Live Class FAQs
Everything you need to know about joining a Live group, attending through the year and paying for your place.
Answers before you join
What do you need to know?
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Contents
"; ;How Live Group Classes work
Why are Live Group Classes changing to an academic-year programme?
French confidence and cohesion work best when you turn up often enough for one class to feed into the next.
The same people return. I get to know what you can do and where things still wobble. The group develops shared references, remembers earlier conversations and can take ideas further.
The academic-year structure consolidates that work.
The same people return. I get to know what you can do and where things still wobble. The group develops shared references, remembers earlier conversations and can take ideas further.
The academic-year structure consolidates that work.
How many people will be in my class?
Never more than six.
That gives us enough different voices for a proper conversation and enough space to look at what each person brings.
That gives us enough different voices for a proper conversation and enough space to look at what each person brings.
Why are the classes 90 minutes?
We need time to look closely at something and then stop looking at it and use it.
In an hour, the conversation is often the part that gets squeezed. Ninety minutes gives us time for both.
In an hour, the conversation is often the part that gets squeezed. Ninety minutes gives us time for both.
Why is regular attendance important?
Each class picks up threads from the one before. We use your Cahier pages, questions, observations and examples to decide where the conversation goes.
A regular place helps your own French, but it also changes what is possible for the group. Your classmates notice what you bring and learn from it too.
A regular place helps your own French, but it also changes what is possible for the group. Your classmates notice what you bring and learn from it too.
Do I need to book my class every week?
No. Once you are enrolled, your place in the group is reserved. There is no separate booking to remember each week.
You can open your class from the Events calendar at the top of My Study or use the reminder sent the day before.
You can open your class from the Events calendar at the top of My Study or use the reminder sent the day before.
What happens if I miss a class?
Life happens. Let me and the group know in the class chat if you can.
I will add the class notes as usual. Read them before the next session and you will be able to pick up the thread when you return.
I will add the class notes as usual. Read them before the next session and you will be able to pick up the thread when you return.
Do I still receive the class notes?
Yes. I write them every week whether you attended or missed the class.
They remain available in your class chat while your Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership and Live enrolment are active.
They remain available in your class chat while your Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership and Live enrolment are active.
Will classes be recorded?
No.
A recording changes the room. People need to be able to try something, get it wrong, change their minds and move on without feeling that it has been stored forever.
The class notes preserve what we explored and where the learning is going next.
A recording changes the room. People need to be able to try something, get it wrong, change their minds and move on without feeling that it has been stored forever.
The class notes preserve what we explored and where the learning is going next.
What happens if only one or two learners attend?
If you are the only learner attending, the session becomes a 30-minute private class.
If two learners attend, the class runs for one hour. From three learners, the full 90-minute class runs as usual.
The smaller the group on the day, the more individual time each person receives, so the session length changes to reflect that.
If two learners attend, the class runs for one hour. From three learners, the full 90-minute class runs as usual.
The smaller the group on the day, the more individual time each person receives, so the session length changes to reflect that.
What happens if Ellie is unable to teach a class?
The French Room has one teacher, so there may occasionally be a health or life reason that means I cannot teach at the scheduled time.
If that happens, the class will be rearranged rather than lost. I will consult the group and arrange a replacement date and time that works for the group.
I will give you as much notice as reasonably possible and confirm the new arrangements in the class chat.
If a class cannot reasonably be rearranged, you will receive an appropriate credit or proportionate refund for that class.
If that happens, the class will be rearranged rather than lost. I will consult the group and arrange a replacement date and time that works for the group.
I will give you as much notice as reasonably possible and confirm the new arrangements in the class chat.
If a class cannot reasonably be rearranged, you will receive an appropriate credit or proportionate refund for that class.
What if I don’t want to commit to Live Group Classes Termly?
Live Group Classes are designed for learners who want a regular place in a small group and the continuity of learning together across the year.
If you prefer occasional, flexible support instead, Private Coaching is available in 30-minute and 60-minute sessions. You can book when you need support rather than reserving a place in a weekly group.
Why can’t I buy Class Passes and attend occasionally anymore?
Class Passes were designed around individual attendance. The new Live Group Classes are designed around a consistent group.
Your place is reserved for the teaching year, classes build on one another, and the same learners return week after week. That gives us continuity in the conversations, the Cahier work and the French we are developing through the 907 Method.
If occasional classes suit you better, Private Coaching remains available instead.
Your place is reserved for the teaching year, classes build on one another, and the same learners return week after week. That gives us continuity in the conversations, the Cahier work and the French we are developing through the 907 Method.
If occasional classes suit you better, Private Coaching remains available instead.
Joining and moving between groups
Can I move to another group as I progress?
Yes, when another level becomes a better fit and there is space available. Because you have a regular group, moves will normally happen at a term boundary after we have discussed them.
Can I join partway through the year?
Yes, at the beginning of a term or at the half-term break, provided there is a suitable place available. You will receive a discount voucher so that your payment reflects the classes remaining. These set joining points avoid disruption to the flow for people already in the group.
What happens if the class at my level is full?
No group will exceed six learners. If there is enough demand for another class at the same level, an additional group may be added at the beginning of a new term.
Payments and membership
What happens to my existing class pass credits?
I will calculate this personally.
Any valid, unused sessions will become a credit note based on the rate you originally paid. You will be able to apply that credit at checkout when you choose your new Live payment option.
Any valid, unused sessions will become a credit note based on the rate you originally paid. You will be able to apply that credit at checkout when you choose your new Live payment option.
How do annual, termly and monthly payments work?
You can pay for the whole academic year in one payment, term by term or through monthly payments.
The annual price is the lowest overall because you are committing to the complete teaching year. Once the 14-day cooling-off period has passed, the annual payment is non-refundable if you decide to leave.
Termly and monthly options give you a decision point at the end of each term. Once a term has started, you are committed to paying for that term. You can cancel before the following term begins by giving at least two weeks' notice.
Monthly payments are a way of spreading the cost. They are not a rolling class subscription that can be stopped partway through a term.
The annual price is the lowest overall because you are committing to the complete teaching year. Once the 14-day cooling-off period has passed, the annual payment is non-refundable if you decide to leave.
Termly and monthly options give you a decision point at the end of each term. Once a term has started, you are committed to paying for that term. You can cancel before the following term begins by giving at least two weeks' notice.
Monthly payments are a way of spreading the cost. They are not a rolling class subscription that can be stopped partway through a term.
Why do monthly Live payments continue during the Christmas and Easter breaks?
The monthly amount is a share of the overall teaching cost. It is not a charge for the number of classes falling within one calendar month.
Spreading the cost evenly keeps the payment the same through the Christmas and Easter breaks. Bonjour Brilliance continues throughout those periods, with Rendez-Vous Tutos and the rest of The French Room still available.
Spreading the cost evenly keeps the payment the same through the Christmas and Easter breaks. Bonjour Brilliance continues throughout those periods, with Rendez-Vous Tutos and the rest of The French Room still available.
Why is there no Live Group Class payment in August?
The Live teaching year runs from September to July, so the monthly plan contains 11 payments.
There is no Live payment in August. Your Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership continues separately.
There is no Live payment in August. Your Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership continues separately.
Why do Live Group Class learners need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery membership?
Live is not designed as a standalone weekly lesson.
Bonjour Brilliance is where you discover the word, explore it through the Rendez-Vous Tutos and Libraries, work with it in your Cahier and make connections. Live is where we see what happens when you bring that work into a conversation.
It provides the work before the class and keeps the thread going afterwards.
Voice Mastery Studio includes access to all resources found in Bonjour Brilliance.
Bonjour Brilliance is where you discover the word, explore it through the Rendez-Vous Tutos and Libraries, work with it in your Cahier and make connections. Live is where we see what happens when you bring that work into a conversation.
It provides the work before the class and keeps the thread going afterwards.
Voice Mastery Studio includes access to all resources found in Bonjour Brilliance.
Are Bonjour Brilliance and Voice Mastery included in the Live Group Class price?
No. They are two separate payments.
Bonjour Brilliance is your year-round membership of The French Room. Live pays for your reserved place in a weekly group.
You need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership to attend Live.
Bonjour Brilliance is your year-round membership of The French Room. Live pays for your reserved place in a weekly group.
You need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership to attend Live.
What happens if I cancel my Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery membership?
Once your Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio access ends, your Live access pauses too. You will no longer be able to attend the class or see its chat and notes.
Cancelling your membership does not cancel or refund a Live payment commitment that has already begun.
The natural point to stop either part is at a term boundary. If a payment problem rather than the learning itself is making you think about leaving, talk to me before you decide.
Cancelling your membership does not cancel or refund a Live payment commitment that has already begun.
The natural point to stop either part is at a term boundary. If a payment problem rather than the learning itself is making you think about leaving, talk to me before you decide.
What happens if my Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio payment fails?
You will receive a notification and have a short grace period to update your payment details.
If the membership lapses, access to Live classes, chats and notes pauses until it becomes active again.
If the membership lapses, access to Live classes, chats and notes pauses until it becomes active again.
Do I lose my class-note archive if I take a break?
No. The archive is hidden while you do not have the required access; it is not deleted.
When the relevant access is restored, the archive returns.
When the relevant access is restored, the archive returns.
Private coaching
Is private coaching changing?
No. The new academic-year model applies to Live group classes.
Private coaching will continue to be booked through the established Bookwhen scheduler. You choose from the 30 or 60-minute appointments available.
Private coaching will continue to be booked through the established Bookwhen scheduler. You choose from the 30 or 60-minute appointments available.
How is private coaching most often used?
Some learners use a 30-minute class as a check-in alongside independent study. It gives us time to look at a question, unpick something that is wobbling or decide what you need to work on next.
Others use private classes as a comprehensive personalised coaching course. These usually take place once or twice a week and are built around your French, your goals and the pace at which you want to work.
Others use private classes as a comprehensive personalised coaching course. These usually take place once or twice a week and are built around your French, your goals and the pace at which you want to work.
Do I need to have the same appointment every week?
No. Private classes can be arranged at times that suit you and do not have to follow a fixed weekly timetable.
If you are following a private coaching course, the usual rhythm is one or two classes a week, but the appointment time can change according to availability.
If you are following a private coaching course, the usual rhythm is one or two classes a week, but the appointment time can change according to availability.
Can I do private coaching without joining a Live Class Group?
Yes. Some learners combine private coaching and Live classes, while others use Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio with private support.
You do not need to belong to a Live group, but you do need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership.
You do not need to belong to a Live group, but you do need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership.
Do I need a Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership?
Yes. You need an active Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership to do private coaching.
Your membership provides the study, materials and structure between sessions. The private coaching session gives us time to work directly on your French. Membership and private coaching are paid for separately.
Your membership provides the study, materials and structure between sessions. The private coaching session gives us time to work directly on your French. Membership and private coaching are paid for separately.
Does private coaching include notes?
Yes. I provide notes to help you prepare for each class and keep track of what we are working on.
This gives the course a continuous thread, even when your appointment time changes from one week to the next.
This gives the course a continuous thread, even when your appointment time changes from one week to the next.
How do I book private coaching?
Book through The French Room's established Bookwhen scheduler and choose from the appointments available.
Private coaching is not booked through the Live Group Class course because your time is not reserved for the full academic year.
Private coaching is not booked through the Live Group Class course because your time is not reserved for the full academic year.
Cinema and Book Club
What is Cinema and Book Club?
We spend three months with one carefully chosen French film or book. There is a live discussion each month, a shared discussion space inside The French Room and language and cultural guidance throughout the cycle. It is slow on purpose. There is time to notice what changes when you return to a scene, expression or character more than once.
Is Cinema and Book Club included with Live classes?
No. Cinema and Book Club is a separate membership. You can join it alongside Live classes or enjoy it as a separate way of keeping French films, books and conversation in your life.
Can I join if I am not enrolled in Live or Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery?
Yes.
You do not need to attend Live classes or hold a Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership.Cinema and Book Club is open to anyone with some familiarity with French who enjoys French films, books, language and culture.
You do not need to attend Live classes or hold a Bonjour Brilliance or Voice Mastery Studio membership.Cinema and Book Club is open to anyone with some familiarity with French who enjoys French films, books, language and culture.
Where can I find the current titles, dates and full information?
You can see the current programme, membership options and full Cinema and Book Club information on the Cinema and Book Club page. This is also where you join.
Methodology, terms and contact
Methodology
Email
Ellie@thefrenchroom.org
Response time
I reply within 1–6 hours
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