French & Surf

I was there for only two weeks in september/october, taking the course French intensif, 24 h pr week, level B1. It was great. Nice, very competent teacher. As it happened, my class had only three students, so that made learning even easier. Very good ambience in the school, and all together a good setting.

The classes were well structured and the teachers payed a lot of attention to your own personal needs and bottle necks. Not all teachers were as experienced with teaching people with my language background (English and Dutch i.e. Germanic), but there were others to fill in these gaps. Location is quiet and relaxed with plenty of activities to offer some variation. All in all, a great environment for learning !

The size of the class was perfect, just 6 students, so there was enough time and space to practice talking. The location was great, quiet, close to the sea, close to the accommodation. The teacher was awesome, she encouraged participation and tried to meet the needs of everyone. One could rent a bike there, sign up for Yoga classes and surf classes. Yoga was especially great for me. I was really satisfied with the host family, the guest mother was very talkative and interested in the students, dinner time was great for talking.

I actually expected to receive a book, so maybe it could be described in advance, that there is no book included in the price. Also, I thought the school was located directly in Biarritz, but it was in Anglet (another city). It was totally fine to be there in the end, but in the beginning I was a bit disappointed. So, also that should be pointed out in advance.

Sofi64 is a great school. Stephanie works everyday with a lot of enthusiasm even though she’s rather go surfing ;) There is a good atmosphere that invites to fun, but also a serious learning environment.
The schoo it self is light and clean - nice facilities, and close to the beach!

For surfing I recommend booking the lessons for a week of two to try it out. We were some people that were not always so satisfied with the teachers at the surf school.

The host family is a good opportunity to speak French outside of the school and to experience some French everyday culture first-hand.

Anglet is a nice city, not too big, not too small, and if you’re looking for a little shopping or other city activities Biarritz is just 15 minutes away.

I was fortunate to be assigned to Stephanie Houset's class. She is a gifted teacher, skilled at allowing and then correcting mistakes, blending grammatical subjects into conversation, and varying the assignments and homework. She is also funny, and fun to be with. A word of caution, however: students who had other teachers were less enthusiastic.

The school had just moved to new facilities, and they were pleasant.

My housing arrangements were excellent and my hostess went out of her way to show me the sights and make me feel comfortable and included.

Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne is surely one of the most beautiful locations on earth.

I really liked the teachers and the location of the school!
It was a really nice experience!
The only thing to complain about: the classrooms are too small

I studied the intensive French Language course at SOFI 64 for 6 weeks with my teacher Steph. It was a great mixture of all of the elements of learning from the foundations upwards and despite it being intensive, it was always fun and informative and I came away from each day wanting to learn more and excited to get back into class the next day. I have to say that's genuinely a first for me looking forward to getting back into class. She tailored the programme perfectly to mine and the other students needs and was current, topical, attentive to both the individual and group needs of the class, fun and encouraging. I was lucky as the class size was perfect, just two of us for the first few weeks with the addition of just a few more for the last few weeks. Steph makes you feel so welcome and is keen to get you involved in the area she is so passionate about in Anglet and all aspects of the local and French culture. The area is beautiful and she knows everyone and everywhere and has one or two great surf spots up her sleeve. I've never met a more passionate teacher, with so much energy and enthusiasm. I can't thank her enough and highly recommend the school and Steph to anyone who's interested in progressing quickly with learning the French Language.

I enrolled with SOFI64 with the intention of finally getting a grasp on the French language after many failed attempts trying to learn in an English speaking country and with self-teaching methods. Not having the ability to name the days of the week or count past 10, I was hesitant that the lessons were taught only in French and wondered how I was ever going to learn anything. After 6 weeks, initially only booking for 5, I have completed my A1 level and able to understand and participate in social conversations. Just as important my reading and writing skills are far beyond my expectations after such a short time.
Stephanie is a sound professional with a unique personality which makes learning enjoyable and most importantly effective. Classes are small and the course is structured perfectly to allow for a very favourable study/life balance. Very important where there are miles of great beaches to be surfed.
From an absolute novice like I once was or for people who want to take their French to the next step, this is without a doubt the place to do it. And did I mention the beach is close?! Unreal.

If you want to improve your French, I strongly recommend to take a course at SOFI64 French language school!
It's a small school in Anglet/Biarritz, Basque Country, whose director has nine years of experience in teaching French to foreigners.

I took a one month course with Stéphanie, the director of the school, and I improved my French so much. Stéphanie is very nice and she's also a very good teacher.

The first week was very quiet (low season). We were two students at school with different levels of French (though not so different: A2 and B1), but Stéphanie chose different classes for us. I found this choice really professional.

Though I've chosen the course "Standard French", I luckily had a private tuition course for the same price.

Moreover, you have no additional costs for inscription and for host family researching.

The lessons were really interesting and let me progress very fast, even more than I thought.
If you really want to progress (outside the school), I recommend to choose the host family. My host family was really kind and helped me to improve my oral French.

Regarding the spare time, you can choose surfing, skating, taking excursions, or visiting Bayonne or Biarritz. The Basque Country is a wonderful place!

Besides, Stéphanie and my host family helped me in choosing how to spend my spare time.

It has been an unforgettable experience!
 
Si vous voulez perfectionner votre français, je vous conseille vivement un cours chez SOFI64!
Il s'agit d'une petite école située à Anglet/Biarritz, Pays Basque, dont la directrice a déjà neuf ans d'expérience dans l'enseignement du Français Langue Étrangère.

J'ai pris un mois de cours avec Stéphanie, la directrice de l'école, et mon français est beaucoup amélioré. Elle est très sympa et en même temps une très bonne prof.

La première semaine était très calme (après l’été). Il N’y avait que moi et une autre étudiante à l'école, mais, comme notre niveau était différent (pas trop: A2 et B1), Stéphanie ne nous a pas mis dans la même classe. J'ai trouvé ceci très professionnel.

Bref, quoique j'aie choisi le cours "Français Standard", j'ai pris un cours individuel pour le même prix.

De plus, on ne paye pas ni de frais d'inscription ni de frais de recherche pour famille d'accueil.

Les leçons étaient très intéressantes et m'ont permis de progresser très vite, et beaucoup plus que ce que j'espérais.
Si vous voulez vraiment progresser (au dehors de l'école) je vous conseille de choisir l'hébergement dans une famille d'accueil. Ma famille d'accueil était vraiment très gentille et m'a permis de perfectionner mon oral.

En ce qui concerne l'emploi du temps au dehors de l'école, vous n'avez qu'à choisir: surf, skate, randonnées, visiter Bayonne ou Biarritz...le Pays Basque est un lieu magnifique!

De plus, que ce soit Stéphanie ou la famille d'accueil, les deux m'ont beaucoup aidé à choisir à mieux employer mon temps libre.

C'était une expérience inoubliable!

 

Se volete migliorare il vostro francese, vi consiglio vivamente un corso alla scuola SOFI64!
Si tratta di una piccola scuola a Anglet/Biarritz, nei Paesi Baschi, la cui direttrice ha già nove anni di esperienza nell'insegnamento del francese agli stranieri.

Ho fatto un mese di corso con Stéphanie, la direttrice della scuola, e il mio francese è molto migliorato. Stéphanie è molto simpatica e allo stesso tempo un'ottima insegnante.

La prima settimana è stata molto tranquilla (bassa stagione). Eravamo solo due studenti in tutta la scuola, ma, dato che avevamo livelli diversi di francese (neanche troppo diversi: A2 e B1), Stéphanie non ci ha messo nella stessa classe. Ho trovato questa scelta molto professionale.

Quindi, nonostante io abbia scelto il corso "Francese Standard", ho fatto un corso individuale allo stesso prezzo.

Inoltre la scuola non ha costi aggiuntivi né per l'iscrizione né per la ricerca della famiglia ospitante.

Le lezioni sono state molto interessanti e mi hanno permesso di progredire molto velocemente, e molto più di quanto sperassi.
Se volete veramente progredire (al di fuori della scuola) vi consiglio di scegliere l'alloggio in famiglia. La mia famiglia ospitante è stata veramente gentile e mi ha aiutato a migliorare ancora di più il mio orale.

Per quanto riguarda il tempo libero, c'è l'imbarazzo della scelta: surf, skate, escursioni in montagna, visitare città come Bayonne o Biarritz….i Paesi Baschi sono un luogo magnifico!

Inoltre, sia Stéphanie che la famiglia ospitante mi hanno aiutato consigliandomi come meglio impiegare il mio tempo libero.

E' stata un'esperienza indimenticabile!

The classes were very good, almost personal classes because we were 5 or less students during the 3 months. Stephanie, the teacher, was really nice and a very good teacher. I learned a lot from her. The school is located in a plaza, were you have a bakery, pizzeria, market, and a variety of restaurants to choose from. Also, the beach is just five minutes away by bike. The facilities were small, but had everything one needed for receiving class: a blackboard, desks, French books, TV and DVD. It had three classrooms and one bathroom. During my three months, I surfed a lot, traveled around Europe, and made new friends. The lady with whom I stayed was really nice, caring, attentive and good to me.

Very nice staff, Stéphanie was helpful and skilled. I especially liked the location, close to my house and close to the beach. Surfing lessons were a big plus (only teaching would've been a bit boring maybe). The housing was nice. I did have to share the room in the 2nd week with another student without being told before, but overall this wasn't a problem.