This course is suitable for learners who have studied the language before and can have a basic conversation about themselves and get by in typical tourist situations. In order to get the most out of this course, you will already have an understanding of how to use verbs in the present tense and be looking to build your confidence, vocabulary and speaking and listening skills for ordinary situations before progressing to more challenging grammar. By the end of this course you will be able to:
Not sure of your level? Answer the questions here to get an idea.
Bonjour! I originally studied French at the University of Manchester which included a year spent living and working in Clermont Ferrand among the volcanos of the Auvergne. That was where I really fell in love with France and all things French.
After my degree I taught English at the University of Dijon for a couple of years before returning to the UK to take a Modern Languages PGCE at Goldsmiths College. I then spent 10 years teaching French in secondary schools in Kent, Sussex and Guernsey.
I took a break from teaching in 2005 and used my language skills in the corporate world for a couple of years. While working for a law firm in the City I met my now husband.
In 2007, on the day after our wedding, we set off across the channel in an ancient Triumph with a rather leaky tent and very little luggage to find a house in France. A few months later we settled next to a boulangerie in a village on the river Vienne near Poitiers. Our son was born the following year. We taught English and made a lot of French friends who we were very sad to leave when we came back to Sussex in 2013.
On our return I taught at a local Prep school until July 2025 when I started a new chapter with Language for Fun. In the 30+ years I have spent teaching, I have taught learners aged from 4 to 90 from all sorts of backgrounds each with their own story. I love sharing my linguistic and cultural knowledge, getting to know people, building their confidence and seeing them progress.