Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Free French Classes

On September the 5th I’ve started my new free French classes in my local Licée.  The French classes are part of the program of national education.  The classes are aimed to adults who want to learn French as part of the GRETA structure. 



For those not familiar with the educational system in France, the GRETA is part of the national adult educational system.  Greta prepares adults for most jobs based on the local economy; you can do a whole diploma or just a single module.



Greta offers free  French classes, but they also offer English classes for the French and a few other free subjects like logical thinking.  If you want to take part in a Greta program near your area you’ll need to find the nearest Greta address to your home.  The classes are free of charge but the number of students per group is limited to the number of subventions given to the program by your local authorities.  For example for this semester, my French class is limited to only 14 students.  Anyone else who wants to take part in the class will need to pay its own fees or wait until the next semester starting in January 2012.  The number of places available varies from semester to semester and sometimes the classes are separated in different levels so you can take a beginners, intermediate or advanced class, according to your French abilities.

For more information in French about GRETA you can visit their official site in de Indre region. 

Free French classes are not easy to find in small towns and villages in France, that is why the Greta program is so good.  Also, the French classes are very flexible in the sense that they try to accommodate to the students’ level of French and their main interests for learning the language.  This is the second time I am part of a Greta class in my area.  The first time was a few years ago, when I just arrived to France and all I could say was “oui” and “merci”.  Now my level of French has improved but I am coming back to the classes because I feel that now I need to learn to properly write in French.   Hopefully, by the end of the year, I will notice some improvement!

At Chateauroux, Châtillon, Argenton, La Châtre... Get more information on the Espaces Libres Savoirs du Greta about all the courses financed by the regional councel.  There are also the visas Centre on: éco-citoyens, Internet, bureautique, languages and-tourisme. 
www.els.new.fr
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8 comments:

  1. Technoman 2October 20, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    My wife and I attend free French classes in our local town of Castelnaudary. We also get to meet French people trying to learn English. So there is a chance to help them in conversational English and for them to tell us the way native French speakers would actually say something. It definitely helps.

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  2. UnknownOctober 21, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Brian: That's right, we also get an hour of mixed conversation with the students learning English. I think that is a great way to break the ice for those not sure about their language abilities and a way to make new friends for those who are more advanced with the language.

    It is also good to see (at least in our case) that the French are interested in learning a foreign language.

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    Replies
    1. FlossyJune 7, 2015 at 8:18 AM

      Hello, from Royan. I posted a comment here yesterday but it wasn't published so I'm trying to post anew. I would like to ask if there is GRETA in Royan? Thank you very much in advance for your reply :)

      Delete
    2. UnknownJune 8, 2015 at 1:21 AM

      Hello Flossy, I don't think that there is a GRETA in Royan. I believe that the nearest ones would be Poitiers or Bordeaux -I know... not really close to Royan, sorry. Probably not interesting to travel 90 minutes to Bordeaux only to get a free lesson!

      There are a few French schools in Royan but as far as I know you need to pay for them. The CAREL Royan Ecole (near the train station) has French lessons for about 325 Euros a week.

      Bon courage!

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    3. FlossyJune 11, 2015 at 7:44 AM

      Hello Wendy, thanks for your reply. We already went to CAREL and yes, it's quite expensive (my salary for 1 month isn't sufficient enough), so for now, I might as well be contended with youtube lessons :)

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJune 6, 2015 at 8:24 AM

    Hello, I was searching for a school in Royan that offers free french lessons and found your site. I would like to ask if there is a free french lesson in Royan? This is where I am right now. Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 6, 2015 at 8:27 AM

    I would be very happy to exchange e-mails with you, if that is possible. I'm from Philippines. For now, I'm not sure if I will be getting a reply from you because as I can see it, the last conversation here was on October 21, 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJune 8, 2015 at 1:18 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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