Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that not everyone is equally enthusiastic about the idea of spending a few weeks in a foreign country, with foreign people and speaking a foreign language. Some children are afraid of being away from home alone or find it difficult to make contact with people they don't know. Don't disregard your child's needs just because you think it might be good for him or her. In such a case, it may help to send a familiar person with him or her on the language trip, either an older sibling or a friend. After all, French schools abroad can only really bring linguistic success if the participant, whether child or adult, is willing, able and open to learning something new.

• Experience of the school
• Training and continuing education, further training of teachers
• Teaching content and methods
• Placement test
• Class size
• Certificates and diplomas
• Location of the school
• Accommodation and meals
• Accessibility and public transport connections
• Duration of lessons
• Mix of nationalities among the participants
• Leisure activities
• Costs
• Teaching materials
• Arrival and transfer
• Travel cancellation insurance

A language study trip can be an extremely enriching experience for many people interested in learning French and a good alternative to conventional language courses in Switzerland. However, the basic prerequisite for a successful stay is always a certain amount of discipline and willingness to learn so that you can meet the demands placed on you by the school. You will be studying French every day of the week, except at weekends, for up to six hours a day depending on the course model. If you can't and won't motivate yourself to do this, a language course in France or another French-speaking country is not recommended.

If, on the other hand, you are prepared to invest a few hours five days a week in improving your oral and written French language skills, then a language study trip to Paris, Marseille or Lyon is probably ideal for your academic or professional future. You will learn the finer points of the French language every day in a course, practise grammar and sentence structure, written expression and questions, perhaps even special business French, and use everything you have learned during the rest of the day and at the weekend in oral communication in your environment. Whether on excursions in the surrounding area, on a French-guided city tour, ordering in a bistro or shopping in the supermarket, you will hear and speak French everywhere.