Radu MARDARE is a former student of Ifalpes who arrived as a complete beginner during the lockdown in France. He therefore followed our online French learning programme “Keep Learning French” for the first two months. We decided to ask him a few questions so that he could tell us about his experience.
Hello Radu, can you introduce yourself ?
My name is Radu M. I am Romanian. I worked as a dentist in Italy for six years. I have friends in France and Switzerland and one day we decided to leave Italy and settle down, me and my little family, in Haute Savoie. We arrived in Annecy on March 7th, just before the Lockdown.
Did you speak a little French when you arrived ?
No not at all and I had to learn French very quickly to set up as a dentist because to register with the dentists’ association the level B2 is required.
So you took French courses online with the Keep Learning French programme ?
At the beginning I wanted to take face-to-face courses at IFALPES but it wasn’t possible. The school was closed because of the confinement. I was offered to take online courses with the Keep Learning French programme. At first I was a bit scared because I was a beginner and I thought that online courses were not suitable for beginners. Finally I accepted because I couldn’t waste any time. So I spent 2 months online before returning physically to school in June after the lockdown.
How would you sum up your experience with Keep Learning French ?
Frankly, the results are very positive. We were a small group of 4 students. We had classes with Emilie, our teacher, every morning from 9.15 to 12.30 from Monday to Friday. I quickly adapted to the online course format and everything went very well. I didn’t waste my time, quite the contrary, and I was able to take full advantage of the courses! What’s more, thanks to the “Too French” e-learning platform, I was able to do a lot of activities after class and make even faster progress! When I came back to school in June I had no difficulty integrating into the classroom with other students.
What are your plans now ?
I’m in the process of finalising my file for the dentists’ association and settling in France as soon as possible. As far as the French language is concerned, my objective has been largely achieved since I passed a TCF in September and obtained the C1 level. I am therefore very happy. At the end of the year I registered to take the DELF B2. I hope to welcome my first French patients in my practice very soon!
Thank you very much Radu for answering our questions. We wish you good luck for your DELF B2 exam in December and many good things for your future projects!
