This last year, my sister-in-law and nephew had the wonderful opportunity to travel to France and immerse themselves learning French. From jumping in to the local color to ziplining down a mountain side with French-only instructions, these two had a remarkable journey. If you’re looking for a great opportunity or love world schooling, this may be a journey that you look forward to.
Jess: You’re a busy homeschooling family. What do you like to do behind the scenes?
Nicole: My husband and I have four children and we’ve been homeschooling since 2019. When possible, we love to travel to bring learning to life. I also enjoy reading, camping, photography, and being with my awesome family.
You recently traveled to France, what is the Alpine French School?
Nicole: I first discovered the Alpine French School through an online advertisement. It piqued my interest because my oldest son, Silas, had been studying French in highschool. As I researched their website, I was very impressed with the program and excited about the possibility for both Silas and I to attend. However, this was at the end of the summer 2024 and classes were wrapping up for the season so I started looking ahead to 2025.
Our state requires two years of foreign language study in high school, but the curriculum we use includes a third year. I offered Silas a deal: if he would agree to do a third year of study, we would go to France to study at AFS the following summer and then have a few free days at the end for fun. He was a good sport and accepted the offer.
How does one get to go and be part of this great resource?
Nicole: The Alpine French School is open to students young and old from all over the globe. Classes are offered year-round. Summer camps are offered for “Juniors” (ages 5-17) and adults. I simply sent an email indicating my interest and once enrollment opened for the summer they sent information regarding the tuition deposit. I also had to answer some questions regarding Silas’ level of French for appropriate class level placement.
For myself, I completed a basic assessment for placement in an adult class. All levels are welcome, they just want to ensure everyone is placed in the correct level to get the most out of the experience.
Leading up to the camp, the school was great with communication regarding schedules, locations, procedures, and packing lists.
What were the logistics when you arrived at the airport?
Nicole: The school is nestled in the French Alps in the picturesque town of Morzine, France with the nearest airport in Geneva, Switzerland. I was unsure about driving between Geneva and Morzine after a long flight so we looked into shuttle companies.
The school provided information for an airport shuttle company they partner with, but the prices were a bit steep for our budget. I did some more research online and found Alpy Transfers to be more reasonably priced. We signed up for a group transfer from Geneva to Morzine, so we had a bit of a wait between the time our flight arrived and when our van was scheduled to leave. Knowing this ahead of time, we simply got some food and took it easy for a bit.
The Alpy Transfers booth was very easy to find in the airport, staff was friendly and spoke English very well (helpful for our jet-lagged brains), and our van left promptly at the appointed time. The drive was just under two hours and our group was dropped off in the center of town, an easy walk to our lodgings.
For the return trip Silas and I ended up being the only passengers for that particular timeslot and the driver conveniently picked us up at our lodgings.
Can you describe the campus, your lodgings, what the area is like as a student or parent?
Silas: The campus was an elementary school that was empty for the summer. The town was small enough that everything was walking distance from the school. And walking through the town is super nice with amazing views of Mt. Nyon and the surrounding countryside.
Nicole: In the summer AFS uses two separate locations: one for younger students, and one for adults. The younger students start class about 45 minutes earlier than the adults to allow time for parents to drop off their children then make their way to their own classes. Silas studied in a local Catholic elementary school (empty for the summer) with plenty of classroom space, a playground area, and easy access to walk into town for class outings. I studied at the AFS building up the hill. It was a nice, new facility with about five classrooms, some office space, and a central gathering area with refreshments.
While AFS does have lodgings available, we chose to book our own through Airbnb. The AFS lodgings were either large ski chalets suitable for larger groups, or more of a dormitory style with shared kitchen and bathrooms as I recall. If either of us had travelled alone, I’m sure the dormitory would have been sufficient.
Morzine itself is a lovely little ski town with plenty of activities available. Being a tourist destination, locals were all bilingual and were very kind as we practiced our French in real time. We felt very safe during our stay and everyone was friendly and welcoming all around town. We walked everywhere and never felt like we should have rented a car–nothing we needed was more than a 10 minute walk from our lodgings. Morzine being a mountain town, we got plenty of healthy exercise! There were all kinds of activities available: shopping, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, paragliding, cable cars up to the nearest mountain top, etc.
What was a typical day for you as a student vs. parent?
Silas: As a student, a typical day included class from 8:45 am to 12:30. There were seven kids in my class (2 Americans, the rest British), and the groups were separated by French proficiency. We spoke entirely in French and often had conversations to practice certain topics such as introducing yourself or telling someone about your favorite things to do. Our main activity was creating a scavenger hunt for the younger kids that involved finding clues around the town. We picked out locations in Morzine, including landmarks and businesses, and created corresponding clues that led to the next location.
Nicole: My adult class had six students: five Americans and one British student. One of the Americans in my class was actually from my same city! Two others were expats living in Europe and the third was raised in Ukraine but now lives in New York. However, I met other adult students from Australia, Canada, and Poland, so it really was a diverse group. I would guess about half of the adults had children also attending classes, but the other half were simply adults who wanted to learn French or further their existing language skills.
Adult lessons were from 9:30-12:30 each day. I was placed in an intermediate group with an entertaining teacher that kept things lively for us. All instruction was in French, so it was a fully immersive experience. Class was a good mix of review, stretching our comfort zone, and laughter. We played several games and did plenty of situational exercises like pretending to visit the grocery store or making a phone call to a friend. Wednesday was the local farmers’ market, so after starting class with some produce vocabulary we had an outing to the market for some real-world practice purchasing delicious local delicacies.
What were some of the afternoon excursions you enjoyed, challenges you faced, etc.?
Silas: The afternoon excursions included canyoning, via ferrata, mountain biking, and ziplining. They were all kind of extreme but really fun. For example, canyoning involved sliding down huge rocks into a river (with the aid of ropes and a harness) and via ferrata was essentially rock climbing up a mountain cliff. At first I was nervous about the activities, but exploring a mountain river and climbing to the top of a cliff with an amazing view were incredible.
Nicole: I should add that these more adventurous outings were for the oldest group of students. Younger students had more age-appropriate activities. Also, the afternoon outings were an optional add-on when registering. It is possible to only register for morning French lessons. AFS does require students to purchase travel insurance to participate in these activities, so that required some more research on my part but I was able to find what we needed.
While the adults did not have designated group outings, the school provided information for guides and excursions for those interested. The school also hosted an evening gathering at a restaurant, open to the public, for anyone wishing to practice their French.
What tips would you have for a student and parent who wanted to go experience this as a student and as a parent?
Silas: The teachers were supportive and encouraging, so don’t be afraid to engage or make mistakes. With students from all over the world you can experience many cultures, not just French. For the activities, be ready to step outside your comfort zone to fully enjoy them.
Nicole: If I were to do it all over again, I would arrive a few days earlier to give myself a chance to recover from jetlag so my mind was sharper and more ready for class the first day. Also, the weather in the Alps can change very quickly so bring layers and be prepared. As for other advice, I’d say to be ready to dive into the experience and soak in all you can. It will be challenging at times, but aren’t most things that are truly worthwhile?
Did you have a favorite memory or part of the adventure?
Silas: Via Ferrata involved climbing high up on one of the mountains and enjoying the amazing view of French valleys and towns. We reached a ledge at the top and we were able to see the clouds at the top of the mountains. That was great.
Nicole: One afternoon I took a walk/hike to the next town over. As I rounded a bend in the woods and came upon a clearing, I spied the town in the distance. It was so serene and picturesque it literally took my breath away. Also, the beauty of the area cannot be overstated–the Alps are truly majestic.
Do the locals speak English? Anything else you would like to add?
Silas: Besides the French school, the town is so idyllic and beautiful. It’s an amazing location to explore. Everyone in town is friendly and bilingual so if you run out of French vocab they will switch to English.
Nicole: Morzine, France is a very popular destination for skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer. With all the outdoor activities available year-round, the school plans classes for the morning to give students of all ages the afternoon to enjoy the Alps. Students can choose to attend for one week or the whole season. We just went for one week, but other families we met were planning to be there longer. AFS also offers classes for French language certifications (i.e. DELF) and citizenship tests, online adult classes, and private tutoring.
