Ideal for students who want to be in a quiet and suburban-esque part of Nice.
Not ideal for students looking for a school near the Nice city centre.
The good
- Small intake and personable relationship between the students and teachers
- Great range of academic courses.
The bad
- The student body is not very diverse.
- Quite far out from the city centre (in comparison to other language schools)
Date of my inspection visit at Les ateliers FL Nice: May 29, 2024
My overall take
Les ateliers FL Nice can be found 15 minutes away from the city centre. In a mostly residential area in Nice.
This school is not like a traditional school in many senses. They don’t use textbooks; rather, the teachers have a collective school-developed programme, including discussion topics, grammar, and vocabulary. The lessons are broken into two parts: before the break, students focus on the writing and grammar aspects of French, and after the break, speaking and communication comprehension. Additionally, the teachers host a weekly project outside the classroom, where students complete missions asking French people different things, e.g. discovering local companies and testing out their products. Sometimes, it can take up the whole lesson; other times, it only takes up part of the class. Actively interactive lessons are a norm at this school, unlike many different schools in Nice.
Les ateliers FL is a small school that embraces the family dynamic they have built up over the years. The staff and even director know all the students by name and try to build a good connection with them individually. Therefore, this school is best suited for students who want a homey small school and small knit community.
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Les ateliers FL Nice at a glance
| Rating of former students | 4.3 (136 ratings) |
| Class size | Lingo Traveller rating: Small Max. 12 students in Standard French course |
| Diversity of nationalities | Lingo Traveller rating: Below Average Diversity No nationality more than 50% Top nationality: Brazilian |
| Learning intensity | 2.5 hours maximum of homework a week |
| Number of students | 50 adults + 50 juniors in July 10 adults in January |
| Minimum student age | 14 years for school groups 16 years adults |
| Accreditations | Label Qualité FLE, IH World Organisation, Bildungsurlaub, IALC |
| Course range | Standard French Programme, Super Intensive Programme, 50+ Discovery of the Riviera, One-to-One Lessons, Two-to-One Lessons, University Pathway Programme, French + Internship, Teacher Training Programme |
| Accommodation types | Homestay, Residence, Apartments |
| Price | |
| Standard Group course 20 lessons/week: 45min/lesson | 1 week: €300 3 weeks: €900 |
| Additional fees | Inscription fee: €40 Course material fee: none |
| Price level – Standard Group course (based on 3 weeks incl. all fees) | €20.90 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.
“It’s nice just hearing people from different parts of life, why they’re here, and what they’re getting up to. I think that’s my favourite thing about this school: getting to meet people that I wouldn’t have otherwise met.“
Megan
26 years from Wales
“The school offers many opportunities for mini excursions and mini trips after classes. I think for me, this is perfect.“
Ivanna
57 years from Brazil
Questions to school director
Excerpts below from my conversation with Sylvie Sinnonio, General Manager of Les ateliers FL Nice.
Me: “What sets your school apart from others in the city?“
School: “We are not in the city centre; we are in a residential area 10 minutes from the city centre. So, this makes students feel safe, I would say, because Nice is still a big city. The tram is two steps away from here.“
Me: “Is there a particular type of student for whom your school is especially suitable?
School: “Thanks to the mild climate, I would say all kinds of students will enjoy here. Summer time attracts more younger learners and young adults, teenagers. The rest of the time you have more adults, even 50+. So this place is for people who are willing to leave the very touristic areas.”
School inspection report
Classrooms
Classrooms are generally very spacious and airy, but a little outdated. They are all furnished with large tables and have a computer with a traditional projector in every classroom.
Facilities
There is a large outdoor courtyard where students can enjoy the sun, but no indoor communal areas exist. A coffee machine is available for everyone on the ground floor of the school.
Surrounding area
This school is in a suburban residential area, so there aren’t as many restaurants and cafes in the immediate vicinity of the school. However, it is only a 4-minute walk to the closest tram stop, which is 15 minutes from the city centre.
Social activities
The activities board didn’t have any notable suggestions on display, bar one. However, every class has weekly school projects outside the classroom, where students complete missions asking different questions to French people.
Trusted student ratings of Les ateliers FL Nice on the web
| Total | 4.3 (136 ratings) |
|---|---|
| LanguageCourse.net | 4.2 (95 ratings) |
| Linguland | 4.4 (41 ratings) |
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 above and they have no disproportional number of positive vs negative reviews.
Location of Les ateliers FL Nice
65, Boulevard Auguste Raynaud, Evêché, Borriglione, Nice, Maritime Alps, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, 06100, France
Les ateliers FL Nice – Reviews & Exclusive Discounts at LanguageCourse.net »
