55+

Idiom

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Course description

This programme is designed for retired people (55+). It is a combination of learning the language in the morning (in a semi-intensive course) and the discovery of the French Riviera in the afternoon. It is ideal for those who want to refresh their French knowledge and enjoy visiting Nice and its stunning region with people of the same age.

Duration: 2 weeks
Course starting date: 13/06, 05/09, 03/10/2022
Tuition: 20 lessons of 45 minutes per week, i.e. 15 hours
Timetable: from 9:45 to 13:00 + activities on 4 afternoons per week
Course content: grammar and communication
Afternoon activities: guided tour of Nice, visits to museums, excursions to nearby famous cities (Monaco, Cannes, Eze…), tasting of local specialities… All excursions are accompanied by a teacher. All costs regarding transport (bus, train) and museum entries are included (except drinks).

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Grammar and Activities

Class schedule

Course duration
1-2 weeks
Start dates
24 Mar 2025, 19 May 2025, 16 Jun 2025, 15 Sep 2025 and 13 Oct 2025
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 45 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
16 Dec 2024 - 06 Jan 2025

Class times

Morning session
09:45 AM - 01:00 PM
Activity
01:45 PM - 04:00 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

Elementary
Pre-intermediate
Intermediate
High intermediate
Advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level. You may also take this test before your arrival in Nice.

Class size

Average 7 students
Maximum 10 students

Student age

Age range 54 - 85 years old
Average 60 years old

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school
photos

Photos

  • Classroom at Idiom 1/12
  • Students of Idiom 2/12
  • Common room at Idiom 3/12
  • Building of Idiom 4/12
  • Activities offered at Idiom 5/12
  • Teachers and Staff at Idiom 6/12
  • City of Nice 7/12
  • Activities offered at Idiom 8/12
  • 1-on-1 classes at Idiom 9/12
  • Apartments offered by Idiom 10/12
  • Apartments offered by Idiom 11/12
  • Apartments offered by Idiom 12/12
reviews

Reviews

93% recommend

based on 15 reviews
5 stars
13
4 stars
2
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Lovely school, lovely teachers"

Elina Muotka, student from Finland

The school premises were amazing. Everything was beautiful, clean and comfortable. Teachers were nice and funny. Had a great time and will be back for sure! I was there only for a week but next time I’ll stay at least three weeks.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
2 Sep 2024 - 6 Sep 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
17 September 2024

Dear Elina,

Thank you so much for your nice feedback! We are looking forward to welcoming you for another stay !
Best regards,
Laurence

"Professional school with quite structured and good training."

Yasemin Uyar, student from Turkey

It was a quite good experience. The school was professional and delivered a very good designed well structured training. Teachers were quite experienced; specific and responsive. They really knew where to focus and how to help students progress. Location of the school is very central in beautiful Nice and convenient to access. The only challenge was that not all classes have air conditioner as advertised and if you are in one of those without conditioning; it becomes really hot in summer and affects performance of both teachers and students. I arranged accomodation myself and i was quite content except the lack air conditioning and mosquito problem.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
5 Aug 2024 - 30 Aug 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
12 September 2024

Dear Yasemin,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a nice review. We are very happy to see that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you improved your skills in French.
Indeed, not all the classrooms have air conditioning and during the heatwave we had in August, we understand that it was hard to cope with in class and that the fans were not enough. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you still had a great time.

Best regards,
Laurence

"I enjoyed the course very much and learned a lot."

Martin Cook, student from UK

Although I was probably the student with the least knowledge and experience of French I was made to feel welcome and was never put on the spot. As a result my confidence improved a lot, along side an improvement in my French language skills. The teachers were all very helpful, well organized, and friendly. I liked that there were only five students in my class which gave everyone equal opportunity to be directly involved in speaking French. I enjoyed our trip to Ville Franche very much.

Idiom is conveniently located and easy to find. The Director was very welcoming and helpful when I need to change my accomodation.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
26 Aug 2024 - 30 Aug 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
12 September 2024

Dear Martin,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a nice review! We are glad to see that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you improved your skills in French.

Best regards,

Laurence

"My experience at Idiom was overwhelming at times, but very enriching as well."

Karen Shomaker, student from USA

My experience at Idiom was overwhelming but very enriching as well. The class size was a little bit too big for me with a wide range of language levels. I was at a more beginner level than some of the students and I spent a lot of my time trying to follow the instructions and lessons which were 100% in French. I understand the need and emphasis for being full immersion, and I appreciated this. I was lost and overwhelmed at times and it seemed the teachers had "no mercy" for students who might be struggling to follow along.

This was the first time I have been in a full immersion situation in all my French learning up to this point which was hard. But, on the other hand, it gave me some confidence to speak out loud which I did not have before. I enjoyed the challenge of speaking French out loud and having the teachers and other students understand some of what I said.

I understand that I chose to come in the busy summer session for the school and that maybe it would have been better for me to come at a slower time for the school, where class sizes were smaller and there was a chance for more personal attention from the teachers. I also know that one week was not enough time and that I would have gotten more out of my school experience had I stayed a little longer. For this year, I chose to come to the school at this particular time of year due to a specific reason this summer. Next time I will choose to come at another, less busy time for the school and for a longer period of time.

As far as the facilities, location and guided tour experiences, theses were all excellent. The school was located in the center of Nice and easy to walk to from my airbnb apartment. The school classrooms were spacious enough and there were nice community spaces both inside and outside. It was nice to meet and talk with other students, from many different countries, in between classes. There were a couple of guided tours to nearby areas of interest in and around Nice. Even though these tours were exclusivly in French, I enjoyed seeing the sites, learning what I could, and navigating the transportation systems (train, tram and bus) with local experts.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
22 Jul 2024 - 26 Jul 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
06 August 2024

Dear Karen,

Thank you for taking the time to give your impressions on your stay with us.
Indeed, summer is the high season for our school and classes can get bigger (we guarantee a maximum of 10 students per class in the group courses).
As we have several nationalities in class, lessons are fully done in French which could be, as you mentionned, a bit overwhelming.
I hope that we'll welcome you again in a quieter season and that you'll be able to enjoy your expericence fully.
Best regards from the Idiom Team

"Great experience learning French in amazing city of Nice"

Susanna Rajala, student from Finland

+ very friendly and welcoming staff
+ small group with other adult students
+ only French spoken in class and school
+ afternoon activities were great, very interesting
+ useful to have different kinds of classes (vocabulary, grammar,communication)

+ two weeks was a suitable lenght of study (one week would have been too short)

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
15 Jul 2024 - 26 Jul 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
02 August 2024

Dear Susanna,

Thank you for taking the time to give us your nice feedback.
I'm happy to see that you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to see you again in Nice!
Best regards,
The Idiom Team

"Very interesting experience."

Tatjana Baljura, student from Estonia

It was my first time studying a foreign language abroad. So I can't compare. The teachers were very good, patient and friendly. The location of the school is excellent, clean classrooms. The activity is interesting and exciting. My level of knowledge is very low, but I felt very good. Thanks for this project.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
24 Jun 2024 - 5 Jul 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
25 July 2024

Dear Tatjana,

Thank you so much for taking the time to review our school. It was a pleasure having you for these 2 weeks and I'm happy to see that you enjoyed your stay.
Best regards, Laurence

"It was great!"

Sofie Filtenborg, student from Denmark

The school is amazing. All the teachers are sweet and talented and the classes are very small. The only bad thing I can say is that my host family didn't speak in french because they had other students and family visiting from US, so that was a big disappointment, since I was there to learn french...

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
27 May 2024 - 21 Jun 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
11 July 2024

Dear Sofie,

Thank you for your nice comments, I'm happy to see that you enjoyed your stay at school!
It's a shame that you didn't have such a great experience with your host family! We could always have found another solution if you were not fully satisfied.
We wish you all the best in Paris!
The Idiom Team

"Passionate teachers and learned a lot"

Sandra van der Linde, student from Germany

I really liked the lesson structure of vocabulary, grammar and conversation. I learned a lot and did feel quite tired after the lessons but it gave me more confidence to try out my French during the afternoons. I enjoyed the afternoon trips organised by the staff. I didn’t love the teaching style of all the teachers but that would be unrealistic and most importantly, they were all passionate and helpful. It would have been nice to know in advance that there’s only vending machines that take cash for any beverages or snacks.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
24 Jun 2024 - 28 Jun 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
11 July 2024

Dear Sandra,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a nice review! I'm very happy to see that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you are more confident to speak french!
We wish you all the best !
The Idiom Team

"Excellent language school with very nice teachers situated in an old beautiful building in Nice"

Martina Nicole Weimann, student from Netherlands

Very friendly welcome on the first day. Thorough language test to put you in the right class. Small classes ( first week: 7 persons, second week: 4 persons). Nice teachers with structured lessons, little homework and beautiful guided excursions in the afternoon ( I joined a 2 weeks 55+ group).

I took my little dog with me and did not face any problems as the french people in general love dogs.

In summary: 2 great weeks with a lot learning experience! I will come again

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
27 May 2024 - 7 Jun 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
13 June 2024

Dear Martina,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a nice review! We are very happy to see that you enjoyed your stay with us in the 55+ programme.
Hope to see you again !

ps: bisous à Charly!

"A brilliant experience. Wish I'd gone to Idiom years ago."

Helen Quinn, student from Ireland

Learning French through 'total immersion' in the 55+class at Idiom was an exceptional experience.I wish I'd done it years ago.
It was action packed, fulfilling and fun.

The school is in a beautiful building, close to everything and even though I arrived late, Aurelie welcomed me into the friendly atmosphere. Classes were small and it was easy to make friends.

Learning was focussed and encouraging- grammar and conversation- and continued with outdoor afternoon activities as we got to know Nice with Laurent, Ève, Siam, and Anne Láure.
Their local knowledge brought the city to life as we explored the Old Town, the history, culture, architecture, museums, market places, beauty spots and tasted the delicious niçoise cuisine.
Ten out of ten goes to the local transport system, making it so easy to get from place to place and visit nearby Eze and Monaco. Rain stopped us going to Cannes so we visited Florian chocolate factory instead.

I felt lucky to stay 'en famille' with Madame Luna Labour in her comfortable home, minutes from the school. We had great chats at her kitchen table. She is a wonderful cook.It was lovely to meet her grandchildren, who of course had better French than me!
My confidence speaking French improved. Grammar was challenging and I've a lot to learn. I would love to go back.
Helen Quinn

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
4 Mar 2024 - 15 Mar 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
08 April 2024

Dear Helen,

Thank you for taking the time to give us such a nice review! It was a pleasure having you in our school! We all miss your good mood and we hope to see you again :)

"Great school provide excellent teachers that challenge you and help you improve."

Russell Frost, student from USA

Idiom is located in an area with restaurants, cafes, bakeries, easy transportation and many other stores that one may want. I was very impressed with the teaching staff along with the women who handled any problems and arranged for anything that we may have needed. The school was neat and clean with classrooms being very comfortable. There were coffee and drink machines along with snacks as well. My expectations were great exceeded by my experience. If you want to improve a language skill in a professional yet relaxed environment then this school is for you. It was my pleasure to have been able to come to such a school and be challenged as well as given the opportunity to experience the city of Nice and some of the surrounding areas.
Check this place out. You will have a great experience as I did.
Russ Frost

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
4 Mar 2024 - 15 Mar 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence kulinckx, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
02 April 2024

Dear Russ,

Thank you for such a nice comment! It was our pleasure to welcome you in our school.
We hope to see you another time in Nice.
Best regards, Laurence

"Best French-language school I have attended"

Sherry Wasilow, student from Canada

I can, without reservation, highly recommend IDIOM Nice (France)/Language International for French-language training.
The location is very central to Nice, all of the teachers that I had were excellent, the classes were on the small side and therefore enabled significant opportunity to speak and learn French, and the school itself was charming with well-proportioned classrooms and an outside terrace.
I did not participate in the school housing provision. I unfortunately missed one activity/excursion and there were not enough participants for other activities to proceed.
I enjoyed my entire experience. I cannot think of anything I did not like. Thank you so much.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
5 Feb 2024 - 16 Feb 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
04 March 2024

Dear Sherry,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice review! We are very happy to see that you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to welcome you another time in our school!
All the best,
Laurence

"Learned So Much and Had So Much Fun!"

Danielle Velardi, student from USA

Location and school are excellent. My grammar and vocabulary teachers were the best I could have hoped for. I learned so much in just two weeks! My only recommendation is to include more real-life input with news broadcasts and listening comprehension. The conversation classes had no curriculum, no handouts, no structure but the grammar and vocabulary classes were superb.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
2 Oct 2023 - 13 Oct 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
27 October 2023

Dear Danielle,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.
It was such a pleasure having you !

Best regards from all the Idiom Team

"Excellent experience"

Joan Shapiro, student from USA

Patient, bright, well informed teachers and administrators. Excellent experience,

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
4 Sep 2023 - 8 Sep 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
laurence, executive assistant at Idiom responded to this review.
18 September 2023

Dear Joan,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review.
We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay with us !

Best regards from all the team

"Experienced, professional, encouraging and with joy and great sense of humor."

Anne Karkkainen

The two weeks I spent studying at the school Idiom intensive course was great and very rewarding. At the beginning the participants' skill were tested and the groups were formed by the results. There you could see the solid experience of the teachers. Thanks to the even level the students, group worked very well. Not to mention that we were only 4 in the class!

As the teachers told us students, we were pushed to exceed our limits – and at least I did, and learned a lot. Especially grateful and happy I was able to speak with the teachers and fellow students. Refreshing my old oral skills - speaking French - was my main reason to participate to the course. In 2 weeks I spoke more French I'd done in past 40 years. Also, I was able to recall the vocabulary, bring it up to date. The grammar course was of course useful, too.

In the end there was a test again and the results were given according to the EU reference language skills (Laurence, will you please make a correct English translation ?) (= Le Cadre Européen Commun de Référence pour les Langues). It was encouraging for me seeing the progress.

I liked very much the afternoon excursions of the teachers which was a possibility to get a glimpse of an insider to the places they took us. And, again, talk with our guides and the fellow students.

The school building and the classes are nice. The only thing I would note was a hard echo in the classroom when people were talking loud. If I may hint, I'd would suggest some softening elements on the walls to make the noise lower. As you may have some older students with sensitive ears or even a hearing aid, it would make for them the auditive room more pleasant.

One thing I have to mention and thank for is the effective, responsive and accurate administration which works in two languages, French and English. Specials thanks, Laurence!

All in all, I am very happy for the course. It encouraged me to continue studying French even more.

My best thanks and wishes to all of you in Idiom!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
3 Apr 2022 - 14 Apr 2022
Would you recommend this school?
No
housing

Housing

Idiom offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast

180 €
weekly
Age range: 18 - 85 years old
Location: In the city center of Nice
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast (6 meals per week)
Facilities: Free internet
Distance to school: 10 - 25 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
180 €
Our host families are carefully chosen according to their sympathy and the warm atmosphere in their home. Living with a French family is an experience that you will not forget: you will discover the “French way of life”, take part in French conversations.

The homestay includes a single room, breakfast and the arrival transfer from the airport or the main train station at your arrival.
If you have special requests or diet restrictions, please let us know in advance.
Your stay starts the Sunday before your first day at school and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class. Changes can be made upon request.

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast and dinner

228 €
weekly
Age range: 18 - 85 years old
Location: In the city center of Nice
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (12 meals per week)
Facilities: Free internet
Distance to school: 10 - 25 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
228 €
Our host families are carefully chosen according to their sympathy and the warm atmosphere in their home. Living with a French family is an experience that you will not forget: you will discover the “French way of life”, take part in French conversations during dinner and appreciate the French “cuisine”. The homestay includes a single room, the half-board (breakfast and dinner) and the arrival transfer from the airport or the main train station at your arrival.
If you have special requests or diet restrictions, please let us know in advance.
Your stay starts the Sunday before your first day at school and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class. Changes can be made upon request.
hotel

2-star hotel - Single-person room - No meals

582 €
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: 42 boulevard Risso, Nice 06300, NIce
Location: In the city center of Nice
Housing type: 2-star hotel
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, wireless internet, free internet, air conditioning, and heating
Distance to school: 10 - 25 minutes by train or subway
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, before 11:00 AM
582 €
This residence offers fully equipped studios and apartments. It has the advantage of offering a private swimming pool on the roof (free access). This residence is well located: 25 minutes walk from school, 10 minutes walk from the Old Town, it is also very well connected by bus and tram.

All studios offer a fully-equipped kitchenette (dishware, fridge, microwave and electric hob), an office area, a bathroom with W.C., bedlinen and towels, telephone with direct line, satellite television, free WIFI, air conditioning, double glazing, weekly cleaning included for stays over 8 nights.
Rates can change according to seasons.
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged 120 € when you register.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Nice based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Idiom staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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