Formation Gratuite

The French government has several programs catered to individuals wanting to learn French. You can get French lessons for free and depending on your case, receive a certain amount of allowance (the remuneration is valid only for people with legal documents but it's not guaranteed, you still have to submit documents required by the association you are enrolling in).

There are several ways to inquire what possible French formation you could get. First, you go to your nearest Mairie and ask for French formation they are offering. For young people with the age of 16 to 25, go to your Mission Locale and mention your desire to learn French. They usually give you addresses where you can attend French classes. Before that, they will advice you to take an exam to test your level of French, and to know your level of education.

For employment seekers, adult formation is also available. You have to go to ASSEDIC nearest to you and declare that you are looking for a job. After your appointment with the ASSEDIC, you will be advised to go to ANPE for personalized professional project planning. Mention that you are interested to take French formation, and depending where you live, they will send you to the appropriate organism that specilazes on Adult Education, such as : IPTR, ASSOFAC, SPIRALE, AFPA, CAPARIF and so on...

Most formation will last three months. There are classes for 10 hours per week, 20 hours and 30 hours per week.


My Experience:
There is no easy way of getting the formation you like. It takes a lot of effort, patience and perseverance to find one. For my case, it took me months to finally get an adult formation. First, I went to ASSEDIC to declare myself as demandeur d'emploie, this is actually required, then went to ANPE for a personal interview. The person I talked to was suggesting several kinds of adult formation from tourism to baking, but my mind was already set on Web Publishing. He tried to discouraged me with this and refused to give me dossiers of associations relating to web designing and publishing. I didn't care. ANPE has databases for associations offering different formation and it's there availbale to the public. So I searched their files and copied all the addresses of the assos. From there, I visited the corresponding websites and submitted my application and résumé. Take note, looking for adult formation is like looking for a job, you write your application letter, submit your CV, follow-up through phones and hope you'll get an answer back. Positive one that is. There are hundreds and hundreds of french looking for formation so competition is damn stiff. I have gone through interviews, then written exams. Since I looked for Web Design classes, many of the interviews were related to internet and publishing and I had to present related work, such as my website, book, etc. After months of waiting, (I totally gave up on it), I got calls telling me if I was available for the next batch of classes (for six months). Around this time I discovered I was one month pregnant. I still took the classes and a company job training afterwards. My baby was practically growing inside me hearing tappings of my fingers on the keyboard. But I enjoyed it and was paid at the same time! :o)

French Lessons Payant

Many private organizations are offering French lessons. My first year in Paris, I went to Alliance Francaise. They are offering several types of programs. There are those individualized, intensive, extensive and so on. The cost varies according to the program.

Sorbonne is also offering French classes, the "Cours de Langue et de Civilisation françaises de la Sorbonne". Several courses are available throughout the year. You need to take a test before getting in to test your level of French. At the end of each course, an exam is given, and eventually a diploma.

The Ville de Paris is offering a wide variety of Adult formations from languages to professional and personal development. Night classes are also available. There are currently 160 different subjects with 800 teachers.

Many Filipino associations are also offering French classes for free. Some are French volunteers and others are Filipino professors.