EIL Intercultural Learning

Frequently asked questions about learning French in Antibes

Questions

• How do I get to Antibes?
• How many students will be in my class and how old will they be?
• If staying with a host family, can I be placed really near the school?
• Can I go with a friend?
• Are the teaching staff qualified?
• My child has allergies, can these be accommodated?
• How many students per session will be on the Junior programme?
• What supervision is there?

Answers

• How do I get to Antibes?

  Transfers from Nice Airport are included in the programme.  Flights are available with Aer Lingus, EasyJet and Ryanair from Dublin and Cork, or Belfast and Dublin respectively.  Students will be met at the arrivals area and returned to the airport once the course finishes.

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• How many students will be in my class and how old will they be?

  General course classes are comprised of a maximum 15 students per class; for the Leaving Certificate Preparation course, there will bea  maximum of 12 students per class.  Every student is assessed on the first day and put into a class according to his or her level.  There are 5 different levels that correspond with the Common European Framework for Language Learning, ranging from Beginners to Advanced.  Because classes are sorted by ability and not age, maximum learning progression is achieved no matter how long the child has studied French.  Students are aged 14-17 and come from a wide variety of counties, not just Ireland and English-speaking countries.

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• If staying with a host family, can I be placed really near the school?

  Our partners try their best to place students with host families as near to the school as possible.  During busy periods and depending on which families are available for hosting, this may not always be possible, so it can never be guaranteed.  Antibes/Juan les Pins is a very safe town and students' safety is always of top priority.

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• Can I go with a friend?

  This French learning course is available to anyone who would like to book and genuinely has an interest in learning French in France and having fun, too.  If two friends would like to go together, this can be facilitated.  Please note, however, that two students of the same nationality will not be placed in the same room in the residence or with the same host family.  This is to ensure as much French immersion as possible and to maximize the learning experience for all participants.

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• Are the teaching staff qualified?

  All of the French teachers are native speakers and are university qualified and trained to teach French to students.

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• My child has allergies, can these be accommodated?

  We cannot accept children on the programme who have special medical needs that they cannot manage themselves.  If they have allergies, they must be capable of managing them independently and neither the school nor EIL can accept responsibility with regards to allergic reactions.  This also applies to food allergies.  While different food options are always available, special meals cannot be prepared for students with specific food allergies, such as lactose or gluten intolerance.  Students may bring their own supplies of specialty foods if necessary, but the purchase and management of these foods must be done independently.

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• How many students per session will be on the Junior programme?

  Generally there are approximately 60 students per session.  There are 30 rooms in the Junior residence, with 5 students per room being maximum capacity.

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• What supervision is there?

  Each student is assigned his or her own animateur.  This is the contact person or leader for the duration of his or her stay.  The animateursmanage the activities and the accommodation supervision during the stay. 

  All students are allowed to go out in pairs or small groups from the end of lunch until the beginning of dinner - 1:30pm to 7:30pm. Evening permission varies according to age and which type of accommodation chosen.  All students must check with a leader before leaving the residence.  All organised activities are supervised.

• For students 16 and up staying in the residence, there are two levels of evening permission that parents may choose.  Parents must choose either one or the other; there is no in between.

  • Option 1: No evening permission: From Sunday to Saturday. 

  • Option 2: One evening per week (Tuesday or Wednesday) until 11:00pm. Fridays, Saturdays and days prior to a bank holiday students may stay stay out until 1:00am.

  For students who are 16 and up and staying with a host family:

  • Automatic 2 evenings per week, Monday and Wednesday until 11:00pm

  • Fridays, Saturdays and days prior to a bank holiday until 1:00am

  Please note that students aged 14-15 automatically have NO EVENING GOING-OUT PERMISSION, regardless of the accommodation chosen.  During evenings in the residence when students are not allowed to go out by themselves, accompanied excursions and thematic events are proposed by the animateur leaders on site. For those staying with host families, the evenings are spent with the host family, supervised.

  The school reserves the right to exclude students in the case of abuse of the school rules and/or unacceptable behaviour. We will inform parents if students break curfew. We reserve the right to suspend the going-out permission if deemed necessary.

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