French programs in a Foreign Country?

Question

Does anybody have more information about french programs in different countries. I really want to be a Polyglot and I am not going to become one by living in the States and taking Spanish or French classes. Basically here in the States, they teach you how to write foreign languages but not speak it.

So I am really interested in leaving the States to learn French..... Any suggestions

Answer 1

if you are in high school or college try the study abroad program. If it isn't offered then just hands on experience in France will do you good.  

Answer 2

There's always Concordia University in Montreal, QC, Canada. Learn French, English and Spanish in a place where everyone speaks French and English. It's such an international place. Also, Canada's tuition is fairly cheap compared to the U.S.  

Answer 3

I know of several programs which might be of interest to you, depending on how you want to learn French and/or what you want to do concurrently.  

Volunteers for Peace (VFP) is an American organization which keeps ties with similar volunteer organizations based around the world (both French and otherwise).  While I preferred to do volunteer camps that involved lots of manual labor, programs exist that range from helping put on festivals and ceremonies (such as the annual jazz festival in Crest, France) to helping with the mentally challenged.  I preferred manual labor because, as an engineer, I don't get much exercise from my work.  I did three of these camps over the course of two summers: one in Zittersheim, a small town (population 200) in Alsace-Lorraine, where I restored fountains built over the numerous natural springs in the area, one in Mas de Bonnefont, a self-sufficient "ecological farm" near the headwaters of the Loire, where I built a septic system, and one in Piegros La Clastre (population 600), where I restored the walls of the local castle.  It costs $250-500 per camp (an administrative cost paid to VFP) and the camps last anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 or more weeks.  You pay your own transportation to and from the camp, but once you are there, your room and board are free.  These were great, not only because I was able to learn French, but also because I met many people my age (18-25) from all over the world and experienced such warm hospitality from the locals.  Make sure, however, that the camp for which you register is a French-language-only camp, as foreigners are all too eager to use your presence to improve their English.  Website: http://www.vfp.org

Alliance Francaise is a network of schools (in France and around the world) that specialize in teaching French to foreigners.  Here, too, is a great situation for meeting people from all around the world.  I took classes at the Nice branch for two weeks and would recommend it.  Most or all of the students stay with host families.  You can specify whether you want your host family experience to be like adoption or like a hotel.  Website: various - perform a Google (or Yahoo!) search for "Alliance Francaise" with or without quotes.  

You could also study abroad.  I spent the spring semester of my sophomore year in college abroad in Brussels.  Brussels was a fantastic place to study, not only because of its proximity to other major cities by train and plane, but also because it is beautiful and exciting in its own right.  While I was in Brussels, I studied at Vesalius College, an English-language college that is tied closely to VUB/ULB, the local bilingual university.  Since Vesalius is an English-language school, your degree of improvement in French is determined more by your level of motivation.  Nevertheless, I would highly recommend it.  Website: http://www.vesalius.edu

Another structured educational experience is Explore, a Canadian program designed to encourage inter-provincial travel and French education.  Since I am from the United States, I did not qualify for this, but I was working as a researcher at Universite Laval (in Quebec City) at the same time as one of these programs took place.  If you don't qualify for Explore, you can still learn French - you just do not qualify for the financial aid that is available to Explore participants.  To do this, you must enroll yourself in the university's french program.  In addition to French classes, the program provides numerous extracurricular opportunities to further improve your French and knowledge of French and Quebecois culture.  These include cooking activities, singing and music activities, debates and discussions, movies, afternoon trips and day trips.  At Universite Laval, afternoon trips were mostly through the beautiful old city (at 400 years old, the oldest non-Spanish walled city in North America) and day trips (taken on weekends) included whitewater rafting, whale watching, and visits to orchards and vineyards.  Most of the participants in Explore and the French program are 18-25, however about 20% are in their thirties or older, some in their sixties and seventies.  Not only was this a fantastic experience in terms of the friends I made and the fun I had, it also worked wonders on my French skills - after five weeks of the French program, I was completely fluent in French (in fact, I would have written this answer in French except I cannot get the accents to display properly).  Websites: Explore - http://www.jexplore.ca/english/program.h...     Universite Laval French program: http://www.elul.ulaval.ca/sgc/FLE

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

france