Visiting France - French language school

[FrèreJacques]

Hi, everyone! I'm new to the forum, and would like to pick the assembled brains. I finished school last year, and have also completed a three- year French course, loosely based on the Alliance Française content. My teacher was a Belgian lady who emigrated to South Africa quite a few years ago. Online tests from the Alliance and several other language schools indicate that I'm now an intermediate French speaker, somewhere in the region of the A2mod2DELF.

I would like to visit France and learn to speak the language properly, as I would like to put the seal on my exertions . Can anyone recommend a good French language school that would not bankrupt a churchmouse?

A student visa seems the easiest to get for me, but I obviously need some proof of my intent - so I really need to get cracking and find an affordable school/college/university.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

P.S.
(The forum's tips on utilizing the local resources such as the Mairie, etc. is a new angle for me - thanks!)

[Bevdeforges]

Your options may be limited if you're trying to justify a student visa. It will have to be a long-term full-time program (I think). The Sorbonne program and Alliance Française are the two most likely to get you the visa, but neither one is what I'd call cheap.

If you're only looking for an intensive class for a month or two, google "Institut Parisien" - I went there a few years ago when I first got to France. They were reasonably priced at the time, and the program was good fun. The school has moved since I went there, and may not be owned by the same people these days, but it's definitely worth a look.
Cheers,
Bev

[FrèreJacques]

Thanks for replying, Bevdeforges! I checked out the "Institut Parisien" tip you gave me, and their course fees are still reasonable. It seems that I'm going to have to cut my stay from a optimistic 1 year to about 4 months however...

I don't know what working opportunities their are, last time I checked France had unemployment of around 11%...and getting a visa for this seems pretty much impossible;-(

Thanks for helping me out anyway, especially as I'm not strictly "Expat"!