hverdag, og paa trods af, at det jo rent faktisk er en skole, har det hele tiden vaeret en meget positivt del af min hverdag ! ! Det er en sprogskole, som takket vaere dens stoerrelse og politik, yder den stoerst mulige service for dens elever . Den er fleksibel med hensyn til tider og timeantal, og der bliver gjort meget ud af, at finde netop det hold, der passer til elevens behov, krav og franske niveau. Min erfaring er, at der bliver taget udgangspunkt i mundtligt fransk - hertil hoerer det jo ogsaa, at kendskabet til den franske grammatik er paa et tilsvarende niveau – men det skriftlige fransk bliver ikke forsoemt.

Undervisningen er varieret og har et hoejt underholdningsniveau, da man ofte laerer de andre elever at kende (som jo ogsaa er udenlandske, og derfor ogsaa til tider undrer sig over franskmaendene ! !). Holdene er smaa, og i kraft af dette, kan man simpelthen ikke undgaa at faa snakket fransk, og desuden foeler man sig ogsaa bedre tilpas, end i en klasse paa 28 mennesker, hvor ingen kender ingen.
Atmosfaeren er altid behagelig. Man foeler sig velkommen, og laerere, saavel som « medstuderende » er altid imeodekommende og venlige, og der bliver i det hele taget gjort meget ud af, at man foeler sig hjemme. Ud over at denne skole har alt, hvad man kan oenske sig af en franskundervisning, og ud over at have en hyggelig og personlig atmosfaere, arrangeres der ogsaa rundture i Paris, biografture, picnics og lignende !

For mig, har denne skole virkeligt bidraget til at goere mit ophold i Paris mere glaedeligt – og derudover er mit franske sprog desuden ogsaa blevet en hel del bedre ! !

Jeg kan kun give denne skole mine varmeste anbefalinger - og har du nogle spoergsmaal, er du altid velkommen til at skrive til mig paa min e-mail : lauramayner@hotmail.com

En sikker succes

Måske er du i samme situation, som jeg var: Overrasket over hvor hurtigt man kan glemme sine sprogfærdigheder, hvis man ikke holder dem ved lige, og usikker på hvordan man genvinder dem. Måske er du på vej til Paris, hvis du ikke allerede er her, og måske er du forvirret over alle de glitrede brochurer med tilbud fra byens sprogskoler. For hvad skal man vælge for at være sikker på, at det bliver en succes? En stor skole, en lille skole, en dyr eller en billig? Et godt råd? L´Atelier 9!
De små hold med maksimalt ni elever (ofte færre) og engagerede undervisere sikrer en intensiv og nærværende sprogundervisning, hvor det simpelthen er umuligt ikke at blive inddraget og udfordret. Både begynderne og de øvede. Hovedvægten er lagt på konversation, men med udgangspunkt i en grundig gennemgang af grammatikken, så man langsomt men sikkert udvider sit ordforråd, og bliver i stand til at samtale på et højere niveau. Ofte motiveres der til diskussioner om aktuelle emner, hvor man udfordres til at argumentere for sine synspunkter. Samtalerne bliver endda tit meget interessante, fordi holdene er sammensat af elever med vidt forskellige nationaliteter og faglige baggrunde.
Atmosfæren er hyggelig og afslappet, blandt andet fordi skolen er placeret i en charmerende pariserlejlighed.

Held og lykke og velkommen til Paris.

Hallo !
Ich heisse Jessica, bin 21 Jahre alt und verbrachte einige Monate in Paris, wo ich u.a. auch einen Französisch-Kurs bei l'Atelier 9 machte. Wer eine familiäre Atmosphäre sucht, gute Betreuung und konzentriertes Lernen und individuelle Wünsche hat (ich z.B. wollte einen Vorbereitungskurs auf die Prüfung 'Diplôme de Langue'), ist hier genau richtig.

Hallo an alle Französischliebhaber!
Ich heisse Aimée und komme aus Hamburg. Wie viele
deutsche Mädchen habe ich nach meinem Abi ein Jahr in
Paris als Aupair gearbeitet. Nachdem ich versucht
hatte halbswegs Französisch an der berühmten Sorbonne
zu lernen und mich dabei unter 25 Japanern wiederfand,
war meine Erfolgsquote nicht sehr hoch. Dann fand ich
zufällig das L'Ateleier 9 und fand es weitaus
produktiver in den kleinen Gruppen und der familären
Atomsfäre was zu lernen. Der Beweis ich kann nach
knapp einem Jahr fliessend Französisch! Und mal
ehrlich das wünscht wünscht sich doch jeder, die
gewünschte Fremdsprache so schnell so lernen! Also
kann ich ganz heuchelfrei jedem das L'Atelier 9
wärmstens empfehlen. Liebe Grüsse aus Hamburg, und
viel Spass beim Frankreich entdecken!

Ich habe im Februar 2003 einen zweiwöchigen Sprachkurs im L'Atelier 9 absolviert.

Die Schule ist nicht in einem Bürogebäude, wie oft so üblich, untergebracht, sondern liegt im 9. Arrondissement in einer schmucken, Paris-typischen Altbauwohnung. Als ich dort zum ersten Mal ankam, war ich angenehm überrascht, welche persönliche Atmosphäre dort herrscht. Die Räume sind in unterschiedlichen Farben gestrichen, die Einrichtung ist mit viel Liebe zum Detail ausgewählt worden. Es ist eben wie in einer Pariser Privatwohnung mit Küche, 'Wohnzimmer' etc. Ich wurde direkt sehr freundlich aufgenommen und jeder der Lehrer kannte mich mit Namen. Man hatte nie das Gefühl, irgendein 'anonymer' Schüler zu sein.
Der Sprachkurs an sich war ausgezeichnet, bei L'Atelier 9 wird sehr viel wert darauf gelegt, den Schülern kein 'Schulfranzösisch' beizubringen, sondern lebendige Sprache, auch Umgangssprache.

Wir haben uns sehr oft während des Unterrichts über aktuelle Themen unterhalten, in die dann der zu lernende Stoff eingeflochten wurde.
Die Grammatikstunden waren sehr kurzweilig, da eigens entwickelte Arbeitspapiere eingesetzt wurden. Gut war, wenn auch manchmal (vor allem um 9:00H morgens) etwas anstrengend, dass alle ausschließlich französisch gesprochen haben, das heißt, wenn man etwas nicht verstanden hat, wurde es so lange auf Französisch erklärt, bis es klar war.

Besonders interessant war der Kochkurs, bei dem man nebenher viel über die Eßgewohnheiten der Franzosen erfahren hat. Außerdem kam man auch mit Schülern aus anderen Gruppen zusammen.
Apropos Gruppen: diese sind zum Glück sehr klein, bis zu 9 Personen. Das ist ein großer Vorteil, weil der Lehrer Zeit hat, auf jeden persönlich einzugehen und man ging nicht 'in der Masse' unter.

Auch wichtig zu erwähnen ist das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis. Ich hatte mich vorher bei vielen anderen Sprachschulen informiert und auch mit Freunden gesprochen, die in Paris einen Kurs gemacht hatten und keine der Schulen hatte ein so gutes Angebot und solch kleine Gruppen zu so einem guten Preis.
Alles in allem kann ich diese Schule unbedingt empfehlen, wenn man in kurzer Zeit in schöner Umgebung mit sehr netten Lehrern Französisch lernen will und Pariser Flair und französische Lebensart kennen lernen möchte.
Falls Ihr noch Fragen habt, meldet Euch einfach bei mir unter folgender e-mail-Adresse: Val26@gmx.de

I had studied French for three years in University prior to living in France. However, I always felt that I needed to improve my spoken French. While living and working in France, I enrolled in l'Atelier 9, where I had two classes of conversational French a week for two months. We talked about different scenarios, different lifestyles, you name it we probably talked about it! The atmosphere was relaxed with the coffee flowing. My spoken French improved as a result. I would definitely recommend this school.

Durante il mese di agosto del 2003 ho deciso di frequentare un corso di 3 settimane a Parigi e dopo lunghe ricerche ho trovato la scuola L'Atelier 9. Fin dal principio c'è stato un buon feeling perchè qualsiasi domanda ho fatto loro mi hanno risposto immediatamente mentre invece tutte le altre scuole che ho contattato (molte!) non mi rispondevano oppure mi rispondevano in modo freddo e distaccato invece Eric e tutti gli altri che fanno parte del team dell'Atelier 9 mi hanno sempre dato delle risposte chiare e anche dei consigli dato che loro capiscono i problemi e preoccupazioni che una persona puo avere quando si trasferisce all'estero anche se per poco tempo. Inoltre mi hanno anche trovato un alloggio molto conveniente dove mi sono trovata molto bene.

Fin dal primo momento in cui sono entrata nella scuela “L'Atelier 9” mi sono subito sentita a mio agio e il rapporto con i professori è molto amichevole e i temi di conversazione in classe sono molto attuali e quindi ti senti invogliato a parlare e a fare degli sforzi per spiegare ciò che vuoi dire. Io sono arrivata senza sapere una parola di francese e ora sono in grado di esperimermi in modo elementare, di sostenere una conversazione in francese e di scrivere. Il metodo da loro utilizzato è il “senza libro”, normalmente la lezione si divide in conversazione e spiegazioni di grammatica con vari esercizi scelti dal professore.

Un'altra cosa molto interessante è il vice-versa: il team de “L'Atelier 9” ti mette incontatto con persone francesi che vogliono praticare l'italiano (ad esempio) e tu puoi praticare con loro il francese.

Inoltre si organizzano molte cose interessanti come visite alla città, cinema in francese, party, pic-nic etc... e inoltre ti forniscono qualsiasi tipo di informazione turistica (orari dei musei, e consigli vari).

Vi posso assicurare che dopo aver frequentato varie scuelo di lingua (attualmente vivo a Barcellona) L'Atelier 9 è la migliore che ho trovato fin'ora e anche i miei compagni di classe pensavano lo stesso dato che avevano provato diverse scuole a Parigi e fra tutte hanno preferito “L'Atelier 9”, dato che le altre, normalmente, sono molto più fredde e con un metodo di insegnamento troppo “schematico”.
Dopo questa piccola introduzione sull' “L'Atelier 9” non vi rimane altro che contattare Eric e le altre persone che como sempre saranno molto disponibili ad aiutarvi!

I spoke to several schools before deciding to do my French course at Atelier 9 and I am very glad I did. I learnt a lot in a very short period of time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The teachers balance the grammar and conversation content of the courses very well, and the small classes ensure that every student gets lots of opportunities to talk.The classes were never boring because the material used was fresh and interesting. The teachers are open to suggestions and are happy to address students' individual doubts and queries about the language. I found this flexible approach refreshing in comparison with the school I had taken courses with before where the teachers were constrained by the course book and syllabus.

Ignacio and Eric, the school's directors, have created a great atmosphere on the premises - an attractive and well-located apartment in the 9th arrondissement. The classrooms are bright and comfortable. It has a real community feel helped by the social and cultural programme in the form of guided tours, films, a welcome aperitif and an end-of-course picnic, all of which I enjoyed very much.

I would strongly recommend Atelier 9 - it is one of the best little schools in Paris.

Decyzje, by podjac nauke w Atelier9 podjelam bardzo szybko, po zobaczeniu uroczej, bardzo „francuskiej” ulotki. Nie miałam zadnych znajomych, którzy tam się uczyli, ani informacji z innych źródeł, po prostu zaufałam intuicji. I opłaciło się.
Szkola miesci sie w duzym, wyremontowanym i przystosowanym do nauki mieszkaniu, w bardzo ladnej dzielnicy Paryza. Klasy sa kolorowe i przestrzenne, pośrodku mieszkania znajduje się salon, dzieki któremu wszystkie grupy mogą sie skutecznie integrowac podczas przerw i nie tylko.
Ja samam na początku podchodziłam sceptycznie do swojego pomysłu, by uczestniczyc w zajeciach tylko dwa tygodnie, wydawalo mi sie, ze to zdecydowanie za krotko, bo się czegos nauczyc. Bardzo się myliłam! Jestem pod wrazeniem sposobu nauczania i podejścia do studenta. Podczas tak krótkiego okresu przyswoiłam bez problemu, wrecz automatycznie czesc zagadnien gramatycznych, które zawsze sprawialy mi trudności, nauczyłam sie wielu slow, których nie ma w słownikach a sa często uzywane w jezyku współczesnych Francuzow. Poza tym lekcje ozywiały bardzo ciekawe dyskusje na temat kina, społeczeństwa francuskiego, roznic kulturowych pomiedzy krajami, z których pochodzili uczestnicy kursu. Wreszcie udalo mi się przełamać swój strach w mowieniu po francusku, (choc z licznymi bledami oczywiście) dzieki fantastycznemu podejsciu nauczycielki, aktywnie uczestniczyłam w zajeciach i przyswajałam nowa wiedze.
Polecam Atelier9 kazdemu, kto szuka ciekawej i skutecznej szkoly jezyka francuskiego!

I was at l'Atelier 9 for a month, earlier this year, for their intensive beginner French courses. I was very impressed. The teachers are patient; the classes, intensive but fun and while teaching the necessary grammer and writing skills, the emphasis is on actual communication. I was amazed at how much we covered in a month and even more so, how quickly I went from a complete beginner to being understood in my everyday French interactions. I highly recommend l'Atelier 9.

Hola ! Mi nombre es Alejandro, soy Espagnol y estoy estudiando Empresariales en la Universidad Americana de Paris. Apuntarme a clases de Frances en l'Atelier 9 fue fantastico. Estaba cansado de provar en sitios grandes donde no me hacian ni caso. En la Atelier 9 fue totalmente distinto el ambiente era muy diferente y los profesores siempre estaban pendientes de uno. Las clases eran con muy poca gente y podia preguntar todas mis dudas. Consegui mejorar mi frances muy rapido y con ello pude disfrutar de Paris y de mis amigos parisinos. Conoci a gente fantastica con la que todavia mantengo contacto. Rodearme de gente tan buena fue una gran ayuda para mi.

Hola ! Em dic Susanna, sóc de Barcelona i vaig fer un curs intensiu de Francès (per « débutants ») el mes d'agost de l'any 2003 a l'Atelier 9 de Paris.
Vaig buscar la informació per internet i em vaig trobar (com ara pots estar tu que has consultat aquesta carta) que no tenia cap seguretat ni altra informació apart de la que donava la web de l'escola, i així em passava amb la resta d'escoles que vaig veure...

Una mica a l'aventura vaig enviar un e-mail a les escoles que em van fer més bona impressió i la veritat és que l'Atelier 9 va ser la primera que em va respondre, i com que a més a més era la que tenia el millor preu em vaig decidir per triar-la.
Una cosa que em va agradar molt és que tenien activitats alternatives (i així va ser quan vaig fer el curs: ens van fer com una espècie de sortida a un lloc turistic on havíem de preguntar a la gent del carrer per aconseguir certa informació, sessions de cinema, sortides al parcs...), així com el material que ens donaven per seguir les clesses que era bastant amè.

L'ambient de l'escola és fantàstic, amb gent jove amb ganes de treballar i fer-te participar...

Recordo que podies demanar allotjament; jo no el vaig necesitar però per la gent que vaig conèixer que si que ho va aprofitar era bastant econòmic també i hi van estar bé. Com veus tot va anar molt bé!

No sé si volies saber alguna cosa més de l'escola... si és així no dubtis en enviar-me un missatge, espero que te'l pugui contestar!
Fins aviat, Susanna.

L'Atelier 9 is a small friendly establishment that can tailor inexpensive solutions for individuals so that they can enjoy learning, and be creative at the same time. This is a great advantage for those starting from scratch and who need and intensive course with tutoring based on their individual development needs, and for those who need a “fasttrack” to normal language courses to become communicative, thus gaining confidence to develop their own learning abilities.

Atelier 9 is a small language school with personalised and effective classes. I have taken intensive and conversation/pronunciation courses at the school and both my spoken and written French have improved enormously. I really liked the format of the lessons, working from teacher prepared worksheets, with plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate. As the classes are small (most of the time we had about 5 in the class) it is impossible to hide in the corner and hope not to be noticed and all students are encouraged to speak up and join in. Vocabulary and grammar points are explained clearly and carefully and work in the group demonstrates the application of the various ‘rules’. I understood a couple of bits of French grammar for the first time thanks to Eric (and I’ve taken several French classes in the past). In class we also did various ‘games’ and quizzes, listened to some classic French songs(!) and discussed various social and cultural aspects of French life. We also laughed quite a lot! The teachers are, without exception, patient and attentive - even when correcting you on the same mistake for the twentieth time!

The coffee break each morning (taken in the living room of the Parisien apartment where the school is situated) allows everyone to chat and relax but you have to be careful not to lapse back into English! Ignatio, the very friendly administrator organises social events and outings and makes sure that you’ve got all the bits of paper you might need.

Altogether, I have greatly enjoyed my classes at L’Atelier 9 and will continue to go for conversation and pronunciation in the future. It’s a really pleasant and highly effective way to learn French, in a friendly atmosphere where you are not just a name on a registration sheet.

I have just finished a course at L'Atelier 9 and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in studying French in Paris. The standard of teaching is very high, classes are very small and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. We had one teacher for the whole period which meant we could build up a real rapport with him. He was willing to tailor the lessons to meet the specific needs of each pupil in the class. All the material we used was interesting and relevant. I learnt a lot during the lessons and had a laugh at the same time.

The staff at L'Atelier 9, all of them fun and friendly, take time to chat to and get to know the students.

The school is small and bright and excellently located.
I looked at a few schools in Paris before choosing L'Atelier 9 and I am sure it must be one of the best around in terms of value for money.

Hangout in a cosy living room ? Meet people from all over the world? Sip a “petit café”? LEARN TO SPEAK FRENCH? Sign me up!
After trying one of the bigger, more traditional language schools in Paris (with little success) I stumbled on l'Atelier 9… thank goodness! The friendly atmosphere, small classes, personalized lessons and lack of boring text books gave me a strong base of the language and the confidence to finally start speaking. In a short time I noticed a huge difference in my French! After being exposed to such a wonderful program all other language schools pale in comparison. I can't wait to go back!

This summer, I attended L'Atelier 9 for one month. It was a wonderful experience. I checked many different French schools in Paris on the Internet, and out of 10 language schools in Paris, Eric from L'Atelier 9 was the only one who responded to my email immediately and answered all my questions regarding location, method, metro stop, class size and cost.

So I went with my good feeling to try it out for two weeks and ended up staying for the entire month that I was in Paris. The school is in a perfect location in the center and the method is a “NO BOOK” system which turned out to be the best way to learn to speak.

I have had French before using books and you spend so much time in the book you cannot think on your own and have difficulty getting it out because you do not feel comfortable. Well, at L'Atelier 9, you must start to speak from the beginning and you learn words and verbs and how to put them together to express yourself. Here, in the first few minutes you must start to speak and even if you do not say it right the first time, the more you say, the better it sounds each time. You ear starts to get use to it and you start to hear in a different way.

The teachers also discourage using a dictionary in class. If you do not know a word they describe it to you in French until you “get it” and this way you do not forget it so easily. I have studied French before in the States but did not have any speaking skills when I arrived. I could not say anything even though I knew a few words and some verbs, but by the time I left, I felt like a motor mouth and I was starting to use pronouns just by feel and my pronunciation improved dramatically.

One of my favourite classes was when Maïté brought in and played for us a popular French song, and we had to listen to it and then describe what it was about. After hearing it once, we got a few words and then hearing it again and again and again; each time getting more and more and using you ears to hear the words that started to sound familiar. It was a really great class and I learned so much.

I had Eric the first two weeks and he had such patience with me when I arrived the first day and could not say anything. This method really gets you to start feeling comfortable from the beginning to open your mouth and get it out, which makes it so much easier to get the language flowing.

I must say it was a month of learning and accomplishing much more than I believe I would have if I had my head in a French book all month. Our topics of conversation were varied and we talked about everything, our likes, dislikes, opinions, our countries, history, and Paris. We learned to tell stories.

I would recommend L'Atelier 9 highly and cannot wait to go back to study again. It was truly a great experience. The professors were articulate, professional, interesting and kind.

The school focuses on spoken French and caters very specifically to the level of the students. If I requested help on a specific grammatical point or interest in a specific type of contemporary French literature, film, or theatre, the teachers tried to incorporate these things into the class. After three weeks, I gained confidence in my comprehension and speech. I also greatly improved my vocabulary. If I had the opportunity to take a class at Atelier 9 again; I certainly would, and I highly recommend it to other students.

L'Atelier 9 works and is fun! I have taken different intensive courses and it has really improved my French. The school has a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere and I think that was what gave me the confidence to try to speak the language. The classes are also small and the teachers encourage everyone to have discussions. The school is very helpful and accommodating as well. They are flexible in that they allow me to attend classes around my work travel schedule.

I took a number of courses at l'Atelier 9 during the spring of 2003. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience – the classes were small, and the faculty extremely competent and professional. I greatly improved my speaking and writing skills. Additionally, l'Atelier 9 offered a number of social opportunities – monthly open houses during which we could meet other students and socialize with native French speakers, and the opportunity to meet one on one with a French person in a conversation exchange. I also found Eric and Ignacio extremely helpful, warm and friendly.

Last summer, I wanted to study French in a reputable language school and discover Paris at the same time. L'Atelier 9 language school was just what I was looking for. The prices were very attractive. The classes were extremely interactive, with the most emphasis being placed on oral development. The groups were small. My learning experience was authentic and practical. After class I would go to a local café to study and soak in the atmosphere of Paris or indulge in cultural activities around Paris.
Before finding L'Atelier 9, I had the regrettable experience of studying at a larger, better known school in Paris. The staff was impersonal and didn't take care of all my needs. I felt that they didn't even know I was there. In contrast, the gracious office staff at L'Atelier 9 dealt with all my concerns and the teachers gave me personal attention.
Most important, teachers at L'Atelier 9 implemented sound pedagogy. Being an experienced teacher myself, I observed how qualified instructors carefully implemented communicative lessons that focused on augmenting my vocabulary, perfecting my grammar and increasing my fluency in French. When the course concluded, I was amazed at my improvement.

It was an unforgettable experience. Studying at L'Atelier 9 in addition to total immersion in the host country is the way to go if you seriously wish to learn a foreign language. I'm recommending it to all my colleagues and friends.

L’Atelier 9 should be the first school and the last school one attends while in France. One needs to learn the language of Paris as well as the French language and that is what these guys teach. This is where you learn why someone is “babacool” or who is “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” or the difference between “flic” and “fric” this kind of jargon is rarely taught through a book.

But most importantly, they helped me to “clean-up” my grammar and done my speaking skills through spontaneous conversation. I completed my course feeling like I had made great strides in just one month!

Home | Location | French Courses | Spanish Courses | Dates & Fees | Free Services |
Accommodation | Testimonials | Staff Bios | Apply Now | Application Form | Links | Contact Us | Special Offers | Photos | DELF / DALF | eLearning | Test Yourself | Download+Info | SiteMap

2005 L'Atelier 9 & CWC Iowa Web Design