alpha.b Institut Linguistique

The class size was very good. There were about 8 teachers in total. The instruction was very good. We learned good methods for teaching different grammatical elements (future, past, conditionnel), as well as units including technology, graphic novels, and an excursion to a local museum. Perhaps a bit too much time was given for teachers to introduce themselves, and the comic book session could have involved more participant interaction. Marie Hèlène was very generous with her time and resources, even giving students a USB key with resources.

Overall, I was pleased with the educational program. The one aspect that could have been improved was the social aspect. The week that I was there, they offered the following: a walking tour of Nice, a visit to mini golf and an attraction park (which I didn’t go to, this was more geared towards the younger students) , an excursion to Antibes and a excursion on a boat to see dolphins.
I would have appreciated more afternoon excursions.

I would have also appreciated more evening activities such as wine and food tastings, perhaps a cooking class. I was told that the week prior to my visit had more of that, so it was unfortunately not offered while I was there.

More of an effort could have been made to do icebreakers / activities so that students from all programs could meet each other. I only found out near the end of the week that there was a program of students 30 years and older. It would have been nice to meet them earlier.

My home stay was good. Colette provided very good meals and conversation. I wouldn’t call her the easiest person to live with. She was very particular and at times a little rude, but overall it was fine.

My only other issue was that I found out that because I booked the program through a 3rd party on the internet rather than directly with Alpha B, I ended up paying a considerable amount more than I would have had I booked directly through Alpha B (several hundred euros more).

The teachers were very nice and welcoming. I was able to learn many interesting things from them but also other students. Nice the city itself was beautiful and fun. You can chill on the beach or go party in the pubs or clubs. Côté d’azur was the best! After classes, just a few minutes from the school buildings we could go swimming in a beautiful warm sea. There weren’t many activities organized by the school itself. Housing was also good although I didn’t like that i couldn’t take the shower after 10 PM. Other than that my host was very sweet and nice.

They are all very kind. The test for knowing my level was great, so I came in the best class for my level.
Activities were great and I loved that the afternoon was planned for speaking and discussing. Delphine is a great teacher and getting to know also Vincent, was great because we had very interesting discussions.

Fantastic school. I have learned a lot. We were on family course. AS is almost 9 ( so her mum writes review) however she was very happy with the course and with meeting new friends. Teaches were amazing.

I booked this course only a few days before the course was due to start and had a very good experience with the administrative team. When I arrived everything had been well organised.
The course started well because of the clear introduction from Anna and Jean-Phillipe. The initial assessment was carried out quickly and efficiently. As a result of the streaming of classes I felt comfortable with the class I was allocated to. The other students were generally very good and created a good learning environment although, as is often the case, the very young students did not participate as much as I would have liked.

Both Delphine (2weeks) and Olane (frist week only) were excellent teachers who made the classes very engaging and interactive. They were well organised and created a good learning environment supporeted by good materials. Jennifer (week 2 pm) was sound but less effective as I found her lessons less active and more "old-fashioned" in style. I was very pleased with the extra session from Jean-Phillipe at the end of the first week.

The school is well located in the city but the classrooms in the main building were often noisy because of the road traffic outside. Also, the rooms in the Forum were disappointing - they were dark and sometimes damp although they quieter than in the main building. The technology in the rooms was basic and could be improved to support teaching e.g. bigger screens, better audio and video and the ability to search on-line during the lesson.

The social programme was quite limited although I did enjoy the Cafe des Langues event in Nice old team. The introductory walking tour was well worthwhile. By comparison, I have studied with IS in Aix-en-Provence and they have a much more extensive programme of outside activities .

Overall it was a very good experience and I would recommend alpha.b to others.

I did the course for over 50s and had a nice small group of women to spend two weeks with. There was a good mix of nationalities and levels of proficiency. The teacher was incredibly good at adapting and responding to the different needs and interests in the group. She was highly skilled and very engaging, maintaining enthusiasm and energy throughout. It was very motivating and I learned a lot.

The program of activities was nicely balanced and led by a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. Level B2 people would understand all/most of what she says. Level B1 or lower would struggle a bit. However the classes in the morning were tailored to both levels, so we had a mixture or consolidating what we might have already learned and acquiring new vocabulary/I improving our understanding.

Being in a small group enabled us to practice talking a fair bit (though I would have liked there to be more conversation practice). Overall the course was great, as evidenced by the fact that several if my classmates had done the same course before and had come back for more. It was particularly good for practicing/improving comprehension and for learning more about Nice, nearby villages and French culture.

Support from the administrators was also very good. I’d strongly recommend this program.

Positive teachers.Few pupils in class.
Négatif no leisure room. No cafétéria.

The class i was in was very good and my class mates were helpful and encouraging, the teacher was very helpful helping me with words i didn’t understand and the ones i didn’t know. The location was very good as it was a 3 minute walk from the tram station which was only a 15 minute ride. The facility was food with lots of class rooms and there was divided into 2 section and the classes were big and was very comfy

I enjoyed my experience at Alpha.b language school. My housing was so convenient to the school, and my hostess, Nelly Dunaud was terrific. I thought the class was not personally challenging, but Delphine, the instructor tried to teach to a variety of levels within the class very successfully. I liked the mix of personalities in my class which enhanced my experience. Our activities for the most part were interesting, but moving 30 people around for activities was challenging. It would be more enjoyable to break the group in half(which did happen on a few occasions). This was my first trip to Nice which was wonderful.. I can't think of a better location to improve my French.

Nice, friendly but average.

I normally don't like everything for example instructions to be in French but this added an extra dimension and forced me to 'think in French". I only wish you were able to do a full-time or long-term instead of just one week. A few things that didn't make sense for years such as conjugation started to sink in.

Overall, I liked everything.
The school is located in a very nice neighborhood and in a typical French building. The classrooms were well-lit and comfortable .
The teacher teaching style was excellent, with experience and knowledge of different languages, ​​facilitated more communication, apart from that the teacher was very willing to modify the program to our particular interests .
I did not avail of the accommodation through the school, so I can not comment on that subject.

:)