FLAP Winter Camp (French, Homestay)

All the teachers were very kind and polite. They are always there to help you out in any difficulty you are facing while learning the language. They encourage you to participate and feel confident. I learn a lot of new words and my vocabulary have definitely increased a lot. I had my own arrangements for housing but school was very convenient for me.

My class felt very disconnected. Everyone seemed bored and unmotivated, and the teacher didn't seem to care much. She just lectured the class and the class repeated back words and sentences. There were very few opportunities to practice speaking French to one another as everyones speaking level was so low. In fact, the students never spoke French to one another, but always seemed to use their native language.

During the end of week exam, several students were cheating by simply using google translate to copy and paste their writing exercise. The teacher didn't seem to care.

There were some students in the class who's speaking level was definitely below A1.2. They could barely say a word of French, even basics like 'd’oú viens-tu?', or ‘je suis’. I imagine they were probably cheating in the exams to stay at an unrealistic level.

When the marketing person came in to take photos, he didn’t ask consent from us, he just told us he was going to take photos. I feel this is very poor practice as some people were clearly uncomfortable being told rather than asked.

I addressed these issues with management and they have assured me that they would continue to work on improvements, but as I have already left the school I don't know if that's going to actually happen.

The classroom environment is amazing! The students and teachers are incredibly nice, funny, and caring, making every session enjoyable. I've had a great time connecting with new people and building friendships. On top of that, my French has improved significantly since I started. The combination of a welcoming atmosphere and effective teaching has made learning a truly enjoyable experience.

I One week was very short and for me the test at the end of the week was not necessary.

The teacher was very friendly and helpful. However, it should have beeen better if it was possible to speak more Frech in the class. Location was fine, however I missed a coffee machine.

The teacher was very kind and patient. My classmates were friendly and interesting. The demographic of the class was very mixed, which made it fun. The location is perfect. In the heart of old Montreal, close to everything. The facilities were ok. My classroom was small, crowded, and dark, with no windows, but there were some classes that were bigger and nicer.

I found the classes great for me. the class size perfect and comfortable. I didn't feel out of place, being the oldest in the class. thank you. jimmy

I really liked my teacher and the other students. The location was cool, in the middle of old Montreal. I wish I would have selected a more challenging class but as I was only there for a week, it was okay.

I really enjoyed participating in the BLI school. My homestay experience was amazing--my host family was very sweet and inclusive and I felt right at home staying with them. The teachers were great, some better than others, but I learned loads in my four weeks and appreciate the french only in class policy. The facilities were super nice and accommodating, and the administrators were always super helpful and kind. I think this is one of the most organized language schools I've participated in. Major thanks to all involved!

The electronic textbook was pretty good, if a little difficult to navigate. The mixture of instruction and exercises in the book was very helpful. In my experience, the classroom time added little to the textbook, though. The teacher did not seem to have any lesson plan or exercise beyond what was already in the book. He would spend most of the class time handwriting exactly the same examples on the whiteboard. A few classroom exercises were made up in the spot, or he would wait until the last minute to have printed sheets of exercises copied so we never actually completed them. Ultimately, I decided the $30 textbook was fine, but the hundreds of dollars for class time did not add enough value for me to continue.

The facility was in a superb location, the teachers were knowledgeable, and the coursework was thoughtful. I was hoping for older students, but understand that mostly high school and college students are enrolled.

The teaching was great, Fabio lessons are really interactive and precise. This week helped me a lot

I really liked my teacher. He was professional, thoughtful, and able to tailor the class to the students' needs. Class size was small (maximum five students) which was nice. But it's three hours of grammar a morning, which is inappropriate for someone like me at the B2/C1 level. I should be spending more time with conversation, listening, reading, and writing.

I would bet this is an excellent school or beginners. There is a caring staff and a fine facility. I'm just not sure it's great for advanced learners.

One very annoying thing: they make you pay for a textbook -- but it's online only, and it's riddled with errors and difficult to navigate. If they're going to charge, they should at least hand out a physical textbook with few errors.

It's a good experience. The teacher is formidable.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Bouchereau Lingua International. All teachers were well prepared and classes were very interesting and useful. The location was perfect, right in the city center. The excursions organized by the school were a little too expensive. The residence (EVO) was ok, but nothing special, and unfortunately there were many uneducated students who used to leave a mess in the kitchen. Sometimes it was too dirty to cook anything.

I had a great time. The atmosphere was friendly and the work was helpful. I only spent a week, so I don't think you could learn everything, but all in all a great experience

The online class was useful and saved my time. It has a very interesting platform which was a new experience for me

The arrival was very disorganized. They had lost my French level test and wanted to place me as a total beginner.
After this problem was solved, everything went smooth.

the school was very welcoming and warm to all students. from day one, despite being nervous, i felt really at ease when presented to my teacher and as the days passed, i was happy going there every day. the staff was ever so helpful and the teachers, in general, were willing to hear us and know how we were doing. the space is tiny but the number of students in each class makes it so that we’re still comfortable in that space. the homework was helpful and the material given to complement the book and notes from class was also really important in expanding our vocabulary and helping settle the lesson of that day. the location is a very strong characteristic, near many touristic places and of easy access - even on days with a lot of snow. i could go from there to many galleries, museums, cafés, shops, centres etc. and get to know the city.

I joined the beginners course a bit later and only stayed for 2 weeks. I allready learned a bit of french in school and I wanted to refresh it.
I applied for the school on very short notice. But Language International still made it possible to join a class and find a nice family to stay with.
My class and the teacher were very nice, I felt very welcome. The teacher took the time to make shure everyonne in class could follow and understand the lesson. Everyone was encuraged too speak french as much as possible.
The school and facilities were small but nice. In the french building they had a coffee corner and microwaves to heat up food. But no proper kitchen area.
The school offered different acitivities after school everyday but I didn't join any.
My homestay family was very nice and welcoming and made shure I got all the neccecary Information for school and navigating Montréal. They encouraged me to speak french as much as possible.
I really enjoyed my 2 week stay at Montréal.

Teachers are amazing they are well prepared in the school certainly works to help their students to become fluent in the language they are studying. I was very happy of taking this French course and I think the professors really care about their students

I had a great time on my 1-week super-intensive French course in Montreal. The teachers and other students were so friendly and the course helped me to drastically improve my use and understanding of the language, even in such a short time! I'd highly recommend this school!

from my experience at BLI i can say that the teacher are very good and that allowed me to make progress even if my classes were just for 2 week. having conversation with the other student allowed me to have more confidence in my speaking ability as i could express myself and be understood well enough to have a good conversation. overall it was a very good experience.

I took the course for 2 weeks. My french improved a lot in a short period of time. The teachers were professional yet made the classes entertaining. I genuinely enjoyed attending this course.

Two 1.5 hour sessions in the morning and one more hour in the afternoon were led by two different teachers. Both utilized many, many strategies that I, as a retired secondary teacher, recognized, to keep students motivated and engaged. The first 1.5 hr session focused on a new grammar lesson every day including taking up homework. The next hour was spent in listening and speaking skills, as was the afternoon session. Both teachers were always positive and encouraging, though sometimes speaking too fast for me.

The office staff were very welcoming, greeting me by name every morning. The school is located just off the square in front of the basilica, with lots of services nearby and conducive to sightseeing. Staff-led offsite tours/activities are offered daily but none ran during my stay because of lack of numbers. I found lots to do on my own. I only spent two weeks at Bli but found the time very productive and fun. My only complaint was that the classroom was too small for the number of students (11). I loved studying on the terrace of the main building.

The location is really convenient. The classes were really helpful. I didn't need the housing, so I can't tell anything about it.

The Montreal Campus is located in a fantastic location in Old Montreal. The teachers where very professional and knowledgeable. The class sizes were small, which allowed for individualized attention and practice.

I took the super intensive French course for two weeks. I was so lucky that my teachers were really competent in their job. I learned a lot. The location of the school is excellent. The classes were small but ok for up to 8 students but not more. We were 10 and it was disadvantageous especially during the class activities. Another thing is that I wish no more students had been accepted to the class after the monthly starting date. In my opinion it disrupted the class current balance. During my short visit I was not able to join the school activities and I did not use housing. But the school offers lots of housing facilities and activities. So one can find the bests of all.

I was in BLI doing French. I really liked that although I was only one week I felt very welcome by the group, both by the students and by the teachers. I really liked the activities that were done and that we could practice the oral part a lot. The facilities of the academy, the location, the materials they offer are excellent. The only complaint I can make is that this academy is not prepared for students who come only one week, I mean, people in this academy stay months and have a subject distributed for all those months and if you go only a week you will not be able to give all the matter.

I liked the classes very much. The teachers were well-trained and very easygoing, so was the staff. Location was also great, as it was downtown. There are two things I’d like to point out though: 1) the organization of rooms for classes was sometimes hectic, and 2) the certificate issued by the school should be based on the concept of hours completed, not “lessons” - a very vague term for a country as bureaucratic as Brazil, where I come from.

The classes were good though a little small since in both levels, one and two, there didn’t seem to be enough room. But despite that minor detail class was great because the rest of my peers were extremely talkative and nice as well as both my teachers. I love how we’re forced to talk in French while on school premises and happy we got so many varieties of activities during class to keep things interesting.

The classes at Bli were different from and more challenging than any other language class I have taken. I appreciated the multi cultural environment and found that the challenge of speaking French with people who did not speak English as a first language pushed me to have more confidence and flexibility when using French. I was content with my teachers and the location and facilities. It was a huge plus to be in the center of old Montréal and very close to a metro stop. I was nervous to begin classes, but I was pleasantly surprised by the inviting atmosphere and fulfilling experience I had. I was also very happy to meet people from around the world and make good friends that I plan to keep in touch with.

Good school I enjoyed my French course. I did learn a lot the staff is really nice and location is super

I spent only one week taking the beginner level classes, mostly refreshing what I learned about French zillion years ago. I think taking the class is a great way to get you off the ground. The immersive environment is very helpful, prompting you to listen to and speakFrench. The progress of the classes was a bit slow, but it might just be because I’d learned a little bit of French before. It could be helpful if we can get something to listen to at home, as hearing is perhaps a more challenging part. But we can easily find something on YouTube nowadays, so that’s probably not so essential. People are very friendly there, which is another thing I liked. Location is also great, at the heart of Montreal. Would’ve been wonderful if I had come for personal vacation rather than a business trip. The classroom was a bit cramped but I was told that we were moving to a larger room had I stayed.

Likes: professors were well prepared. Good review of grammar. Lots of opportunity to speak

Dislikes: some of the activities were repetitive

I was at BLI for only one week of intensive French. It is possibly the best language instruction I have had in my life. BLI has developed a clever and rigorous curriculum that draws everyone meaningful interaction in French. For example, we would be given a list of items to discuss, such as "describe your first car." Then we would divide into small groups and take turns going through the list. So we were sharing stories of our lives with other people from all over the world. So I was not merely learning the language, but also overcoming inhibitions and creating confidence in my abilities.

The classes were small and were in small rooms so that it was easy to draw everyone into participation. The only negative was that there was sometimes distracting noise from other classrooms.

The registration, placement, and orientation process was excellent. Everyone in my class seemed to be at exactly the right level. There was no student who dominated the class, nor any who did not participate.

Montréal is such an awesome city.The whole city seems exuberant in its revival of French language and culture. If I wanted to speak French, often people would wait patiently for me to gather my thoughts and then respond in a way that I could understand.

I arranged my own housing through AirBnb and was fortunate to have had a host who spoke mostly French. I walked about a mile to class each day through beautiful neighborhoods where local people were starting their day.

Language Internationale offer a fantastic
Service !
Matthew ( my broker )!has been very
Professional and helpful with everything ..
I am very happy about the service

Everything was perfect !
Nothing to complain about ...

Thanks and Best Regards
Antonio

I thought the pace of the class content was appropriate and interesting
The location of the school is great, very central in old Montreal.

The facilities were great too, computers and space to self study, as well as many activities to get to know Montreal and other students while practicing French.

The only negative point I can think of is that ability to understand and speak French seemed to vary a bit in the middle levels. Teachers needed to focus on some weaker students more, which in my opinion reduced the pace and the overall experiences for the other students. I am aware though that can happen anywhere and I know that the teachers were aware of this issue.

I really enjoyed my time in BLI Montrèal. I felt that my understanding of french improved a lot and the fact that only french was spoken really helped. I enjoyed learning about the culture and history of Montrèal as well. I liked the fact that the lessons followed a theme but were not so structured that only one topic was talked about in the lesson. It was also easy to ask questions if I needed help.

The classes were what i wanted. I was in group of max 4 students and i really liked that. I could practice the whole time and every question that i had was fully answered. The only negative point is that when you read the description of the classes online, you think that there will be a different focus in the different courses. For me, it was hard to find these different, it was a bit all the same.
The location was very, very nice. The location is perfect, especially if you stay at EVO vieux-Montreal, like i did. The metro station is nearby, but also culture and cafés. Indoors, it was always clean. I really appreciated the maps of the school that hung out, but also that you were given a map.

I went on the Toronto and Niagara Falls trip, this was a really good price and i was really glad that i went along with that trip. This is the only really negative point of my trip: on the trip everybody spoke Spanish, even the instructors. Some couldn't even understand English. I think that on activities that are with BLI, so BLI instructors, they have to talk English or french.

The welcome at BLI was very good, only you don't get the chance to meet other people, so the first week was really hard to find friends, because there wasn't initiative from the school. I think this could be different.

My housing in residence EVO Vieux-Montreal was very pleasant. I was really pleased with my room and the facilities. A major negative point is, when you arrive they give you NO INFORMATION. I found out how things worked 2 WEEKS, because of what people told me.
There is not a map of the building, information about opening hours, there suppose to be a restaurant... never even found it. Also when you arrive, there is NOTHING in the room. I arrived at 9 pm. There wasn't any toilet paper, and all the shops were closed. I think they should definitely look in to this issue, because this was a bit of a disappointment for me.

My personal experience was so good. I liked the classes structure. The teachers had experience to teach for foreigners. The location was excellent, downtown, near Notre Dame cathedral with easy access. The activities were well planned.

I enjoyed the location and the small classrooms. The location was important because one could practice their French when stopping to buy food or drink in a local establishment. The teachers I had were very energetic and enthusiastic about teaching. It made it some of the students, including myself, less nervous, and more likely to participate in class.

One thing I would have liked to have had before entering the class was a syllabus or list of grammatical concepts we would be studying. On the third day, I had to take an exam on the pronouns “en” , “y” , and the imperfect tense. I had not explicitly been taught or studied these concepts before having started my week-long course.

The classes were the perfect size and you got the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Every single teacher I had went out of their way to make sure I got the most out of the class. They could tell if you needed help with comprehension or speaking and would target that area for you during class. All around it was an amazing experience and I hope to go back one day!

The location:

In the heart of the Old Port of Montreal, I could not have been happier with the location of the school. It was quite easy to get to from where I was staying, and it is surrounded by cultural landmarks and fantastic restaurants and coffee shops.

The facilities:

I was happy with the facilities with the exception of only a couple minor criticisms. When the door to the stairway is closed and the stairway is not accessible, there would sometimes be crowds of people waiting for the elevator. Perhaps leaving the stairway accessible during school hours would be a good idea. Also, the classrooms were a little bit small and cramped at times, but when there are only 8 or less students in a class it isn't a significant problem. All of the rooms and facilities were always clean, tidy and fresh-looking.

Activities:

Definitely pleased with the activities. Conversing with students and teachers outside of the classroom makes for a very enjoyable educational experience.

Classes:

The classes were good; the only statement I could make is that having extended dialogues with fellow students is not always that helpful if the teacher is not listening to provide corrections. There were several times where we were instructed to have a dialogue with fellow students but we would be making grammatical mistakes without knowing until much later. However, when a teacher was present to provide immediate feedback, that was very helpful.

Teachers:

I have absolutely nothing but great things to say about the teachers. They are all fantastic. They were exceptional at breaking-down grammatical concepts and explaining them to students. They are all so knowledgable, patient, and a pleasure to learn from. What helped me the most was their willingness to go above and beyond to help me with my personal goals by giving me extra time and resources. I would like to especially thank Baya, Tatiana (both of them) and Elodie. They were the best French teachers I've ever had. I truly hope I get to come back to Bli sometime soon and learn from them again. I would certainly have arranged to come back much sooner - and for much longer - if the costs were more affordable. It cost me nearly as much as a full semester of university tuition for only 4 weeks of studying at Bli! If I could get a reasonable discount to extend my studies there I will definitely agree to do so. I had to leave after 4 weeks to take my DELF exam and then go back home to graduate from university.

All in all, I was extremely pleased with the school, and the teachers were incredible.

The classes are good but need more facilities the teachers are so patient and helpful I'm greatful for them I like the school's location but need more facilities in cafteria like more coffee and meals...etc
The course was not proper for beginners as Arabic natively. ...activities are good and the housing is great and I want to say here a special thanks for madam Ariela she is a good and appreciated host I'll never forget

I come to school with my love to french and I left it with passion for french

Thank you BLI

Overall I had a wonderful time at BLI. I found the classes very varied. On any given day we would always stick with a theme but not in a repetitive way. The location was great, 10 min from the harbor front and 10 min from the main shopping street in Montreal. The teachers were all very friendly and enthusiastic. There are a couple of down sides I can think of: the lunch break was too short (50 min); there was only one WC; the social activities started at 2 pm each day, but this clashed with lessons. I was housed at EVO, student housing. The facilities there were very good.

I enjoyed the lessons and the structure of the day helped to cover each of the topics. All the teachers were helpful and professional. The location was good, close to cafes and the harbour. The facilities were good. There was a wide range of different activities, which made it interesting! Overall it was good!

All in all it was just perfect, class size was good, everyone was respectful and friendly and we had a good group dynamics.
Teachers were all wonderful. Since I only took a one week course it's obviously a little difficult to evaluate how the learning process would be over a longer period of time, but for what I did, it was simply perfect.

The location is right in old Montreal and close to the metro, so it is a very convenient place. I didn't use the housing system.

I like the teachers there. All of them are full of passion, are patient, and experienced. The school offers a French only environment which is good for French learners, except absolutely beginners. I tried various games to help with vocabularies and conjugation.

I felt so confused though during the first day, as no one explained how my schedule would be like. That's my only complaint. By the way, my class was from 9am - 5pm and there was only a half-hour break at noon, and almost no breaks in between the two classes. So if you plan to take a full day class, it's best to bring some snacks.

BLI was excellent. It raised my French language level very fast and improved my language skills immediately. All the teachers I had were seriously insisting on the fact that we (the students) had to learn the language. They were not too patient and not too impatient; they provided the education with full passion and with great respect for the people in the classroom. I found everything - the expectations, the ambitions, and the way of educating - very appropriate for the level (level 1).

At the beginning, the cynicism obviously frightened me a bit, but I realised that it was not implemented to its full extent. The only thing I want to criticise in the process is actually this fact: that the teachers did not implement this toughness completely. In my opinion, people who did not make do homework (more than 1 time of course) should receive a reprimand. It seemed to be too easy to get around without making the homework. My reason for telling this is the fact that it slows the education completely down when people have not made their homework. It delays the learning, which is very annoying to the people who have completed what the students had to complete. I experienced this repeated times, and it annoyed me a lot.

Aside from this, I do not have anything else to criticise or to complain about the teachers!

My roomstay was great – except for the hostess.

The people there respected each other and interacted formidably. We had great fun.
When the hostess arrived, this changed a bit. She seemed to be more preoccupied with the earnings than actually making a proper stay for her customers. You could not really count on her, and she was not present - she was not there. For instance, she told me she would be at the place when I arrived, but instead of being present, she arrived 2 hours late. I expected a friendly and distinguished elder lady, but instead I had a money-minded not-present woman. The kitchen and the room were not well-equipped, which she certainly has to do something about.

I would definitely consider challenging myself with extremely proper and well-prepared teachers, and a well-organised school!

Firstly, I really appreciated the welcoming! The teachers and the students were very polite and it was a pleasure to go to my lessons! The lessons were great because it was a mix of games and learning! I think I have really appropriated my lessons in your school!

I chose this school because I have wanted to start studying English enjoyably. A class was small which means it is easy to ask, also teachers and other staff were nice and friendly.
In classes, it was also great to study because it was usually only Asian students. It was not so easy to study together with people from other countries because we have studied English in different ways, but my teachers supported me and we could help each other with classmates, and there were many students from other countries who were interested in Japanese culture, so we could study not only English but also each of our cultures.
Besides, you can hear many different accents in Montreal, which would be great when you go around over the world with English. There are many places where you should visit in Montreal and other cities in Canada. I could go to sightseeing spots in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto through activities of BLI, and visiting places with my schoolmates is still my precious experience and memory.
In last month in BLI, I also took a private class to improve speaking English more fluently. Accordingly, it was worthwhile to take and it is very helpful there were some courses I could choose. I miss BLI and Canada!

BLI has great location in the heart of the city of Montreal, it's beautiful! I studied with only 6 students which allowed the teacher to pay attention to the difficulties of each one and I could improve my English. After the course we did activities outside to explore the city. I loved it all: teachers, course, location, city and staff!