Pierre – French Immersion in Languedoc

Your teacher

Bonjour à vous ! My name is Pierre, I was born and raised in Brittany. My parents were French teachers in the public school system. I left Brittany at age 23 and headed south for more sunshine and a call to help adults reenter the workforce via working the land.

I also worked with handicaped adults, creating and offering workshops centered on nature, writing and music.

I then worked as a social worker with special needs teenagers, organizing short trips in nature to teach them self-reliance.

Later, I spent time in the United Kingdom for two years teaching French as a foreign language. I now share my fifiteen years of teaching experience with you, customizing my courses to all levels and all ages.

I love meeting new people from all over the world and sharing our life experiences, interests, passions.

I believe in not only teaching my students, but also, most importantly, learning from each other.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and badminton, listening to all kinds of music, swiming at the nearby lake, walking and hiking, playing guitar, watching movies and documentaries, cooking with local ingredients, growing my own vegetables, travelling, spending time with my children, learning new languages, learning about nature, snow skiing, art, prehistory and obviously history !

Teaching style

My focus is on everyday life and authentic conversational French. I teach a unique way to connect what you learn with real life situations in a supportive, friendly, fun, respectful and safe environment. I help you identify each sound, each rythm of the language, as if I were teaching you the score of a piece of beautiful music.

To make learning fun, we will practice your newly learned language skills through roleplays to put you in real situations.

I adapt each step of my classes to your level, to your learning pace, and most importantly to your individual aspirations.

Your expectations are my primary concern. Your success is my ultimate goal.

Levels taught

I teach French to all levels, all ages. My youngest student was 5, my eldest was 92 years old !

Your home away from home is a comfortable typical southern French stone village house, which has kept its authenticity updated with all modern amenities. The house was more than likely built in the 14th century A.D. The entrance door is 2 centuries old !
Your private space includes two bedrooms with two full size beds. There's an equipped kitchen on the ground floor, a bathroom on the first floor. Next to the dining room and the salon, there's a private outdoor courtyard leading to a lovely patio and its pool. With the mediterranean climate, you can eat in the patio most of the year and you can use the pool on the hot days which are numerous. Linens, towels and toiletries are furnished.
Located in a quiet quaint street, just steps away from the village church (and its unique Byzantine style bell tower) and the medieval covered market square (and its red marble dolphin fountain and dragon weathervane), you will be able to learn even more secrets and history of the village by doing any of the three available treasure hunts. You will also be able to discover the local ancestral olive growing tradition and our 800 year old Cade tree by walking on the two local easy discovery walking trails.

Your meals will be prepared by yours truly, using local seasonal fresh ingredients, some of which grown in my own garden. I also grow vegetables in a garden I can use nearby. If cooking is your thing, you can join me and learn how to prepare traditional French dishes. Why not take a trip together to the local farmer's market or local producers to gather fresh ingredients and compose our menu?
Enjoy a home cooked lunch with local ingredients gathered from the village grocer or dine out at the village's restaurant or any of the nearby villages' restaurants.
In addition to the breakfasts and the lunches, I offer and share with you an "apéritif" and a dinner the day of your arrival. If you stay for two weeks or more, I do the same the night before your departure.

You're about to discover the real and true South of France, the one far away from the crowds, authentic, close to its roots and traditions. A South of France where history meets "savoir faire", where great food comes from great locally produced ingredients, where cute medieval villages are part of a magical landscape that unveils a plethora of unique secrets. Get ready to learn French while immersing yourself in the local culture and heritage of this amazing area I call home.

Discover first hand the soul of our magical region through my guided excursions, from the mountains to the sea.

My French immersion program :

Day of arrival :

Pick up at airport or train station.
Time to settle in.
Short guided tour of the village.
Welcome drink.
Home cooked seasonal dinner.

Following days :

Home cooked seasonal breakfast.

Three hour French class.

Home cooked seasonal lunch.

Excursion (five days a week).

Dinner and evening on your own (except the first one).

The day of your arrival, you will be able to discover the local ancestral olive growing tradition and our 800 year old Cade tree by walking on the two local easy discovery walking trails, I will be your guide. And if you're into Geocaching, a lot of fun can be had by finding the geocaches hidden around the village.
Aside from the numerous excursions I will lead you on, such as the medieval city of Minerve, the four castles of Lastours, the Dolmen des Fades, the Canal du Midi, the abbeys of Lagrasse and Fontfroide, the cité of Carcassonne... and so much more, I will also take you on nature walks and hikes. Also available during your stay : - A game or two of tennis with your host [complimentary]. - Guided nature walk with local guide [complimentary]. - Guided tour of local aromatic and medicinal plant farm [small fee]. - Local treasure hunts [small fee]. - Wine tastings [complimentary]. - Olive oil artisan mill [complimentary]. - Museum of Roman potters [small fee]. - Museum Narbovia, roman era |small fee]. - Kayak and paddle boarding on the river Aude in season [small fee]. - Signature massages and energy healing sessions [fee].
The Mediterranean coast is not far and I will take you to lovely villages along the coastal lagoons, Bages, Peyriac de Mer, Gruissan,.. These lagoons are protected, it's a nature reserve and you will see there plenty of birds, such as flamingos, all year round.

Getting there

I will pick you up at the nearest station which is Lézignan-Corbières, Narbonne or Carcassonne are also not too far, depending on your journey, coming from Paris via Marseille or Toulouse. There are direct flights from the UK to Carcassonne where I will be pleased to pick you up. Barcelona is another option, with international flights, often cheaper than flights to Paris and Barcelona is much closer than Paris

Getting around

Renting a car is not absolutely necessary as I use my car for the outings. I will pick you up at the nearest stations, Narbonne, Lézignan-Corbières or Carcassonne, it will depend on the location of your airport, Toulouse, Paris or Barcelona (Barcelona is an international airport and much closer than Paris, good to know).
I will drop you off at the same place the day of your departure.

Cancellation policy

Please understand that a cancellation has a major impact since many students make their travel plans way ahead of time and it's extremely difficult to find an immersion student at the last minute, leaving me without income if you cancel on me. However, cancellation is possible up to two months before your planned arrival, your deposit will be refunded minus 100 Euros of processing fees. Should you need to cancel your stay less than two months before your planned arrival, you will, unfortunately, have to forfeit the deposit. When such a situation occurs, I always suggest to postpone the immersion stay when it's possible.

Payment method

The simplest method is a bank transfer and, unless you have a French account, you can use groups such as Wise, to avoid the commission taken by the banks. T manage my budget, I will ask you (if possible) to send three different payments, the first one is the deposit (25%), the second payment two months before your stay and the last one just before your arrival.