Moving to France can make French feel both exciting and urgent. Perhaps you want to understand a landlord, ask a pharmacist a straightforward question, join a parents’ meeting or take part in conversation with colleagues. You may already know some French from school yet feel unable to respond when someone speaks quickly. Choosing a course becomes easier when you start with these real situations rather than the promise of becoming “fluent” in a fixed number of weeks.
The practical answer is to identify three everyday tasks you want to perform, estimate your starting ability honestly, compare how much live speaking and feedback each course provides, and test a low-cost or free resource before committing. A good relocation-focused course should make you more independent in the situations you will actually face. It need not be the most expensive, the most intensive or the one with the highest advertised level.
This guide is for adults preparing to move to France or settling there. It compares group, individual, online and self-study options, explains CEFR levels without overstating them, offers a realistic first-month plan and ends with nine expandable questions to help you judge a course. It is independent editorial guidance, not immigration advice or a sponsored provider ranking.
1. Begin with the French you will need outside the classroom
Write down situations you expect within the first month: introducing yourself to neighbours; making appointments; understanding opening hours and forms; asking for repetition; shopping; discussing a repair; or getting directions. These tasks are more useful for course selection than an abstract goal such as “reach B2 as quickly as possible”. If you will work in a French-speaking team, add a few work-specific situations. If you have children, include school communications, without assuming every local institution will use the same terminology.
Turn your list into three “can do” statements. For example: “I can explain that I have an appointment and check the time”; “I can ask a shop assistant to clarify a price”; “I can describe a simple problem in my accommodation and understand the next step”. They are learning objectives, not claims of a formal CEFR level. Use them in an enquiry to a school or tutor: “Will your first four weeks include these activities?”
Practice should include listening and speaking, not only vocabulary recognition. Ask how a course handles unpredictable replies: does the teacher change the question, ask a follow-up, and give feedback? For relocation, being able to repair a misunderstanding — for example, “Pardon, vous pouvez répéter plus lentement ?” — is often more immediately valuable than memorising a long list of words.
2. Understand your starting point without chasing a label
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) describes six common levels, A1 through C2, and uses descriptors of what learners can do in different activities. That matters because reading a short email, following a conversation and speaking spontaneously are not identical skills. You might read comfortably at one level while spoken interaction remains harder. The Council of Europe’s self-assessment grid can help you describe those differences.
Complete beginners can reasonably start with an A1 introductory course, but previous classroom experience does not automatically mean you belong in an intermediate conversation class. A short online multiple-choice test can give useful orientation, yet it might not measure spontaneous speaking or listening under pressure. Ask whether the provider includes a brief conversation or gives you an opportunity to change groups if the level proves unsuitable.
Alliance Française de Paris, for example, describes an online placement process connected to placing learners in a suitable class and aligns its courses with CEFR levels. That is evidence of one provider’s practice, not a rule for every French school. Read its own placement-test explanation and check the procedure at the exact school you are considering.
3. Choose the kind of course that fits the move
In-person group classes can help you hear different voices, practise taking turns and build a local routine. They may suit someone who has already arrived and can attend regularly. Their limitations include fixed class times, varying levels of individual feedback and the possibility that the syllabus focuses more on general language than your immediate relocation tasks.
Live online group classes can be useful before you move or while transport and work arrangements are unsettled. Check the number of learners, actual live minutes, whether cameras and microphones are used and how much unscripted speaking each student gets. “Online” can also describe a collection of self-paced exercises, so make sure the format is clear.
Individual lessons let you bring a real task, such as making a telephone appointment or preparing for a meeting. They may be more expensive per teaching hour, and a private teacher is not automatically better than a good group course. Ask for a sample activity and the teacher’s approach to correction, then compare it with other options.
Independent study is often the best starting point when money or time is tight. Free resources can provide structured listening, vocabulary and practice, but you may need a conversation partner or teacher to identify errors in spontaneous speech. A sensible combination could be free practice most days plus an occasional live session if you find a specific need.
4. Compare French teaching providers without assuming they are interchangeable
A familiar international name can be a useful starting point, but course quality depends on the particular centre, teacher, group and timetable. The Alliance Française de Paris catalogue illustrates multiple formats, including in-person and online, intensive and less-intensive options. The Institut français in the UK also describes group and individual options. These examples show what course formats can look like; neither is a universal endorsement or a promise that an identical course will be available in your French town.
If you are already in France, investigate local education providers and community options. Search for a nearby “cours de français” and check who delivers the teaching, whether the course is intended for adult second-language learners, its actual meeting place and any eligibility requirements. Some community programmes are for particular audiences or funded under specific arrangements; confirm current access directly rather than assuming they are free to everyone.
Before enrolling, ask a provider four practical questions: Can I attend a sample lesson or speak with the teacher? What exactly happens in the first two sessions? How are speaking and listening assessed? What happens if my level or timetable changes after the move? If answers are vague, continue comparing rather than paying just because a course starts soon.
5. Plan around the move itself
Before departure, short, predictable sessions are often more realistic than an ambitious daily timetable. Try three 20-minute study sessions per week plus one longer listening and speaking practice. Use activities such as introducing yourself, giving a date and spelling your surname, asking for a clarification, and listening for simple prices and addresses. Revisit the same phrases over several sessions, each time changing the situation slightly.
In the first two weeks after arrival, energy may be taken up by accommodation, work, school and ordinary paperwork. Instead of treating this as a failure to study, carry a small list of phrases you need that week. After a real conversation, note what you wanted to say but could not. Those gaps become the most valuable material for your next class or self-study session.
Once your routine is clearer, decide whether a fixed group, a flexible one-to-one arrangement or independent study works best. The right course before the move may not be the right course afterwards. Avoid paying a long non-refundable period in advance unless you understand the cancellation and transfer terms.
6. Calculate value rather than focusing on the headline fee
Course prices are not directly comparable unless you know what you receive. Check the full amount payable, registration and materials charges, how many scheduled hours are genuinely teacher-led, how many students share that time, and what happens to missed sessions. A lower upfront price could still be poor value if the class offers very little feedback or is difficult to attend.
Use a hypothetical comparison. Course A costs £120 for six live hours and includes guided feedback. Course B costs £90 for ten hours of independent exercises with no live teacher. Dividing each fee by its number of hours produces £20 per live hour for A and £9 per self-paced hour for B, but the figures measure different services. They do not prove that A is better. Ask which format serves your immediate goals and what other support you will need.
If the school advertises a fixed number of weeks, calculate how many sessions you can actually attend during the move. Look at refund, cancellation, missed-class and rescheduling terms before paying. Our separate guide to comparing language-course prices gives a reusable method. Costs and policies can change, so use the current provider contract rather than prices quoted in an older article.
7. Use free French resources before paying for a course
The French-learning service TV5MONDE Apprendre offers free exercises based on real audiovisual material, organised by level and topic. Its beginner materials include practical themes such as introductions, shopping and finding accommodation. You can sample a few exercises to see which vocabulary you actually need and whether you enjoy learning from short video.
Free practice becomes more useful when it has a purpose. After watching one short clip, write three words you understood, one question you would ask in the same situation and one answer you might give. Then say the answer aloud without reading. The aim is not to complete as many digital exercises as possible; it is to transfer something into a realistic conversation.
A free resource need not replace a teacher. Think of it as a diagnostic experiment. After two weeks, ask yourself whether your biggest obstacle is recognising spoken French, forming sentences, pronouncing words or keeping a conversation going. That gives you a much better question to bring to a course provider. If you want a broader no-cost routine, our free 30-day language-learning plan is a useful companion.
8. Decide whether you actually need an exam
Some learners want French primarily for everyday life, while others need to demonstrate proficiency to a school, employer or authority. Those goals are different. The DELF and DALF are formal French-language diplomas; the TCF is a language assessment with its own validity period. A self-assessed CEFR level, a school placement result and a recognised certificate should not be described as equivalent.
Do not pay for exam preparation because someone says that moving to France always requires a particular certificate. Requirements can depend on your individual circumstances, purpose and current rules. If an institution has asked you for evidence, get the precise test name, score or level, validity period and accepted centre from that institution’s official guidance before choosing a preparation course. France Éducation international publishes information on DELF/DALF candidates and the TCF.
9. A practical first-month course selection plan
Week 1: Identify the tasks. Write five situations you expect to handle in French. Rank the three most urgent. Try a short CEFR self-check, but record listening, reading and speaking separately. Build a small phrase list for those situations and practise asking someone to repeat or explain.
Week 2: Sample before buying. Try a few free video exercises and at least one conversation with a patient speaker if possible. Find two potential courses and record their format, group size, teacher contact time, speaking practice, location and total payable cost. Do not assume a trial is free; check the provider’s wording.
Week 3: Test fit. Contact each provider with the same three real-life learning goals. Ask about placement, cancellation, absence and whether the teacher works on those tasks. Compare the actual answers. A clear, specific reply is more useful than a polished promise on a landing page.
Week 4: Choose a short commitment. If a course fits your needs, begin with the smallest practical commitment and set a review date. At the review, try each of your original “can do” statements in an unscripted exchange. If you cannot yet do them, identify whether the teaching, attendance, practice method or initial goal needs adjustment.
10. Signs that a course is helping
Useful progress may be modest but observable. You recognise a familiar question without needing a translation. You can give an appointment time, request repetition, explain a small problem and ask what happens next. You can correct yourself when misunderstood. A class that helps you perform these tasks may be more valuable in your first weeks than a course advertising fast movement through several CEFR labels.
Review the fit after the first few sessions: Were you able to speak, or mostly listen? Did feedback help you improve one actual sentence? Were class materials relevant to your life? Was the pace manageable alongside relocation? Were cancellations handled according to the published terms? You should be able to explain both what you learnt and what you will practise next.
If the answer is no, do not assume you are a poor learner. You may simply need a different class level, more listening input, more live conversation, a more convenient timetable or a smaller target. Ask for a change before paying again. The best course is one you can attend, use and review honestly.
Nine quick course-selection checks
Open each question to reveal practical guidance. These checks are not automatically scored; their purpose is to help you make an informed decision, not to diagnose a CEFR level.
You can read simple French emails but freeze when someone speaks quickly. What should a placement assessment include?
A speaking and listening component, or at least a conversation with the teacher. Reading comprehension alone may not represent your ability to interact in everyday situations. Ask the provider how it decides group placement.
A provider promises you will be fluent in four weeks. Is that enough to choose it?
No. Ask which measurable tasks the course actually teaches, how many contact hours it offers and what starting ability it assumes. Progress varies; fluency is not a single precise outcome with a universal deadline.
One course is cheaper but offers no live speaking. Another has regular feedback. Which is better?
The answer depends on your goals. If conversation is the pressing challenge, live interaction may justify additional cost. If you need flexible vocabulary and listening practice, independent materials may suit you. Compare like with like.
You expect an irregular timetable during your first fortnight in France. What should you check before paying?
Check the timetable, rescheduling rules, missed-session policy, cancellation period and any transfer options. A course you cannot attend is poor value, however good its materials.
You scored B1 on a short web quiz. Does that prove your spoken French is B1?
Not necessarily. A short quiz can suggest where to start, but spoken interaction may not have been assessed. Use the result as orientation and request a conversation-based placement check if your course involves speaking.
A school advertises ‘online French lessons’. What question clarifies the format?
Ask whether sessions are live with a teacher or self-paced content, how many people attend, the total live teaching minutes, and how questions and speaking correction work.
You are learning French mainly to manage daily life. Must you book DELF exam preparation?
No. Everyday practical learning and formal certification have different purposes. Pursue an exam only when it serves a personal objective or a verified requirement of a relevant institution.
You want to practise for free before joining a class. What is a sensible first step?
Choose a small number of free exercises, such as TV5MONDE’s topic-based videos, and practise one realistic situation aloud. Record difficulties and use them to decide whether extra support would help.
Your class level feels too advanced after two sessions. What should you do?
Tell the teacher exactly which tasks are too difficult and ask about a different group, extra support or the provider’s transfer policy. Use the course terms rather than assuming a change is automatically available.
Sources and editorial transparency
Primary sources checked 3 November 2026: Council of Europe CEFR self-assessment grid; Alliance Française de Paris placement process and course formats; Institut français UK French courses; TV5MONDE Apprendre free exercises; and France Éducation international examination guidance.
This article offers independent practical comparisons and does not claim hands-on attendance at any named provider. Any illustrative prices above are hypothetical and in pounds only for arithmetic clarity, not current quotes. No paid referral links, endorsements, citizenship advice, visa rules or promises of admission are included. Provider prices, procedures, course availability and regulatory requirements can change; confirm them with the relevant official institution before relying on them.
