FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about our residential French courses in France
The frustrating thing about FAQs is that your specific question may well not be here! Please give us a ring on 00 33 296 83 37 79, or send us an email at carolineandrichard.tracey@gmail.com if you have any questions about our courses. We will be very happy to discuss things with you.
Can you explain the cost of your courses?
Unlike other courses, the price we quote for our courses is fully inclusive – there are absolutely no extras. The course fee includes:
Moreover, our group size is particularly small, and we give a very high degree of individual attention and care to each student, which we do not believe can be matched by other organisations.
Can you tell me how you keep a group of teenagers occupied?
The courses are highly structured and the students’ time is carefully organised to give a good balance between academic and practical work as well as some leisure activities. Please click on the links below to view the typical structure of an Easter and a Summer course.
Structure of an Easter course
Structure of a Summer course
You have a group of English students. How do you stop them speaking English?
We’re not totally naive and we know that, left to themselves, they probably would speak English! So we ensure that the students are gainfully occupied most of the time. Caroline is with the students for most of their waking hours when they are at Le Grand Osier, and the projects and visits require the students to speak in French to local people.
When do you expect the students to arrive and leave?
Because we are not a large organisation, we can be very flexible. Students are expected to arrive on the Sunday at the beginning of the course, and the course will start as soon as the first student arrives. This can be early in the morning (for example, the Saint Malo ferry docks at 8.15 a.m.) or anytime in the day.
Similarly, students are expected to leave on the Saturday (for one-week courses) or on the Wednesday (for ten-day courses), but the course only ends when the last student has departed.
Teaching sessions are organised around the students’ arrival and departure times.
We need some time in between courses to clean the students’ house, make beds and get everything ready for the next group. We also need time to write the detailed course journal and individual reports. This is why it is difficult for us to have students arriving a day early or leaving a day late.
Can you cater for special dietary requirements?
Yes, of course. In the past, we have had a number of vegetarians (and even a vegan!) and we have coped with a range of food allergies and intolerances. Indeed, Caroline herself has coeliac disease, so both she and the restaurants we visit are well used to adapting to special needs.
We do ask you to give us notice of any special dietary requirements well in advance so that we can provide suitable food from the beginning of the course.
What books should students bring?
We have a good supply of reference books (dictionaries, grammars, thesauruses, etc.) and the bookcase in the students’ house is stocked with a variety of French novels and bandes dessinées. We also have a small library of French videos and DVDs which the students are welcome to watch.
However, we do ask students to bring their own pens and paper. Although stationery can obviously be bought in France, the ordinary lined paper used in the UK is difficult to find here and students will probably be more comfortable with their own format.
How much pocket money should students bring?
As we have said elsewhere, everything that the students need is provided. However, they may well wish to buy a cup of coffee and souvenirs when they are in town.
What clothes should students bring?
Le Grand Osier is situated in the country, and there are daily visits to local towns. Good shoes are recommended for walking on cobbled streets; and we prefer students to wear slippers when indoors. Casual, but neat, clothes are perfectly suitable.
Should students bring linen and towels?
All linen and towels are provided. On two-week courses, Caroline will happily do some washing for the students, although they will be expected to hang the clothes out themselves, and do any folding and/or ironing!
What about mobile phones and the internet?
Use of the internet and, indeed, mobile phones, can be counter-productive as the whole idea of the course is to be immersed in French, and regular messaging with friends and family at home stops this happening. Mobile phones must therefore not be brought into lessons, group activities or meals. For the same reason, students may only bring laptops or tablets by special arrangement prior to the course.
What happens if a student falls ill during a course?
Our GP will see our students if they need medical attention and will prescribe any necessary medication. In the case of an emergency, Dinan has an excellent hospital with an A&E department. Caroline accompanies all students who need to see a doctor.
Students must bring their NHS EHIC card so that any costs incurred for medical care can be reimbursed. We also recommend travel insurance.
Can you sign off the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Residential project?
Both our Easter and Summer courses qualify for the D of E Residential project and we regularly sign booklets or, increasingly, complete the online forms.
Where do all the quotes on your website come from?
We have two very large and very full files of unsolicited letters and emails from students, their parents and their teachers. All the quotes on this website are taken from these. We would be delighted to show you these if you come to Le Grand Osier.
The frustrating thing about FAQs is that your specific question may well not be here! Please give us a ring on 00 33 296 83 37 79, or send us an email at carolineandrichard.tracey@gmail.com if you have any questions about our courses. We will be very happy to discuss things with you.
Can you explain the cost of your courses?
Unlike other courses, the price we quote for our courses is fully inclusive – there are absolutely no extras. The course fee includes:
- all tuition in class,
- all one-to-one sessions,
- the course book,
- all teaching materials,
- all projects and expeditions, including entrance fees to exhibitions, concerts and other events,
- full board (including dinners in restaurants),
- the alcoholic beverages (beer, cider or wine) which accompany lunch and dinner.
- tea, coffee, soft drinks, fresh fruit and biscuits stocked in the students’ house, to which the students may freely help themselves.
- all transfers to and from Dinard airport, Rennes airport, Saint Malo ferry port and Dol-de-Bretagne railway station.
- a full report on work covered in class and all projects and expeditions (the course journal) as well as an individual report on the progress of each student. This will be sent to parents, students and the students’ teachers at the relevant schools.
Moreover, our group size is particularly small, and we give a very high degree of individual attention and care to each student, which we do not believe can be matched by other organisations.
Can you tell me how you keep a group of teenagers occupied?
The courses are highly structured and the students’ time is carefully organised to give a good balance between academic and practical work as well as some leisure activities. Please click on the links below to view the typical structure of an Easter and a Summer course.
Structure of an Easter course
Structure of a Summer course
You have a group of English students. How do you stop them speaking English?
We’re not totally naive and we know that, left to themselves, they probably would speak English! So we ensure that the students are gainfully occupied most of the time. Caroline is with the students for most of their waking hours when they are at Le Grand Osier, and the projects and visits require the students to speak in French to local people.
When do you expect the students to arrive and leave?
Because we are not a large organisation, we can be very flexible. Students are expected to arrive on the Sunday at the beginning of the course, and the course will start as soon as the first student arrives. This can be early in the morning (for example, the Saint Malo ferry docks at 8.15 a.m.) or anytime in the day.
Similarly, students are expected to leave on the Saturday (for one-week courses) or on the Wednesday (for ten-day courses), but the course only ends when the last student has departed.
Teaching sessions are organised around the students’ arrival and departure times.
We need some time in between courses to clean the students’ house, make beds and get everything ready for the next group. We also need time to write the detailed course journal and individual reports. This is why it is difficult for us to have students arriving a day early or leaving a day late.
Can you cater for special dietary requirements?
Yes, of course. In the past, we have had a number of vegetarians (and even a vegan!) and we have coped with a range of food allergies and intolerances. Indeed, Caroline herself has coeliac disease, so both she and the restaurants we visit are well used to adapting to special needs.
We do ask you to give us notice of any special dietary requirements well in advance so that we can provide suitable food from the beginning of the course.
What books should students bring?
We have a good supply of reference books (dictionaries, grammars, thesauruses, etc.) and the bookcase in the students’ house is stocked with a variety of French novels and bandes dessinées. We also have a small library of French videos and DVDs which the students are welcome to watch.
However, we do ask students to bring their own pens and paper. Although stationery can obviously be bought in France, the ordinary lined paper used in the UK is difficult to find here and students will probably be more comfortable with their own format.
How much pocket money should students bring?
As we have said elsewhere, everything that the students need is provided. However, they may well wish to buy a cup of coffee and souvenirs when they are in town.
What clothes should students bring?
Le Grand Osier is situated in the country, and there are daily visits to local towns. Good shoes are recommended for walking on cobbled streets; and we prefer students to wear slippers when indoors. Casual, but neat, clothes are perfectly suitable.
Should students bring linen and towels?
All linen and towels are provided. On two-week courses, Caroline will happily do some washing for the students, although they will be expected to hang the clothes out themselves, and do any folding and/or ironing!
What about mobile phones and the internet?
Use of the internet and, indeed, mobile phones, can be counter-productive as the whole idea of the course is to be immersed in French, and regular messaging with friends and family at home stops this happening. Mobile phones must therefore not be brought into lessons, group activities or meals. For the same reason, students may only bring laptops or tablets by special arrangement prior to the course.
What happens if a student falls ill during a course?
Our GP will see our students if they need medical attention and will prescribe any necessary medication. In the case of an emergency, Dinan has an excellent hospital with an A&E department. Caroline accompanies all students who need to see a doctor.
Students must bring their NHS EHIC card so that any costs incurred for medical care can be reimbursed. We also recommend travel insurance.
Can you sign off the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Residential project?
Both our Easter and Summer courses qualify for the D of E Residential project and we regularly sign booklets or, increasingly, complete the online forms.
Where do all the quotes on your website come from?
We have two very large and very full files of unsolicited letters and emails from students, their parents and their teachers. All the quotes on this website are taken from these. We would be delighted to show you these if you come to Le Grand Osier.
