Want to Learn French in Lyon

johnmacward

Hi all,

I'm desperate to live in France for a little while to learn the beautiful language for the first few months full time, and then potentially work there after that. I've a decent wedge of cash saved up to allow me not work for a little bit anyway.

I've chosen Lyon as a destination as I love the city and know a few wonderful people there.

The questions I have are around where to stay and how to rent over there? As I wont have a job initially I doubt landlords will be interested in me - anyone know a place where people look for flatmates?

Also, has anyone done a good french course (preferably intensive as I won't be working initially when I get there and want to absorb the language as quickly as possible).

CelticRambler

If you already know some people there, they'll be the best people to ask. You're right about landlords - the rental market in France is very tightly controlled, so for the most part, no job = no rent, and if you do get a job, they'll want to lock you into a long contract (up to three years).

You need to realise that employment prospects in France for young people are dire, and that's assuming you have all the advantages of being French, speaking French, having a recognised French education/qualification. In one sense, coming over with no expectation of getting a job is something in your favour, but to be legally resident beyond three months, you need to show that you can fund your lifestyle ... based on the figures the authorities decide are appropriate. Of course you can fly below the radar for quite a while, and skip back and forth to Ireland on cheap flights (not from Lyon though!) to "renew" your three-months several times over, but it's not ideal.

I'm about 300km from Lyon so have no idea who, what or where might suit you down that-a-way; on the otherhand, I travel and work all over France and find that you get a much richer experience of "real France" - including the language - when you're away from the big cities. Way cheaper too! :pac:

If you want a "short, sharp, shock" without the hassle of looking for somewhere permanent, I'd highly recommend signing up as a festival volunteer, even if it's only for a week (see my post here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057587070)

johnmacward

Thanks a lot for the feedback CelticRambler. Useful words indeed.

Where did you get your French from (I assume you speak it!)?

CelticRambler

School! Our year was the "guinea pig" year for the revised LC curriculum back in the 80s: out with all the weighty historical literature, in with useful vocab and modern journalism. It helped to have a good teacher who made us work our ears hard, listening to recordings of real life (=high speed) traffic and weather reports. When it came to the LC aural, it seemmed sooooo sloooooowwwww !

After a 10-year break (holiday use only) I got back into learning mode - again, tuning my ears by listening to French radio in the car - and after that, by talking to any Frenchman who'd talk to me. (Tell them you're Irish and they'll talk! :pac: )

Working in a "service" environment (e.g. festivals) is great because you get to use the same expressions over and over hundreds of times a day till they're completely natural, you have a "clientèle" that's not too demanding and won't mind you making grammatical mistakes, and you usually work in a team that's made up of people from all different walks of life, so they'll expose you to the vocab that goes with that - most of which is a long way removed from "je voudrais une tasse de thé, s'il vous plait"

shivpepper

Hi! I'm not sure if you actually moved to Lyon but if you did have a read of my blog for some advice on the city- https://nouvelleprof.wordpress.com/ I lived there for a year and loved it!