Study French in France - Choose a French School With the French Governments 'Quality Award'

By Steve Sutherland

With so many French language schools to choose from offering varying levels of quality and service, a lot of students don't know where to start looking for a school that will provide them with an excellent learning and cultural experience and not leave them feeling that they have been scammed.

If you are a prospective French student wanting to study in France then one way to ensure that you find a great school is to make sure that they have received 'Quality Award' certification from the French Government.

With over 100,000 students coming to France to study every year and over 300 schools competing for their business the French government felt that it had to implement a system that would let these students know which schools had reached a required quality standard so that students can avoid some of the more unprofessional French school operators.

In 2006 the French Authorities entrusted the CIEP (The French International Center for Educational Research) to administer a certification system that confirms that French language schools have reached a required quality standard in five categories. These categories include, receiving and guiding learners, premises and equipment, teachers, courses and management.

In addition to other criteria a school must have been established for at least three years to be accredited under the scheme.

Schools awarded the 'Quality Award' display it on their website. Look for the letters 'f' and 'l' with an up side down 'e' in bold black letters enclosed in red and blue brackets with the French word 'Qualite' underneath.

Studying French in France should be an amazing and rewarding experience. When researching language schools in France I recommend that you play it safe and go for a 'Quality Award' school that has the French Government's seal of approval.

Click here to visit the website of Accord Ecole Des Languages in Paris, the school that I recommend to my students. They recently celebrated their 20th birthday, are accredited with the French Governments 'Quality Award' and they have been nominated by Language Travel Magazine as one of the top four schools in France in 2007 and 2008. http://www.French-Paris.info Steve Sutherland is an education agent in Taipei, Taiwan who has placed Taiwanese students into language courses around the world.