Frequently Asked Questions

Book an introductory consultation and level assessment at frenchlanguagesolutions.com/#reserve — there's a one-time $15 fee. It takes about 20–30 minutes: we talk through your goals, then spend roughly ten minutes on the assessment itself. There's no pass and no fail — it exists purely so we can start you in exactly the right place instead of guessing.

It's in two parts. First we ask you simple questions in French — introduce yourself, tell us about your work, your family, what you did yesterday — and we encourage you to say as much as you can, even if it isn't perfect. Then we share our screen and work through two or three short grammar exercises together. We record this part so one of our head teachers can review it and confirm your exact starting unit — and if you've taken the grammar and writing quiz on our website, we take that result into account as well when determining your overall level.

Then there's nothing to assess yet, and that's completely fine — most of our students start from zero. You can skip the assessment entirely and enrol straight into a beginner (A0) group here: tally.so/r/nPrrjP — or, if you'd prefer one-on-one attention from day one, you can also start with private classes as a complete beginner. If you'd still like to talk through your options first, book a consultation and we'll walk you through it.

No, and the difference matters. The quiz on our website is a grammar snapshot only — it doesn't test speaking, listening, or your ability to build sentences on the spot, so it often reads higher than your real working level. Both get taken into account when we determine your level — the live assessment simply carries more weight, because it shows us what you can actually produce in real time.

One of our head teachers reviews the recording of your assessment and confirms the exact level and unit — "A1.5", for example, means unit 5 of the ten units in A1. We normally come back to you within one to two business days by email, and we'll also send you a text, because our emails sometimes land in promotions or spam folders.

This comes up often, and it isn't a judgement on you or your previous school. Speaking ability fades much faster than comprehension, so someone who genuinely finished A2 two years ago will usually test below A2 today. We also place conservatively on purpose: if there are things you already know, they'll be quick review and you'll move through them fast — that's far better than spending three months quietly lost.

We place you where the assessment says you are. Starting above your level means missing foundations you'll need later, and it isn't fair to the classmates and teacher in that group. What we can do is send you a small range of options around your placement so you can choose to start right at level or push slightly ahead — and if your teacher sees you're moving quickly, they'll move you up.

We fix it, in either direction. Your teacher gets to know you far better in one week than we can in a twenty-minute call, so if you're clearly ahead of your group or struggling to keep up, they tell us and we move you. Moving up a couple of units within a level is common and costs nothing.

Usually lower than the app suggests, and that's not a criticism. Apps are good at vocabulary recognition and streaks; they're weak at producing spontaneous speech, which is what every exam and every real conversation demands. Keep using it if you enjoy it — but come do the assessment and you'll get an honest answer in ten minutes.

Our online groups are capped at five students — that's a hard cap, because with more than five nobody gets enough speaking time. In-person groups are usually around five people as well, occasionally up to seven or eight. Small groups are the whole point: you should be talking in every class, not listening to someone else talk.

Group classes run on weekday evenings and/or weekends, because almost all of our group students work Monday to Friday. Weekday classes generally fall between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and weekend classes run during the day. Evenings and weekends are also our busiest slots, so it's worth booking early. Group classes are for adults.

You can join an ongoing group. We're not term-based: we only open brand-new cohorts for complete beginners, and everyone else joins an existing group at their level. If you join a couple of weeks in, we share the lesson materials, homework and class recordings you missed so you can catch up — this happens all the time.

New beginner groups open every few weeks, and we announce openings in our newsletter every Friday. September is our busiest intake. If you already have some French, you don't need to wait for an intake at all — we place you into a suitable ongoing group.

Classes are built around interaction — dialogue, role-play scenarios, and speaking with the teacher and your classmates. Your teacher will call on you; the point is that everyone talks. Quieter work like grammar drilling is set as homework, and each class opens with a short review period where the teacher walks through one student's homework with the group so everyone learns from it.

We want to be upfront: most students in our group classes are working toward a certification exam, usually the TCF, so classes are structured and academic rather than a casual conversation hour. You'll still speak a great deal, and the curriculum genuinely improves your overall French — passing the exam and speaking well go hand in hand. But if what you want is a relaxed conversation club, private classes are the better fit and we'll tell you so.

A group advances together through a set curriculum at a set pace — that's part of what makes it affordable. If you're consistently faster or slower than your classmates, your teacher will flag it and we'll offer to move you to a group that fits better. If you want to progress entirely at your own speed, private classes are the right choice.

You don't get pushed out of your group. More often your teacher will tell you honestly which two or three concepts need extra work on your own time, and you continue with the group. The end-of-level assessment exists to make sure nobody moves up before they're genuinely ready, not to fail anyone.

Yes — adding one extra private class per week on top of your group works well, and many students do it to sharpen a specific weakness. We don't recommend going beyond that, though: with more private hours than group hours, you'll genuinely start advancing faster than your group, which isn't ideal for anyone — and we may end up needing to move you up to a different, higher group as a result.

Private online is $315 per month for 6 hours of class, typically two 45-minute classes a week. Private in-person is $600 per month. Both include all materials, homework and practice exercises, and both can be scaled up if you want more hours — just ask and we'll quote you. Prefer no monthly commitment? Private classes also come in packs of 10 or 15 hours: online 10 h $605 / 15 h $865, in-person 10 h $860 / 15 h $1,240.

For pure speed and personalisation, nothing beats private: the teacher's attention is entirely on you, everything gets corrected, and there's nowhere to hide. Groups are excellent value, and hearing classmates speak and be corrected is real practice you don't get one-on-one. Honestly, it comes down to your budget, your deadline, and how uneven your skills are — and we'd rather help you pick correctly than sell you the more expensive option.

Four situations: you have a tight deadline and need maximum speed; your skills are very uneven, so no single group level fits you; you need to focus on specific skills only, such as speaking and listening for a work-permit requirement; or you're preparing for an exam we don't run group tracks for, such as the federal SLE. Private is also how we teach children, and how we accommodate weekday-daytime schedules.

Teachers are assigned based on mutual availability, so we can't promise a specific person — but we'd be comfortable placing you with any of them. The goal is always one consistent teacher throughout, including as you move up levels. If your schedule spans both weekend days we sometimes need two teachers, since our teachers have staggered weekends; when that happens it's the same two every week and they coordinate directly.

Tell us and we'll change them. Contact the admin team as soon as you feel it isn't working rather than waiting until your renewal date, and we'll find a better fit. We can't always make the change overnight, because we're rearranging a full teaching schedule, but we can almost always make it happen.

Yes, if you come to us as a pair and you're at a similar level — we can't teach two levels in one class, and if one of you moves faster the other gets held back. Semi-private is priced differently from standard private — you'll find the full details on our semi-private pricing page, or get in touch and we'll walk you through it.

No. We teach online and at our downtown Toronto location at 1235 Bay Street. Online classes use the same teachers, materials and methods as in-person — in our experience the results are the same — so most students who wanted us to come to them end up very happy online.

Online group (per month): Light, 6 hours — $185. Standard, 8 hours — $247. Intensive, 12 hours — $330.

In-person group (per month): Standard, 8 hours — $280. Intensive, 12 hours — $370.

Private: online $315/month (6 hours); in-person $600/month.

Class packs — no contract: online group 15 h $525 / 10 h $390; in-person group 15 h $600 / 10 h $450; private online 15 h $865 / 10 h $605; private in-person 15 h $1,240 / 10 h $860.

All monthly programs begin with a minimum 12-week contract, paid four weeks at a time — packs have no contract at all. There's also a one-time $20 registration fee on your first payment.

No to both. Our prices include all taxes and all materials — what you see is what you pay, in Canadian dollars. There's no textbook to buy and no hidden fees beyond the one-time $20 registration.

No. This is the question we answer most often, so to be completely clear: monthly programs begin with a 12-week commitment, but you pay four weeks at a time. If you enrol in a $247 online group today, you'd pay $247 plus the $20 registration fee now, then $247 four weeks later, then $247 four weeks after that. Three payments, spread out — never a lump sum.

Registration and payment happen online through a secure link we send you, processed by Stripe — credit card, debit, and any other method Stripe accepts, with your card charged automatically each cycle. If you're paying for a package up front, we can also accept e-transfers. We don't take cash. Your billing cycle starts on your first class date, not the day you pay, so booking ahead costs you nothing.

Every four weeks, to be precise. Your billing runs in 28-day cycles starting from your first class date, so your payment lands on the same day of the week each cycle rather than the same date each month. Over a full year that works out to thirteen 4-week cycles rather than twelve calendar months — worth knowing so nothing on your statement surprises you.

Life happens — cards expire. If a payment fails, we'll reach out right away by email and text so you can update your card or sort it out, and we'll work with you to get it fixed. We just ask that you deal with it promptly: if a payment stays outstanding, we may need to pause your classes until it's resolved.

Our pricing is the same for everyone and we don't discount. We'd rather keep the teaching identical for every student than run different tiers of service. If budget is the constraint, the honest answer is to move to a group program — our Light online group at $185/month is the same teachers and the same curriculum at a much lower monthly cost.

Yes. If someone refers you, have them email us so we can note it on both files. They receive a $15 credit toward their own classes once you've been with us for 60 days.

Yes. You'll get an automatic invoice after every payment, and if your employer needs something more specific — a letter stating your level, classes and units completed — just ask us and we'll produce it. We do this all the time. Note that we're a private language school, not a Designated Learning Institution, so we can't issue tuition tax receipts of the T2202 kind.

All monthly programs start with an initial 12-week term — 12 weeks, not 12 months. It works out to 84 days, billed as three 28-day cycles. After those first 12 weeks your program simply continues month to month for as long as you want; there's no second contract to sign. We ask for the initial term because language learning genuinely doesn't work in two-week bursts, and because our teachers are full-time salaried employees whose schedules we need to keep stable.

The initial 12-week term is a firm commitment, so no. But we're flexible about everything inside it: you can switch between group and private, between online and in-person, or change your intensity at any point during those 12 weeks, and we'll adjust the billing for the difference. After the initial term, you can stop at any time with 14 days' notice.

Your enrolment continues automatically in four-week cycles after the initial term — you only need to contact us if you want to stop, and stopping takes one email with 14 days' notice. Twelve weeks is the minimum, not a maximum: plenty of our students stay for two years or more.

Just email us at info@frenchlanguagesolutions.com — the contract asks for written notice, and an email counts. We ask for 14 days' notice, which you can give at the end of the initial 12-week term or during any four-week cycle after it. Your classes run as normal during those two weeks, and we'll send you a clear recap — payments made, classes remaining, your final payment and your last class date — so you know exactly where you stand, with no surprises.

All sales are final and we don't issue refunds — that includes the one-time $20 registration fee and class-pack purchases. What we offer instead is flexibility: change your program, your schedule, your format or your intensity, and after the initial 12-week term you can stop at any time.

That's exactly what our class packs are for. Packs have no contract and no monthly billing — you buy a block of 10 or 15 hours with a single upfront payment, and nothing renews automatically. Private packs are scheduled flexibly with your teacher; group packs follow the fixed weekly schedule of the group you join. The hourly rate is a little higher than the monthly programs, which are our best value, but there's no commitment at all.

We don't. Our programs are structured and sequential, so a single class doesn't represent what the experience is actually like, and we don't want to disrupt running classes with visitors. What we offer instead is the introductory consultation and level assessment ($15) — a real conversation about your goals, an honest read on your level, and a clear plan before you commit to a program.

Yes, in either direction, and you can do it during the initial 12-week term. We ask for about two weeks' notice so we can rearrange teachers and rooms, and we adjust the billing for the difference — you never pay for classes you don't take. Two things we can't do: mix formats within one group (a group is either online or in-person), and hop back and forth week to week — a format change needs to be a real change, not a weekly swap.

We teach seven days a week, from early morning — as early as 6:00 a.m., thanks to our France-based teachers — through to about 8:30 or 9:00 p.m., with weekends running during the day. Group classes themselves are evenings and weekends only. For groups you can usually start within a week or two; for private classes, evening and weekend slots fill fastest, so book a few weeks ahead if that's what you need. If you have any weekday daytime flexibility, we can nearly always start you sooner.

Yes. Classes run on the same days and times every week — that's how we reserve your teacher and, for in-person, the classroom. If your work roster rotates unpredictably, talk to us early: we can sometimes work with it if your schedule is stable for a month at a time, but true week-to-week changes aren't something we can support.

Almost always several shorter ones, because that's what actually works. The 6-hour Light program is typically two 45-minute classes a week; 8 hours is usually two 1-hour classes; and the 12-hour Intensive is usually three 1-hour classes, sometimes two 90-minute ones. Spacing classes out gives you time to do homework in between, which is where most of your progress happens.

Private classes can be rescheduled at no charge with at least 24 hours' notice, and you can do it yourself in the student portal. With less than 24 hours' notice the class is charged as if it ran — your teacher has reserved that time for you. You can reschedule up to four consecutive hours of classes this way. Group classes run on the group's schedule and can't be rescheduled individually; the one exception is when every student in the group agrees to a change, with at least 24 hours' notice. Permanent changes to your weekly times need a couple of weeks' notice so we can rearrange teachers and rooms.

If you miss an online group class, you'll get access to the recording of that class along with the homework and practice materials, so you can catch up fully. In-person classes aren't recorded, so if you miss one you'll need to catch up on your own — you'll still have access to all the class materials and practice materials in your Google Drive folder.

Send your teacher a quick message through the student portal — you'll have a direct line to them there. It matters more than you'd think: if nobody has joined within 15 minutes of the start time and there's been no word, the teacher may end the session, and the class still counts. A ten-second heads-up keeps your class alive.

It's rare, but teachers get sick too. We'll give you at least 24 hours' notice whenever we possibly can, the class is rescheduled at no cost, and your term simply extends until you've received every hour you've paid for. You never lose paid hours to a cancellation on our side.

At 1235 Bay Street, at Bay and Cumberland in Yorkville — just north of Bay and Bloor, directly across from Bay Station where Lines 1 and 2 meet. It's our only location; we don't have suburban branches. Wait in the ground-floor lobby and your teacher will collect the group.

There's no parking in our building, but the Green P on Yorkville Avenue is about a two-minute walk. Most in-person students take the subway, since we're directly across from Bay Station. Your welcome email includes a map.

Yes — our online classes reach students across Canada and internationally. All our schedules are Eastern Time, and group classes are built around Toronto evenings and weekends, so students out west or overseas usually do best with private online classes, where we can find a time that genuinely works.

Group classes can't be paused — the group runs on its schedule, and for online groups you'll have the recordings and materials to catch up with when you're back. For private classes, we can reschedule up to a maximum of four hours of consecutive classes around your trip — just let us know in advance.

We recommend the TCF for the large majority of our students. The two exams are recognised for the same purposes and are very similar in difficulty, but the TCF's speaking section is far more predictable — we know the scenarios you'll face and can rehearse them with you repeatedly. That's a real advantage on the part of the exam most people find hardest. If you specifically want the TEF, we'll prepare you for it.

Starting from zero, plan on at least a year, and realistically around 16 months on our Intensive track — roughly four months per level through A1, A2, B1 and B2. In total that's about 650 hours of work, and only a fraction is class time: expect one to two hours of your own study most days. We'd rather tell you that honestly than sell you a timeline that can't happen. Anyone promising you B2 in six months from zero is not being straight with you.

In group classes: about 5 months per level on the Light program, 4.5 months on Standard, and 4 months on Intensive — our fastest group pace. Private is more variable, typically 2.5 to 5 months per level depending entirely on the work you do between classes. A1 is usually the hardest and slowest level; the first six months are the steepest part of the climb.

Almost certainly not, unless you're already at B1 or above with one specific weakness to fix. If you're a beginner, no amount of intensity gets you to CLB7 in a few months, and we'd rather say so than take your money. If you're genuinely close to the line, our 10- and 15-hour packs are designed for exactly that final push.

Often, yes — ask us about the Francophone Mobility work-permit route. It requires only CLB5 in speaking and listening rather than CLB7 in all four skills, which is a dramatically shorter runway, and it can buy you a couple of extra years to reach CLB7 for permanent residence. We're French experts, not immigration consultants, so please verify the details with a professional — but for students with tight timelines it's very often the realistic path.

Roughly: CLB5 is the start of B1, CLB6 is around the end of B1 / start of B2, and CLB7 is the end of B2 — sometimes described as "B2 plus." CLB7 in all four skills is what the French-language Express Entry stream requires. You don't need C1 or C2 for immigration purposes, and we'll tell you so rather than sell you extra levels.

Yes, built right into the program. There's a quiz at the end of every unit, and a full end-of-level assessment modelled on a real TCF — same format, all four skills — which determines whether you move up. Your teachers are trained on the TEF and TCF and will tell you honestly when you're ready, so you don't have to spend $300 on a real exam just to find out where you stand.

Exam-specific work begins in earnest at B1. Through A1 and A2 we teach you the language itself — you can't practise exam strategy for a test you don't yet have the vocabulary to attempt. From B1 onward we place you increasingly in the exact scenarios you'll face on exam day, and B2 is essentially continuous exam rehearsal.

You book the exam yourself — we're a language school, not a testing centre — and the certificate comes from the exam body. There are a few accredited centres in the GTA and we're happy to point you to them; book about five to six weeks ahead, as spots go quickly. We also issue our own certificates: if an employer or a school wants an up-to-date attestation of your level, we can provide a certificate attesting to it, similar in kind to what you'd receive with a TEF, TCF or DELF result. It can't replace those official exams where one is specifically required — for immigration, only the official exams count.

No, and we won't pretend otherwise. We provide the curriculum, materials, teaching and exam rehearsal — that's about 20% of the work. The other 80% is the studying you do between classes, so the outcome is largely in your hands — and CLB 7 is a genuinely high level that not everyone reaches, no matter what any school promises. What we will always do is tell you honestly where you stand.

Very often, yes — and the reason is usually instructive. Many people who fail prepared by memorising templates and drilling test strategy rather than learning the language, and that collapses under real exam conditions. There are no tricks; you either have the level or you don't. Send us your score report, we'll assess where you actually are, and we'll target the specific skill that let you down.

Yes to both. The DELF is well within what we teach and is a permanent certification, which makes it a good choice for academic and professional purposes rather than immigration. The SLE for federal public-service roles needs very specific preparation and a small number of specialised teachers, so we deliver it through private classes rather than groups.

Everything is included and there's no textbook to buy. We use our own custom materials — lessons, homework, audio and practice exercises — delivered through a shared Google Drive folder and the student portal, and you keep permanent access. In-person students also get a printed copy of each day's lesson to take home. Every weekend we send bonus resources and our weekly challenge, "Les Défis," with a student leaderboard.

That's our name for the structured practice work you do between classes: homework tied to each lesson, plus the extra weekly resources we email out every Friday. It's the part of the program that turns class time into actual fluency, and it's included in every program.

Homework after every class, plus at least an hour a day of your own study — closer to two if you're on an intensive track or a tight deadline. We're candid about this split: we do roughly 20% of the work through curriculum, materials and teaching, and the other 80% is you. Students who treat it like a part-time job are the ones who reach B2.

Four levels: A1 and A2 (beginner), B1 and B2 (intermediate). A1 has 10 units; A2, B1 and B2 have 12 each, and you'll typically spend about one to two weeks per unit. There's a quiz at the end of every unit and a full mini-TCF assessment at the end of every level, which you need to pass before moving up — so nobody gets pushed forward before they're ready.

Yes — all 22 of our teachers are native French speakers and full-time salaried employees of the school, not freelancers picking up occasional hours. Most hold a master's in teaching French as a foreign language, they come from France and several French-speaking countries, and we train them all specifically on TEF and TCF preparation. Honestly, our teachers are what set us apart. You can read their profiles on our "Meet Our Team" page.

We teach a standard international French, closest to French from France, which is understood everywhere — including in Quebec. Exposure to several accents is a feature rather than a bug: on exam day you'll hear French, African and Québécois voices, so hearing more than one accent in class prepares you properly. You're never penalised for your own accent on the exam, only for clear pronunciation.

We use some English in A1 to get you moving, then taper it off quickly. From A2 onward, classes are essentially all in French. It's the fastest way to learn, and it's the specific thing students coming to us from private tutors most often say was missing.

Online classes — both group and private — are recorded by default and shared so you can rewatch a lesson or catch up on one you missed; recordings usually appear about an hour after class. Recording is part of the service agreement you sign at enrolment, so there are never any surprises — and if you'd prefer your private classes not be recorded, just ask and we'll turn recording off. In-person classes are not recorded.

Yes, through the student portal, where you'll also have a group chat with your classmates. Teachers do reply, but they're teaching most of the day, so please don't expect an instant answer — and for anything about scheduling, billing or your program, email our admin team, who handle all of that. The best moment for content questions is the review period at the start of each class.

We do — monthly student events, online and in person, including live cooking sessions run entirely in French. There's also the weekly "Les Défis" challenge with a points leaderboard, and a weekly newsletter. These are for enrolled students.

We do, through private classes — group classes are for ages 16 and up (with parental consent required under 18). Private lets us work around school schedules, target exactly what your child needs, and adjust the pace, which matters far more for younger learners. Only some of our teachers work with children, so we match carefully and aim for the same teacher throughout.

Our standard private program is two 45-minute classes a week, which suits most kids well over the summer. Once school starts that can be a lot on top of homework, so we're happy to make exceptions for younger students — an hour a week, or shorter, more frequent sessions, works better for some families. Tell us what's realistic and we'll build around it.

Your child's teacher tracks attendance, homework and unit quizzes for every class, and we're happy to give you a progress update whenever you'd like one. With younger learners we also flag early if online isn't working well for them — it suits some children and not others — so you can switch to in-person or adjust the format.

Yes. We work with teens preparing the DELF for university applications, French-language programs and competitive admissions. Preparation is private so we can target the exam format directly while filling any remaining gaps in the underlying level.