Yes, at friLingue you can join the course even as an absolute beginner. We are confident that after two weeks in one of our camps you will be able to communicate and express yourself in simple everyday situations.

Most of our teachers are native speakers of the language they teach and the goal of our courses is to speak exclusively in the language taught. However, most of our teachers are multilingual and are proficient in at least English.

Yes, all of our French, German and English teachers are either native speakers or proficient in the language they teach.

The basic course in our camps includes 20 45-minute lessons per week. Additional intensive courses with two extra 45-minute lessons per afternoon can be added for 2 or 3 afternoons per week.

Our classes are held in small groups of about 6 students. In 2022, our class average was 4.76 students per class.

Depending on the size of the camp, we usually have between 3 and 5 different levels. We base the classification of the levels on the system commonly used in Europe: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.

Yes, every Sunday after your arrival there will be a short written and oral test to assess your level and place you in the right group.

Yes, almost all of our teachers and counselors speak fluent English or can at least converse in English.

We offer a range of options: Dormitories (8-12 beds), smaller rooms (1, 2, 3 and 4 beds) and homestays. Our camp accommodations include hotels, residences and mountain cabins.

This is a very common and natural doubt among first-time participants, but don't worry! Children and teenagers sometimes arrive with a less positive attitude, as the prospect of spending a week or two of the school vacations learning French, German and English understandably doesn't sound very appealing. But in almost all cases, it only takes a few days for them to settle in and realize how much fun the environment and activities are, and in the end, no one wants to leave!

Most of our accommodation options are shared rooms (see the first question of this section for more details). In the host families you may have the possibility to sleep in a private room, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Yes, all of our Swiss camps are full board. We provide three meals a day as well as drinks and healthy snacks between classes and activities.

Do you have a lactose or gluten intolerance or other special dietary needs?
No problem, you can still participate in our camps! Our cooks will be happy to prepare meals that meet your needs.
Due to the extra work involved, we charge a surcharge of CHF 100 per week.

In most cases, it's a blast! We divide our rooms by age, so you'll be with other teens your age and most likely make new friends for life. In the rare case that there is a problem with your room, our staff will be happy to help find the best possible solution for you!

We recommend those who come for only one or two weeks to pack enough clothes for the duration of their stay. For those who stay three weeks or longer, we are happy to organize a laundry service, but this comes at a cost of 40 CHF per week.

There is stable wifi in the camp - but the password is only shared with staff and international students. In case of emergency, the Swiss students get access to Wifi.

You may not go swimming without a staff member at any time. However, during free time, staff members are always present to accompany and supervise those who wish to swim.

To make a long story short: Yes, you can. However, we want you to interact with your new friends as much as possible and benefit from your friLingue camp experience, so the times you can use your phones and tablets are limited. All electronic devices will be taken off before bed each night and returned the next day after class. In addition, their use may be prohibited by staff during certain activities. Anyone caught with their device when they should not be using it will have it taken away for an extended period of time. Please DO NOT bring Nintendos or other game consoles to camp, you do not need them!

Yes, this is possible. Please use the following address suffix so that the package arrives safely at the camp:

Example St.Bernard (Liddes):

Relais de Dranse
z.Hd. friLingue Camp, NAME OF YOUR KID
Route de la Dranse
1945 Liddes

If your child goes to camp in Braunwald, Estavayer or Schwarzsee, please do not use this address! You can find the individual addresses on this website (click on the location and scroll down).

All students must be in bed and lights out by 10:00 pm during the week and 10:30 pm on weekends. Parents who disagree with the assigned times should contact friLingue. Students who do not adhere to the curfew will be sent home.

The consumption of alcohol or other drugs is absolutely forbidden in friLingue. Participants caught consuming alcohol will be sent straight home without refund!

Yes. Workshop selections will be announced after class and you will be asked to sign up so you can choose a different workshop each time. Some workshops, such as media, continue over two afternoons. In these cases, you must attend the same workshop on both days.

This varies from workshop to workshop, but generally we need at least 5 participants for a workshop to take place.

Yes, the intensive courses take place before the workshops begin.

Yes! If you own one, we recommend that your child bring it themselves. If you do not own one, we have spare equipment that we will share with you.