Service description
Our small-group courses run in 8-week terms and cover six proficiency levels from true beginner to advanced. The strict cap of 6 students per group means your instructor knows every learner by name, monitors individual progress, and corrects errors in real time — something impossible in a standard classroom of 15 or 20. Courses are offered in French, Mandarin, Japanese, and EAL, with morning and evening cohorts each term.
- 01
Who the Small-Group Course Is For
This course suits learners who want structured, term-by-term progression through a defined curriculum and who benefit from hearing and responding to other speakers in real time. It is particularly effective for those building conversational confidence, since the small group creates a low-stakes environment to make and correct mistakes without an audience of strangers.
The format works well for working adults who prefer a fixed schedule over the open-ended flexibility of private lessons, and for learners who have tried large classroom courses and found the pace either too slow or too impersonal. Six students is not simply a smaller version of a standard class; it is a fundamentally different dynamic where every learner is visible to the instructor at every moment.
- 02
Course Structure and Schedule
Each term runs for eight weeks with two sessions per week, each session lasting 90 minutes. Morning and evening cohorts are offered each term, making it possible to fit the course around a full working day. Courses are available in French, Mandarin, Japanese, and EAL across six proficiency levels, from true beginner through to advanced.
The curriculum is aligned to CEFR levels, meaning your progress is measured against an internationally recognised framework rather than an arbitrary internal scale. At the end of each term you receive a written assessment with detailed feedback, giving you a clear picture of what you have consolidated and what the next term should target.
- 03
The Six-Student Cap — Why It Matters
In a standard classroom of fifteen or twenty students, an instructor cannot track individual error patterns, cannot correct every learner in real time, and cannot adjust the pace for anyone without disrupting everyone else. Our strict cap of six students per group removes all three of those constraints.
Your instructor knows your name, your persistent errors, your strongest skill, and the point in a lesson where your concentration typically dips. That knowledge shapes every correction, every example sentence, and every pair activity. The two one-on-one check-in sessions included each term extend that individual attention further, giving you dedicated time to raise questions that do not fit naturally into group discussion.
- 04
Placement and What Is Included
Every new student completes a 30-minute placement test before their first term. The test combines written grammar, reading comprehension, and a short spoken component, and it places you in the group where you will be genuinely challenged rather than bored or overwhelmed. Placement is a precise step, not a guess based on a self-assessment form.
All course materials and workbooks are included in the term fee. There is no separate materials charge. Pricing starts at CAD 480 for Beginner and Elementary levels, with Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced, and Proficiency levels priced accordingly. An early enrolment rate is available when you book at least three weeks before the term begins.
- 05
Every Tool in Its Place — How the Curriculum Is Designed
The eight-week curriculum for each level is mapped in advance, with each session building on the one before it. Grammar structures are introduced in a sequence that reflects how learners actually acquire them, not simply how they appear in a textbook. Vocabulary is grouped by domain and revisited across multiple sessions so that retention is built through spaced repetition rather than single exposure.
This level of pre-planning means that a learner who joins at week one and attends consistently will finish the term having covered every element of the level's scope — no gaps, no skipped units. The end-of-term written assessment confirms this, providing both the student and the instructor with a documented record of what was achieved.
- 06
Enrolment, Group Size, and Mid-Term Entry
Groups run with a minimum of three students. If only one or two learners enrol for a given cohort, we contact those students directly to offer a transfer to the next term or a credit toward private sessions — we do not run an under-resourced group and call it a course.
Mid-term entry is available only at the Beginner level and only within the first two weeks of a term. For all other levels, joining at the start of a new term is the only way to ensure you receive the full curriculum sequence. If you are unsure which term or level to target, the placement test is the right first step.
What the service includes
- Placement test to assign the correct level
- 8-week structured curriculum aligned to CEFR levels
- Maximum 6 students per group
- All course materials and workbooks included
- Two one-on-one check-in sessions with the instructor per term
- End-of-term written assessment with detailed feedback
How We Work
- 1
Initial Enquiry
Contact us by phone or email to describe your goals, timeline, and preferred language. We will identify which programme or instructor is the right fit before you commit to anything.
- 2
Placement Assessment
New students complete a 30-minute placement test — written and spoken — so we assign you to exactly the right level. Business and exam-prep clients also complete a needs analysis.
- 3
Learner Profile and Syllabus
Your instructor builds a detailed learner profile and prepares a custom syllabus or selects the appropriate group level. You receive this document before your first session.
- 4
First Session
Your programme begins. The first session establishes rapport, confirms the level is correct, and sets the pace for the weeks ahead. Adjustments are made immediately if needed.
- 5
Progress Review and Next Steps
At the end of each term or block, you receive a written progress report. We discuss your results and recommend the next stage — whether that is advancing a level, switching format, or adding private sessions.
Price
| 8-week term — Beginner or Elementary | $480 |
|---|---|
| 8-week term — Intermediate or Upper-Intermediate | $520 |
| 8-week term — Advanced or Proficiency | $560 |
| Early enrolment (booked 3+ weeks before term start) | $440 |
Gross prices are for guidance only. You will receive an exact quote before work begins.
Frequently asked questions
How do you determine which level I should join?
Every new student completes a 30-minute placement test — a mix of written grammar, reading comprehension, and a short spoken component. We assign you to the group where you will be challenged without being overwhelmed.
What happens if a group does not fill to 6 students?
We run groups with as few as 3 students. If only 1 or 2 enrol, we contact those students to offer a transfer to the next term or a credit toward private sessions.
Can I join mid-term?
Mid-term entry is only possible at the Beginner level and only within the first two weeks of a term. For all other levels, we ask that you wait for the next term to start fresh.
