Testimonials

Caroline - 25/10/20 – Small Group – Jan 2018 to present (Advanced): 

“ French class is fun, enjoyable and educative. Amanda has a lovely balance between taking the lesson seriously and making sure it is engaging. She corrects our mistakes respectfully and sotto voce and I never feel worried about ‘giving it a go’.  French is spoken throughout the lesson; we are encouraged to think of alternative ways to proceed if we get stuck, Amanda makes sure we are all keeping up and encourages everyone to participate, giving lots of positive feedback.

I was one of the lucky ones to attend Amanda’s French Immersion week in France last year. It was an absolute highlight, planned with care, wonderful preparation and just great fun. Do go if another opportunity arises!”

Lee - 25/10/20 – Small Group – Feb 2019 to present (Intermediate +): 

“It is a joy for me to learn French with Amanda. Our small group conversation classes are casual, providing much fun and enjoyment. The lessons are beautifully planned providing a rich mélange of interesting activities at a learning level suited to our group. Amanda encourages participation and listens respectfully. She makes helpful corrections during class and later in a transcript online. More recently Amanda has continued our lessons with fabulous Zoom sessions! I truly appreciate the quality of Amanda’s teaching, especially the way she facilitates authentic communication.

Amanda is enthusiastic, well organised, sensitive and kind and she has a fine sense of humour”.

Frenchly Speaking, “Les cours sont merveilleux.” - Lee

Sally - 25/10/20 – Elwood community centre – Oct 2018 to present (Advanced): 

“I was very happy to find Amanda and her excellent classes two years ago.  They have been a most enjoyable way to revive my dormant French from long ago.  She uses a wide range of interesting teaching materials and gently helps students to feel capable and competent, whilst continually challenging us.  Merci beaucoup!”

Neil - 25/10/20 – HUB Docklands – Corporate – Jan 2018 to present (Beginner to Intermediate +): 

“I have been learning French with Amanda for several years and find her small group classes to be a fun, convenient and relaxed way to learn”.

Neville – Private student – Dec 2017 to present (Intermediate to Advanced):

25/10/20 - “I have been learning French with Amanda for almost three years and enjoy it greatly.  The lessons are friendly and engaging.  I look forward to them each week.  The classes are in person or by video call.  I have no hesitation in recommending Amanda”.

13/11/18 - “I had not studied French since I left school over 40 years ago.  I was a little apprehensive about commencing classes.  I needn’t have been.   I really enjoy the weekly sessions and, as soon as one class is finished, I look forward to the next.  Amanda is a very encouraging teacher.  It is a very pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in which to learn.  I highly recommend Frenchly Speaking to anyone thinking about learning French”.

Liz – Elwood community centre - 2015 to present (Intermediate to Advanced): 

25/10/20 - “I have long felt I needed to practice my French and really lacked the confidence.  I have found the classes to be enjoyable, where I have also gained a lot more confidence.

I do notice when I don’t practice I lapse - but continuing the classes gives me the impetus to keep working at it. My fellow class mates are all lovely and the interaction amongst us is respectful, interesting and a great learning opportunity”.

21/12/15 - “It has taken me a long time to have the courage to pick up French.  Your classes are interesting with a wonderful mix of activities and much as I would like to avoid it … grammar. I especially enjoy challenging myself with the little pieces of news that we present. It has helped with my vocabulary and pronunciation. 

The more recent exercise of chocolate recipes was fun, but also really practical helping with some of the day to day vocabulary that we might use. I enjoy working in a group as I find that it is full of surprises and your feedback during the classes and also the work you have written for the week on our discussions useful.

I very much look forward to catching up with new classes for 2016”.

Ash & Barry - 23/10/20 – Private students – Feb 2016 to present (Beginner to Advanced): 

“My daughter and I have been learning from Amanda for almost 5 years…not only is she a great teacher in the lessons but supports our French-learning out of class. She tailors the lessons to our different levels and is not heavy-handed with homework (as some teachers are)… getting a 14 year old willing doing an extra hour of learning a week speaks for itself.  – Barry”

Lindy - 21/10/20 – Small Group – Feb 2014 to present (Intermediate to Advanced): 

"I have been learning French with Frenchly Speaking for over five years.  This speaks to how much I enjoy the classes as much as to how much I am learning.  Amanda works hard to provide interesting content and has a lovely inclusive approach towards all of her students.  Highly recommended".

Maria – Elwood community centre - 2015 to present (Intermediate to Advanced): 

21/10/20  “2020 marque la sixième année que je participe a des cours de français avec Frenchly Speaking et je trouve toujours les leçons stimulantes et amusantes.  Interagir avec d'autres élèves est une partie précieuse de l'expérience. 

Amanda est une excellente enseignante, toujours calme, efficace, optimiste et soucieuse.

Je recommande vivement ses cours ”.

30/12/15  “ Les leçons de français cette année étaient merveilleuses!  J'ai appris beaucoup de vocabulaire et plus d'assurance avec la conversation française. Je crois que vous êtes un professeur extraordinaire! Merci! ”

Antonia – Private student - Jan 2014 to present (Beginner + to Advanced):

21/10/20- “Je suis une étudiante idéale pour toi ! Et toi. Tu es la meilleure prof pour moi. C’est vrai ! ”

26/02/16 - “I would highly recommend Amanda. I have been learning with her for two years. She is an extremely skilled teacher. She is patient, kind, diligent, determined and very encouraging. I look forward to our regular lessons. Antonia”

Lyn - 20/10/20 – Elwood Community Centre – March 2017 to present (Intermediate +): 

“Amanda’s classes are perfect for learning French in a fun and engaging environment.  I look forward to my classes, we chat and learn about many topics and laugh over misinterpretations or understandings. Amanda is very supportive and encouraging”.

Holly - 20/10/20 – Elwood Community Centre – Jan 2018 to present (Intermediate): 

“Thanks again for your dedication. “

Gillian - 20/10/20 – Small Group – Feb 2018 to present (Intermediate +): 

“And I just want to end by saying thank you so much for keeping us engaged during COVID - it has sometimes been a struggle for me to stay focused over Zoom and often find myself drifting off but I really appreciate the work you have put in to keep me motivated and coming along each week!”

Carolyn -19/10/20 – Elwood Community Centre – Feb 2020 to present (Intermediate +):

“Les classes: I have loved every single one!  To be honest, I was really nervous at the start but you have a knack of encouraging everyone.  I also felt very much from the beginning from you that it was absolutely fine to make mistakes.

Overall, I would highly recommend your classes to others and am so glad I found you when I did, and that you had space for me!  Thank you!  Your classes have been such a great distraction from work and the year we've had.  And a great reminder of why I loved French so much when I learnt it the first time round” .

Andrea -19/10/20 – Small Group – June 2018 to present (Intermediate +): 

“ Bien que théoriquement un cours de conversation, il est soutenu par des activités diverses pour améliorer l'apprentissage et garder les sessions intéressantes. En plus de nos reportages vidéo hebdomadaires sur France Info, ceux-ci incluent également des vidéos de groupe, des dictées, de la poésie, des recettes, des exercices de grammaire / des activités / des notes de correction… Parler de ces sujets améliore la fluidité et la conversation spontanée à un niveau engageant.

Jane - 22/01/16 – Elwood community centre – 2015 (Intermediate +): 

Bryony & Damien -14/01/16 – Elwood community centre - 2014 – 2017 (Beginner to Intermediate): 

Sue - 10/01/16 – Elwood community centre – 2014-15 (Beginner to Intermediate): 

“I found in the time I spent studying French with Amanda my love of the language was ignited; the classes encouraged me to aspire to understand and converse in French to the best of my ability. I do not attend the classes anymore as I moved to the country however, I have picked up on other local classes which made me realise how lucky I was to have found Amanda as I consider without Amanda's initial teaching I would not have such an excellent grounding to continue with French”

Katia - 01/01/16 – Elwood community centre – 2015-2016 (Beginner):

" The Beginner's lessons with Amanda were incredibly helpful, focusing on listening and speaking. It's the easiest way to engage with the language and I found Amanda patient, encouraging, and extremely knowledgeable. I'll be back in Term 2."

Joan - 23/12/15 – Elwood community centre - 2015 -2016 (Intermediate +): 

“The French classes were amazing this year”

Allys - 21/12/15 – Elwood community centre – 2015-2016 (Intermediate +):

“Finding "Frenchly Speaking" has been a joy. I have been wanting to brush up my French for many years and Amanda provides a creative and supportive learning environment.

Students are well matched and our conversations are great fun. We are encouraged to speak about pretty much anything and our mistakes are very gently and humorously corrected.

The balance between formal grammar, reading and conversing is perfect. I so look forward to beginning again next year and haven't enjoyed learning so much for a long time.

Allys Andrews – Bentleigh”

Tim- 03/09/13 - Uni student - Jun-Jul 2013 (Beginner):

 "Amanda uses an approach to learning that is very effective. The ability to converse in French no matter the level of experience has its unsurpassed advantages and is something that aided me significantly. I highly recommend Frenchly Speaking as a company to anyone willing to give French a go."

Jason – 27/08/13 - Private student - Jan-Mar 2013 (Intermediate):

 "Frenchly Speaking takes an easy-going, unintimidating, 'hands-on', yet very effective approach to teaching French, based principally upon conversation. My lessons were never dry, clinical or uninspiring, but always thoroughly enjoyable, and the 'tailor-made' notes which were promptly sent after each lesson were a valuable adjunct to the lessons themselves. On top of all this, Amanda is a lovely, lively person to have as a French teacher."