I am very happy with my course at Les Areliers! It was a great experience with wonderful staff and teachers. A big thank you to Dannys for his outstanding and super captivating lessons, le temps passa... See more
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c'était le deuxième fois que j'ai suivi un cours de français a les Ateliers á Biarritz. I was very satisfied with my experience both times. Guilhem, Manon, and Léa were great. Alexandra was a super... See more
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I had an amazing time in Lyon with Les Ateliers FL. The staff was energetic and helpful, whether answering my questions about the city, helping me get settled with a host family, or conducting courses... See more
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The beginner French class has a wonderful teacher called Mr. Christopher, who is very attentive, funny and interactive. He makes sure everyone receive proper instructions in pronunciation, grammar an... See more
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LES ATELIERS FL & INTERNATIONAL HOUSE Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Lyon is a group of French as a foreign language schools. Our schools welcome international students for language immersion stays. On the program: French lessons, sports and cultural activities, discovery of France, its traditions, its gastronomy, accommodation (with family or residence) and transfers. We also offer online courses at our FL Online school.
Contact info
40 boulevard de la République, 78000, Versailles, France
- + 33 1 80 05 21 32
- marketing@les-ateliers.fr
- stay.fl-france.com
4.7
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Few students with low level of French
My daughter participated during 2 weeks in Anglet and the experience was disappointing.
Firstly, the level of French of the students was very low and the classes were very basic for her (focused on numbers, colours and present tense), while she might have an A2 level. It would have been better to make the groups per level, even though in the “high” level there were only 3 students, instead of making the groups evenly and lower the content of the class to the average student.
Secondly, there were very few students (7 girls and 5 boys). Only 3 pairs of girls who came together as friends, and they stuck together in the bedrooms. Hence, she was alone and left out. So, socially, not a good experience for a teenager. It would have been better to mix them up to facilitate the cohesion of the group.
Finally, there were more groups of teenagers sleeping in the residence who were older than my daughter, between 15-17 years old, and the bedrooms could not been locked. Therefore, my daughter was sleeping alone and having a shower in a bedroom with a door that cannot been locked. A situation that could be very dangerous for a young teenager.
For those reasons, she will not repeat the experience.
July 11, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Madame or Sir,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We’re really sorry to hear that your daughter’s experience didn’t fully meet your expectations.
Regarding the French classes, she was placed in a small group of six students at an A2+ level, based on her placement test and the teacher’s evaluation. While she had strong speaking skills, the teacher felt it was important to revisit some key grammar and written structures - a review that also benefited other students, some of whom had even slightly higher levels. Our goal is always to support each student’s progress in all aspects of the language.
We’re also sorry to hear she felt left out socially. We know how important the group atmosphere is, especially for teenagers. While some students do arrive with friends, we do our best to encourage bonding from the beginning through various group activities that promote inclusion and connection and according to our team, your daughter seemed to be rather well integrated into the group.
As for the bedrooms, for safety reasons, the doors cannot be locked - this is to ensure quick access in case of an emergency. That said, the supervisors were present in the corridors during shower times, and their rooms were strategically placed at each end of the hallway to facilitate supervision.
We hope to have the opportunity to welcome your daughter again in the future - perhaps with a host family next time, for a different experience. 😊
all was good bit the activitys can be better
The host family was very good chosen. The surfing was so a good activity and it was so much fun. I think the activitys can be a little bit better because some were not that much fun because when we had do walk in the city and it was so hot we hadn‘t had the energy to play with use. but some like the laser game were so much fun.
July 11, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you for your feedback, Lea.
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed your host family and the surfing sessions. We’ll take your comments about the activities into account - and we’re glad you had fun with the laser game! Hope to see you again soon.
Excellent teachers
Excellent teachers, course contents always very interesting and flexible to incorporate own experiences of students.
June 27, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Hello Jürgen,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We’re delighted that you enjoyed your course.
We hope to welcome you again soon - maybe in one of our five schools across France!
Les ateliers FL
We didnt surf a lot like 45 mins a day, i didnt eat much and i had to pay my own bus card
We didnt surf a lot, like 45 mins
June 27, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you for your feedback!
Surfing sessions are planned for 1h15 each day, but we’re sorry if it felt too short - time really does fly when you're having fun!
We’re also sorry to hear you didn’t eat much. Was the French cooking at your host family’s not to your taste? Our team in Biarritz is always there to help, so next time, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly during your stay.
Regarding the bus card, it’s not included in the program (as mentioned on our website and in the brochure), so it’s normal that this cost is covered by the student.
We hope you still enjoyed your experience overall and had a great time!
Better than I had expected
Better than I had expected. Lots of practising speaking about different topics. Really great with small groups and teaming up with different people when doing assignments. Our teacher Héloïse was really good at giving feedback and the lessons were well organised. Actually all staff that we met were friendly and helpful.
We had afternoon activities that meant we could practice French while learning about the culture or making patisseries. A good way of learning while having fun.
June 6, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Hello Dite,
Thank you very much for your feedback!
We're delighted that you enjoyed the classes, the small groups, and the quality of the exchanges with Héloïse. We'll tell her !
It’s great that the afternoon activities allowed you to practise French while discovering the culture and having fun.
We hope to see you again soon 😊
The best experience ever
I’m so pleased with everything this school offered. The teacher was excellent. With patience and a smile she made us improve our french. I also appreciated the activities after school. The tours we made were all fun and interesting. The tourguides were all knowledgeable and friendly. I recommend this school to everyone who wants to learn french and have a wonderful time.
June 6, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Hello Eva,
Thank you very much for your 5 stars! We are happy to know that you appreciated the quality of the teaching, the teacher's kindness as well as the activities offered after class. Thank you for recommending our school!
Les ateliers FL
Informatif et amusant
I really enjoyed my week at "Les Ateliers FL". In spite of being by far the oldest participant in the class I felt comfortable. Mona's classes were lively, vibrant, good fun and informative at the same time.
I can wholeheartedly recommend "Les Ateliers FL".
Thanks again for everything to Mona and the whole team!
May 9, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Maria, thank you so much for your kind words.
We’re delighted to hear that you felt comfortable and truly enjoyed your week with us.
Mona and the whole team will be very touched by your feedback. We’re so glad you found the classes both informative and fun — that’s exactly the experience we aim to create.
We hope to welcome you back to Les ateliers FL again soon
I had unterstand that the payment i had…
I had unterstand that the payment i had made was for 4 classes, but it turned out to be just for two. The communication with the secretary was bad. Because of that, I believe my experience wasn't good. Otherwise, the teacher was excellent.
April 25, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Carolina, Thank you for sharing your feedback.
There appears to have been a misunderstanding regarding the course structure. Before your registration, we had confirmed that one class is made up of two lessons of 45 minutes, meaning each class is 1 hour and 30 minutes. You enrolled and paid for 3 hours, which you did attend.
It seems the confusion may have come from the expectation of four separate class days, whereas the structure was based on lesson time, not number of days. This was clarified again in your exchange with Christelle, and later also with Victoria and we did our best to explain the format and options available.
That said, we are very happy to hear you appreciated the teacher’s quality and professionalism - and we’re truly sorry if the communication beforehand caused frustration. We remain available should you wish to take additional lessons and will gladly assist you in organizing a schedule that fits your expectations.
I had a wonderful experience with Les…
I had a wonderful experience with Les ateliers!
April 18, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Sabrina,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We’re delighted to hear that you had a wonderful experience with Les Ateliers FL. Your satisfaction means a lot to us, and it’s always a pleasure to know that our efforts contributed to a positive stay.
We hope to welcome you again very soon for another great adventure in French language and culture!
Definitely beat my expectations
Great school, everyone is very friendly and every Level of french is welcome. Its perfect for a trip alone, you make new friends quickly. Also, the learning experience is enormous, because the whole class is taught in french. Biarritz is a great place for after school activites like surfing, beach, bars, shopping, fitness.. i hope i can come back
April 25, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you so much for your amazing feedback, Kimberley.
We’re thrilled to hear that your experience exceeded your expectations and that you enjoyed both the learning environment and everything Biarritz has to offer.
It’s great to know you made new friends and felt welcomed right away - that’s exactly what we aim for!
We would be delighted to welcome you back anytime.
Biarritz
The school, activities and the surfing was great. 5 stars there. I just got unlucky with the lodging family, thus 4 Stars
April 25, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you so much for your feedback, Joris! We're thrilled to hear you loved the school, activities, and surfing - that's exactly the experience we aim to provide. We're sorry to hear that your homestay didn’t meet expectations this time. Your comments are very helpful, and we’ll make sure to follow up to improve this aspect. We hope to welcome you back soon!
super
super, they are very welcoming, patient and motivated in the class and they give effort to teach their students.
April 18, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, Jessica.
We are delighted that you felt welcomed and supported in class.
Our team is passionate about helping every student progress, and your kind words motivate us even more.
We hope to see you again soon!
An excellent and enjoyable week of study in Biarritz
I had an excellent week studying at FL Biarritz. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed my lessons with Cyril. He was a great teacher. There was a good mix of activities throughout the week and the tasks were really interesting. We had lots of opportunities to speak French and I felt I made good progress. Anais and Guilhem were very helpful with organising activities and giving advice when needed. The guided tour on the Monday afternoon was a good way to start the week - it helped me to learn more about Biarritz as well as getting to know the other students. We were given some really useful tips of things to do for the rest of the week. The school was very well organised and in a great location in Biarritz.
April 7, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Rachel, Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! 😊
We're delighted to hear that you had an excellent week at les ateliers FL Biarritz and that you enjoyed your lessons with Cyril. It's great to know that the mix of activities, opportunities to speak French, and the support from Anaïs and Guilhem made your experience even more memorable.
We're also glad the guided tour helped you connect with other students and explore Biarritz from the start.
Thanks again for your kind words – we hope to welcome you back soon!
The school accommodated me very well.
The school accommodated me very well.
The staff is great.
I will be back.
March 28, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
A big thank you for your positive feedback, Lisa! We are thrilled that your experience in our school les ateliers FL, was enjoyable. We look forward to seeing you again very soon.
I think the quality of instruction is…
I think the quality of instruction is excellent. I can't think of anything to suggest here. I liked the 1-2 punch of Eva and Christelle. That worked well.
My suggestion/complaint:
You should offer a book club and film club. I would be very interested in these as they are interactive and interesting learning tools.
I found that some of your staff were either a bit rude or just unwelcoming. When someone holds a door for me I say thank you. When someone says hello I return the hello. Some of your staff violated social etiquette.
March 28, 2025
Waste of money
March 28, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Alva,
We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet your expectations. We always do our best to offer a warm, immersive, and supportive learning environment, especially for beginner students.
According to your teacher, your participation in class was limited and you often spoke in Swedish with your friend during lessons. Regular attendance and active engagement in French are key to making progress - we regret that this wasn’t fully embraced during your time with us. We understand that learning a new language can be challenging, especially at the beginner level, but we encourage students to embrace the immersive methods we use - including mime, drawings, and real-life scenarios - instead of relying on translation. This approach helps build real communicative skills.
We’re always here to support our students, and we regret that we weren’t given the chance to do so in your case.
We wish you all the best in your future language learning journey.
Warm regards,
les ateliers FL
Second Experience
This was my second experience at the school. Having worked at an international school before as an ESL teacher and administrator, I understand that these evaluations would help reinforce the positive and improve services.
Overall, I would rate my experience as 3.5. I would break it down as below:
Pre-Registration and Communication:
Not as timely as I have wished, but communication and registration has been polite, overall efficient in terms of information and payment. In addition, I was able to have a homestay in the general area that I requested. I only wished that my emails were acknowledged promptly, as the sender can be left hanging. Even if there is a delay (ie. in finding the homestay) reassuring the customer is always the best tactic.
Location:
Extremely convenient location next to tram D and a short walk from my homestay. Obviously very good proximity to the public gardens and other historic sites and services.
Activities:
The activity leader (Sophie?) was very friendly, warm, and always answers questions. I went on the walking tour, St. Emilion and Boat Cruise. She was well-informed, and also tried to accommodate our requests. Well-done!
Accommodation:
Overall good proximity to Tram D and other buses.
My bedroom was of a good size, and the meals were fine. The hosts were friendly, informative and accommodating with my requests.
Classes:
Overall the classes are well-themed for the advanced level, and Heloise encourages students oral production incorporating grammar and vocabulary. I particularly liked how Wednesday first period is preparation for exploring historic areas or other places in the downtown area.
However, I felt that my level was not matched to the others. I am not sure whether there was a lower level class for me, but I stayed in the same level for 2 weeks. It was fine when there were only a few students (days when the aupairs were not there) as I could contribute more easily. (ie. speak and ask questions more). When the aupairs were there, there were more dominant speakers, who seemed to always answer questions.
Even with homework preparation, at times I felt I could have been called on more, to provide my answer or opinion.
In addition the last time i was here, everything was digital, but this time (due to internet issues), everything was paper. I had requested access to teams, having had it all set up before and Heloise made reference to putting it on teams. I asked about this, but I guess it was forgotten.
Basically, I felt my experience as an A2 student at this advanced level wasn't as good as the last time, because at times I felt overlooked, and as a teacher you need to try to encourage the participation of everyone.
March 21, 2025
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Sharon,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review of your second experience at our school. Your perspective is valuable, and we genuinely appreciate your constructive feedback - it helps us reflect and continue to improve.
We’re very pleased to hear that you enjoyed many aspects of your stay: the convenient location, the quality of your homestay, the warmth and professionalism of our activity leader Sofia, and Heloïse’s dedication to creating engaging, conversation-driven lessons. It’s wonderful to know that you felt more confident speaking French by the end of your stay - that’s something we’re always aiming to support.
Regarding your class placement: according to both your online placement test (B1) and your oral test (beginning B1), you were placed in a B1/B2 level group. Throughout your stay, you had informal conversations with our staff, and the school manager in Bordeaux checked in with you several times to ensure everything was going well - both in general and in class. We wished you had used this opportunity to mention that you would like to switch classes.
Class sizes varied during the week, with smaller groups on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (3 to 4 students), and larger groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays (9 to 11 students), when some au pairs were present. On those days, Heloïse organised breakout activities to encourage participation in smaller subgroups. She mentioned that she did her best to build your confidence in speaking - and she was happy to see your great progress.
As for the course materials, you’re absolutely right: we normally use Microsoft Teams to share digital content, and that’s what you experienced during your previous stay. Unfortunately, during your recent visit, we had just moved into a new location, and our internet box had not yet been installed. As a temporary solution, we reverted to paper-based materials. Heloïse referenced Teams with the intention of uploading resources later, but due to the circumstances, it may have slipped through the cracks. Please don’t hesitate to reach out - we’d be more than happy to send you the digital materials if you’d like to have them now.
Finally, we’d like to thank you once again for your kind words and your honest feedback. We are always striving to offer the best possible experience to every student, and your insights help us do just that. We truly hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back again.
Warm regards,
The ateliers FL Team
Good school, with methodology based on conversation, not books.
I attended the school for about a month and a half.
The experience was a little different than I expected.
Because I stayed longer than most students, who stayed on average only a week, there was a lot of turnover, making it difficult to continue the coursework.
This is probably why the school does not follow textbooks, but instead brings in subjects according to the level of the class at that time, which was sometimes higher and more challenging, but sometimes more basic and superficial.
On the other hand, we were lucky to have Charles as our teacher, who understood our demands and made an effort to keep the class motivated and challenged at all times.
He encouraged students who were much higher up to move to a more advanced class and worked with those who were having difficulty keeping up so that they would not fall behind the rest of the class.
Overall, my experience at the school was good. I would go back for another long class period.
December 12, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Vinicius,
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed and honest feedback about your experience with us. We’re very happy to hear that, overall, your time at Les ateliers FL was positive and that you appreciated Charles' dedication and teaching approach. He will be delighted to read your kind words!
You’re right - as we welcome students for various lengths of stay, we aim to adapt our lessons dynamically to meet everyone’s needs. While this flexibility allows us to adjust to different levels and expectations, we understand it can sometimes be challenging for students staying longer. Your feedback is very valuable and helps us reflect on how to further improve the learning experience, especially for long-term students.
We would be truly happy to welcome you again for another learning journey.
Merci encore et à bientôt,
The Les ateliers FL Team
French class
Do not book this class if you are a real beginner learning french. As an au pair coming to this class not knowing any french i would've expected there to be at least a bit of english translation. The class is tough and you really have to pay attention because its 3 hours of french talking. I cannot say i learned a lot and it demotivated me that i sometimes did not have a clue what was being said. You also wont get a refund so really think about if you want to do this.
December 13, 2024
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Dear Isa,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations.
As our program coordinator, Géraldine, explained during your course, our teaching methodology is based on full immersion in the French language, which is widely recognized as the most effective way to learn. Speaking English in class is not part of our approach, as it can slow progress. Additionally, with students from all over the world, not everyone speaks English, and using it as a common language would exclude others. Instead, we rely on visual aids, gestures, and interactive methods to help beginners develop their understanding naturally. This immersive technique has successfully helped generations of students gain confidence and fluency in French.
It is worth noting that your fellow students, who also started as complete beginners, have now reached an A2 level after just one trimester. Their regular attendance and active participation played a key role in their progress. Unfortunately, since you were absent quite often, it became increasingly difficult for you to follow the lessons. We understand how frustrating this must have been, despite the guidance and encouragement of our teachers.
We truly regret that your experience was not what you had hoped for, as we would have loved to support you in reaching the A2 level.
Our team remains committed to providing a supportive and immersive learning environment for all students.
We wish you the very best in your future language-learning journey.
I had high expectations for these…
I had high expectations for these academy, but i was a disappointment for the following reasons:
1. They did not perfom a oral compresion and production test for my french level quiz. I find this as an important issue because without it, there is no proper evaluation to asses a student´s french level, specially for the online courses. There would be people who had different level of french in my online course group, from A1 to B2, making the learning experience difficult. There wasn´t a proper a separation according to each level.
2. They didn´t give me any book for my classes or practicing.
3. There wasn´t a syllable in order to get to know the topics we would study every class, making seem that there wasn´t a proper structure.
4. During my first class, they didn´t send me any link or connect me to any platform in order to connect to my online classes neither a week nor day before my initiation date. They send it until i wrote on the general classes wall that they didn´t send me anything the same day i started my online course and after i lost my first class because of it. When i asked why didn´t they send it, they didn´t give me any explanation.
5. There would moments when they didn´t respond my e-mails in order to get information or enroll about the courses, taking several days to respond.
I hope they look at this, so Les ateliers can correct these issues and improve their service.
December 6, 2024
Reply from LES ATELIERS FL - INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We always strive to improve and will certainly pass your comments on to our team. However, we were a bit surprised by your remarks, especially since our Managing Director personally took the time to explain everything to you during an online session.
It seems there may have been some misunderstanding regarding the program you selected. While we do offer intensive programs (20 or 30 lessons per week) at our five schools, the program you chose in is an online conversation program.
As outlined on our website, this course focuses only on improving speaking skills rather than grammar practice.
For this online conversation course, each student has to take an online written test prior to the start of the course. This helps determine their French level and make sure he/ she has the appropriate minimum level to join the program since the program you selected is offered for minimum A2 level students and is specifically designed to develop oral fluency and confidence in speaking French.
As an online conversation course, there are no specific books used, as the emphasis is on interactive speaking practice. The course structure is tailored to prioritize real-life communication and spontaneous discussions, with the teacher providing materials and guidance based on the needs of the group, ensuring a dynamic and engaging learning experience.
We acknowledge that there was an unfortunate misunderstanding on your first day of class. However, since you missed the initial lesson, we arranged for you to take it at a later date, ensuring you did not miss out on any sessions.
Regarding the responsiveness of our team, we always aim to reply promptly to all inquiries, and our Managing Director personally responded to your questions via chat as well.
We are sorry that your experience did not fully meet your expectations, but we remain available should you wish to discuss this matter further.
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