Ideal for students who are on a strict budget and want a very affordable school.
Not ideal for students looking for an experienced language school.
The good
- Amazing views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from many different classrooms.
- They offer a free lesson for students to “try before they buy”.
- Very affordable, the cheapest rates for French language schools in Paris.
The bad
- They do not have any official accreditations.
- They were only founded in 2019 so lack experience.
- Very large class sizes.
Date of my inspection visit at IS-DBA Paris: May 14, 2024
My overall take
IS-DBA is located in the financial district of Montparnasse, specifically the 14th arrondissement. This is a relatively new language school established in 2019. They are located in an 11-storey business building, but the school itself has classrooms on multiple floors (2nd, 6th, 7th, 9th and 11th) and 4 of these classrooms have a view of the Eiffel tower.
Although they are not a very experienced organisation, they still pride themselves on their academic strength. The teachers use the communication approach and ensure every skill is focused on during the general lessons. There are additional workshops to work on specific skills, e.g. writing, oral skills, preparing DALF, and tutorials for students 5 hours a week where students of different levels practice what they have learnt in class. Another thing that stood out to me is that they record the lessons and use Google Classroom to share the class material, so students who miss class always have access to the lesson. Lastly, they don’t use any specific books to follow, allowing teachers to be creative in their lesson planning.
Of course, as a newer school, there are still trial and error processes, especially regarding what works well with classes. Still, IS-DBA offers a free taster lesson, allowing potential students to get the feel of the lessons. The school lacks diversity and doesn’t have a social programme so that you will be paying solely for academic French lessons. Conclusively, if you are a student looking for the most affordable language school in Paris, this school would be perfect for you.
Book IS-DBA Paris with exclusive discount
IS-DBA Paris at a glance
| Rating of former | (Insufficient number of student ratings at time of publishing) |
| Class size | Lingo Traveller rating: Very Large Max. 18 students in General French course |
| Diversity of nationalities | Lingo Traveller rating: Very little diversity No nationality more than 65% Top nationality: Korean |
| Learning intensity | 1.5 hours of homework per week |
| Number of students | 90 adults in July 80 adults in January |
| Minimum student age | 18 years |
| Accreditations | None |
| Course range | General French |
| Accommodation types | None |
| Price | |
| Standard Group course 20 lessons/week: 60min/lesson | 1 week: €75 3 weeks: €225 |
| Additional fees | Inscription fee: €100 Course material fee: none |
| Price level – Standard Group course (based on 3 weeks incl. all fees) | €5.40 per 60 minute tuition |
My tour of the school & video review
Student voices
Unfiltered comments from random students I met at the school and asked about their experience.
“The teachers are passionate about teaching students and manage all lessons, such as grammar and speaking. I definitely can say I have improved my French skills.“
Dunyong
31 years from South Korea
“My favourite thing about here is the value you get for a French class. I went to 2 other schools, and this is by far the cheapest school that I have been to.”
Nick
18 years from Denmark
Questions to school director
Excerpts below from my conversation with Simon, Academic Director of IS-DBA.
Me: “What sets your school apart from others in the city?“
School: “We have different workshops with many subjects that concern the needs of the student, for example, grammar, phonetics, preparation of DELF, and oral pronunciation. We welcome and listen to the specific needs of each student.“
Me: “Is there a particular type of student for whom your school is especially suitable?
School: “A student who is curious to learn French but also has an open mind to work at home by themselves and be active during the lesson because we want the students to communicate between themselves and the teachers.“
School inspection report
Classrooms
Large or extremely large classrooms with full sized tables and mostly padded chairs. Also many of the classrooms (at least 50%) have a view of the landscape of Paris, including the Tour Eiffel! Also they’re technologically modern with interactive whiteboards in all the classrooms. They have great amenities with air-conditioning, heating and windows in all of their classrooms.
Facilities
There is a library/small communal lounge on the main administration floor as well as smaller communal seating areas on all the other floors. Some even have views of the Eiffel Tower.
Surrounding area
Montparnasse, which is considered the financial district of Paris, is also right beside a large train station with links outside of Paris and the metro, only a 3-minute walk from the school. Of course, like most of the other language schools in Paris, this location is surrounded by various restaurants, cafes and bars.
Social activities
They were only founded in 2019 so they do not yet have an up and running social activity programme.
Trusted student ratings of IS-DBA Paris on the web
| Total | (Insufficient number of student ratings at time of publishing) |
|---|
Ratings as of June 28, 2024
Why no Google or Facebook ratings? Schools may have requested Facebook, Google or Trustpilot reviews only from those students that previously gave positive after-course evaluations. I only trust ratings from independent booking platforms/agencies, that allow exclusively clients who booked via their platform to rate the schools. I have checked each of these sites and they have no disproportional number of positive vs negative reviews.
