FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Levels, scheduling, pricing, exams and refunds. If your question is not here, just call us.

Ask us directly

Getting started

With the free trial lesson. About half of every intake has never taken a French class, and the A1 track assumes nothing — we begin with sounds, greetings and the handful of verbs that carry ordinary conversation.

Take the free placement quiz, then confirm it in a trial lesson. Quizzes are a good guide; fifteen minutes of conversation is better.

Yes — thirty minutes, no card required, no obligation. You leave with a written assessment whether or not you book anything.

Private lessons usually within three or four days. Group classes start at the beginning of each eight-week term, with mid-term joins where seats and level allow. The self-paced course starts the moment you pay.

Learning and progress

With two live classes a week plus about three hours of self-study, most learners manage everyday exchanges after twelve to sixteen weeks. Confident, unscripted conversation on unfamiliar topics usually arrives between B1 and B2, around nine to twelve months in.

Both. Written French and grammar follow the standard international norm, which is what every exam marks. For listening and speaking you hear both accents from the start, because in Canada you will meet both.

About thirty minutes between lessons for adults, less for children. It is not optional if you want the timelines above, but it is deliberately small enough to actually do.

Yes, at the end of every CEFR level you complete, recording the level, date and hours. It is a school certificate suitable for a CV or professional development file — not an official DELF, TEF or TCF diploma, which only accredited centres issue.

Tell us. Plateaus are almost always caused by two or three specific habits, and a diagnostic session usually finds them inside an hour.

Scheduling and logistics

Every live class is recorded and posted the same day. Cancel at least twelve hours ahead and you can take that lesson with another group in the same week at no charge.

Free up to twelve hours before. Inside twelve hours the lesson is charged, because your tutor has held the time.

Private lessons, yes, across the GTA, with a $15 travel supplement outside the downtown core. Group classes run online so we can keep them small and tightly level-matched.

A device with a camera and microphone, a stable connection, and ideally headphones. We use Zoom plus a shared whiteboard.

Mon–Fri 9:00–21:00 · Sat 9:00–17:00 (ET). Lessons run from early morning through to 21:00 on weekdays.

Pricing, payment and refunds

Fourteen days on the self-paced course, no questions asked. Unused lessons in any package are refundable at any time. Terms already attended are not refundable, but can be transferred to another person.

No — Ontario HST is added where applicable.

No. Lesson packages have no expiry date.

Full-time students and newcomers within their first year in Canada get 15% off live classes and packages. Siblings get 15% off the second child. Multi-term prepayment saves about 10%.

Yes. We issue itemised invoices for professional development claims, and corporate engagements are billed net-30.

Exams and immigration

Usually TEF Canada or TCF Canada. Most French points arrive at NCLC 7 and above in all four skills. Confirm current requirements with IRCC — they do change.

No, and nobody honestly can. What we provide is a marked mock in week one and a score projection before you pay the exam fee, so the decision to sit it is informed.

No. You register directly with an accredited test centre; we help you choose the centre and the date.

No. We are language instructors, not immigration consultants. For anything beyond the language requirement, speak to a licensed RCIC or consult IRCC directly.

Still have a question?

Call (905) 904-0560, email bonjour@frenchlearnerscastle.ca, or send a message and we will reply within one business day.

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