French classes for au pairs in Nice, at the Alliance Française
Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur teaches French at 8 rue de Paris, in the heart of Nice. Its Au Pair Formula is a 4-hour oral workshop on Tuesday and Thursday, 13:30–15:30: it fits between the school runs and the afternoon with the children, and it comes with the paperwork for your visa.
Photo:Lspigon (public domain)
Quick answer
Au pair in Nice? Take the Au Pair Formula · Oral Workshop at Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur: 4 hours a week, Tuesday and Thursday 13:30–15:30, at the school’s reduced au pair rate of €44 a week (2026 price, from level A1.2). For your visa file, the school asks for a deposit of 8 weeks; the balance is paid once the visa is granted.
Prices and formats from the school and its website, checked on 6 November 2026.
Your class
The Alliance Française of Nice, since 1884
Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur is a French-language school run as an association, at 8 rue de Paris, 06000 Nice. It holds the state’s Label Qualité FLE, with the top mark on every criterion, and welcomes several thousand students a year.
- Founded
- 1884
- French teaching in Nice since 1884, as the school’s logo says.
- Residence
- 75 studios
- A new student residence on the campus, with caretakers and video surveillance.
- Quality label
- 3 stars
- Label Qualité FLE: the top mark on all five criteria, from teachers to premises.
- Exams
- TCF
- Approved TCF centre: TCF IRN and TCF Tout Public.
- Classrooms
- 14
- Air-conditioned classrooms with interactive screens.
- Media library
- 5,000+
- Books, DVDs, comics and magazines, sorted by language level.
A 3,500 m² campus in the city centre
Class is only part of it. After the workshop, the media library, the cinema corner and the café make the campus a place to stay a little longer.
- 3,500 m²campus in the city centre
- 14classrooms with interactive screens
- 5,000+books, DVDs and comics
- 7:30–18:00Café de l’Alliance, weekdays
- 100 %air-conditioned, green energy
The media libraryMore than 5,000 books, DVDs, comics and magazines, sorted by language level. A quiet work space after class.
The cinema cornerFrench films on a comfortable sofa, with headphones. Homework that doesn’t feel like homework.
The caféThe Café de l’Alliance, open weekdays 7:30 to 18:00 with a terrace. Special prices for students.
Campus figures and photos from the school’s website, checked on 6 November 2026. Railway station 5 minutes away, beach 15 minutes away.
Why the Tuesday and Thursday slot fits an au pair week
A host family needs an au pair around school hours. The workshop sits in the quietest part of the afternoon, as long as the slot is agreed first.
The slot between two school runs
Tuesday and Thursday, 13:30–15:30: after lunch, while the children are back at school or napping, and before the afternoon pick-up.
Agree it with the family first
Class time is not childcare time. Show your host family the timetable before you enrol, so someone covers a nap or a pick-up if needed.
Light enough for a 25-hour week
Four hours a week leave the mornings and the end of the day free for the children, well inside the 25 hours (5 a day) the French rules allow for family tasks.
A typical week, with the class in it
Childcare and school runsOral WorkshopHandover to a parentYour own time
Illustrative timetables. Hours are fixed with the host family in the convention d’accueil, within 5 hours a day and 25 hours a week. On Wednesdays, most French schools are closed. Class time is not childcare time: agree who covers a nap or a pick-up before you enrol.
After the workshop: a coffee, then the pick-up
Class ends at 15:30. That leaves an hour for a coffee at the Café de l’Alliance, a walk to the Promenade (15 minutes from the school) or the media library, before the children’s turn again.
Your French, from A1 to C2
From a first order at the market to a talk about timetables with the host parents. Next to each level, a sentence you could really say in Nice.
- A1
At the Cours Saleya marketBonjour ! Cinq cents grammes de tomates, s’il vous plaît.Hello! 500 grams of tomatoes, please.Everyday words, simple requestsWorkshop from A1.2. A1.1? Intensive course first
- A2
On the tram, lines 1, 2 or 3Excusez-moi, c’est bien le tram pour la gare ?Excuse me, is this the tram to the station?Routine tasks, direct exchanges
- B1
Snack time with the childrenQui veut une part de socca pour le goûter ? Lavez-vous les mains d’abord !Who wants a slice of socca for the snack? Wash your hands first!Most situations of daily life
- B2
Sorting out the paperworkJ’ai rendez-vous pour mon dossier de sécurité sociale : quels papiers dois-je apporter ?I have an appointment for my social security file: which papers should I bring?Explain and defend a point of view
- C1
Talking timetables with the host parentsPourrions-nous revoir mes horaires pour que le cours du jeudi ne chevauche pas la sortie d’école ?Could we review my hours so that Thursday’s class doesn’t overlap with school pick-up?Fluent, spontaneous expression
- C2
A walk up the Colline du ChâteauJe ne dirais pas non à une montée au Château, pourvu que les enfants tiennent encore sur leurs jambes !I wouldn’t say no to a walk up to the Château, provided the children can still stand on their legs!Precision and nuance
Levels from the Common European Framework. Right column: the CEFR descriptor of each level. The Oral Workshop welcomes all levels from A1.2, according to the school. The French sentences are examples written by AuPair Connect, not the school’s material, and the school can correct them.
Want an official level?
The school is an approved TCF centre. The TCF IRN is the test the préfecture asks for some residence cards and for naturalisation; the TCF Tout Public shows your level to a university or an employer. The au pair rules don’t name a test: it is a bonus, not a requirement.
- TCF IRNApproved centre, for the préfecture
- TCF Tout PublicApproved centre, for university or work
- TCF sessionsJanuary 2027
- 15TCF IRN, on computer
- 18TCF Tout Public, full
- 20TCF Tout Public, compulsory tests
- 23TCF, paper and computer
- TCF sessionsFebruary 2027
- 8TCF Tout Public
- 11TCF IRN, on paper
- 12TCF IRN, on computer
- 13TCF, paper and computer
- TCF sessionsMarch 2027
- 8TCF Tout Public
- 11TCF IRN, on paper
- 12TCF IRN, on computer
- 13TCF, paper and computer
Accreditations from the school, checked on 6 November 2026. Exam dates and fees: see the school’s exam calendar.
What the workshop costs
The school’s 2026 prices for the Au Pair Formula, 4 hours a week. The more weeks you book, the lower the weekly price.
- 1 week€44one week, 4 hours€11.06 an hour
- 4 weeks€1704 hours a week, in total€10.61 an hour · 4% off
- 8 weeks€3254 hours a week, in total€10.17 an hour · 8% off
- 12 weeks€4674 hours a week, in total€9.72 an hour · 12% off
Example: your first 8 weeks come to €375
Prices published on af-nice.fr, checked on 6 November 2026. Hourly prices as shown by the school: 60-minute classes. Registration €50; no course-materials fee for the oral workshops (school, 6 November 2026). 2027 prices are being drawn up by the school. This partnership doesn’t change what you pay the school.
The Au Pair Formula, and the other courses
One course is built for an au pair’s week. The others are listed for reference: at 12.5 to 26 hours a week, they take most of the mornings.
| Au Pair Formula · Oral Workshop | Standard French | Intensive French | Super Intensive French | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Oral workshop in a group of 12 to 16, from A1.2 | General French, from A1.2 | General French, from A1.1, a reminder | Intensive course plus 6 hours of written and oral workshops, from A1.2, a reminder |
| When | Tue & Thu, 13:30–15:30 | Mon to Fri, 9:00–11:30 | Mon to Fri, 9:00–13:00 | Mon to Fri, 9:00–13:00, plus Mon, Tue and Thu 13:30–15:30 |
| Weekly time | 4 hours a week | 12.5 hours a week | 20 hours a week | 26 hours a week |
| Price | €44 a week, €325 for 8 weeks | €217 a week | €310 a week | €362 a week |
| For you if… | You have a 25-hour week with the children and want French that fits around it. | The children are at school every morning and you want a full general course. | Rarely an au pair: it takes your whole morning, so it suits a break between families. | Rarely an au pair: it fills most of the day. |
Intensive formats are not the au pair rhythm
Twenty or 26 hours of class a week leave little room for a week with the children. Ask about them only if your host family can free whole weeks, for instance before the school year starts. Otherwise, start with the Oral Workshop.
In yellow: the course we suggest first. 2026 prices from af-nice.fr, checked on 6 November 2026. Group size in the workshop: 12 to 16 learners.
The visa deposit, step by step
A non-European au pair needs a long-stay visa (VLS-TS, “jeune au pair”) before landing. The school’s rule is simple: 8 weeks in advance for the consular file, the balance once the visa is granted.
- 1Enrol
You choose the Oral Workshop and the number of weeks.
- 2Deposit: 8 weeks
€325 at the 8-week rate, plus €50 registration: €375.
- 3Certificate
The school certifies your course for the consular file (VLS-TS).
- 4Balance after the visa
The rest is paid once the visa is granted, at the latest on day one. Then you fly.
Visa refused?The school refunds your first payment minus €100 of administrative fees: €275 back out of €375, on presentation of the official refusal letter.
Deposit and refund rules from the school (its message of 6 November 2026): 8 weeks at the 8-week rate of the workshop (€44 × 8, with 8% off), plus registration. The balance rule (one payment, at the latest on the first day of class) comes from the school’s terms of sale for visa holders. A course does not grant a visa: the French consular authorities decide. Sources: France-Visas and Service-Public F15813, checked on 6 November 2026.
From your visa file to your first Monday
General French starts every Monday, the oral workshops start on Tuesdays; enrol by the Tuesday before. Complete beginners start on the first Monday of a session (the dates on the first row). The first three months of TCF exams are fixed by the school.
Session calendars and TCF dates fixed by the schoolMore TCF dates to comeYour own stepsClosed
Choose your arrival
- You arrive inJan–Mar 2027
- Visa file opens
- Oct–Dec 2026
- Start at the school
- Workshop from Tuesday 5 Jan, after the school reopens. Beginners (intensive course): Mon 4 Jan, 1 Feb, 1 Mar
- Good to know
- The school is closed 21 Dec to 3 Jan. Public holiday: 29 Mar.
- You arrive inApr–Jul 2027
- Visa file opens
- Jan–Apr 2027
- Start at the school
- Workshops start on Tuesdays. Beginners: Mon 5 Apr, 3 May, 31 May, 28 Jun
- Good to know
- Public holidays aren’t discounted: 6 Apr, 1, 6, 8 and 17 May, 14 Jul.
- You arrive inSep 2027
- Visa file opens
- From June 2027
- Start at the school
- Workshops start on Tuesdays. Beginners: Mon 30 Aug or Mon 27 Sep
- Good to know
- The usual start of an au pair year. Enrol by the Tuesday before.
- Closed: 21 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (classes resume on Monday 4 January), then 20 December 2027 to 2 January 2028 (classes resume on Monday 3 January 2028).
- Public holidays 2027, not discounted: 29 Mar, 6 Apr, 1, 6, 8 and 17 May, 14 Jul, 11 Nov.
Sessions: school calendars 2026 (af-nice.fr) and 2027 (sent by the school on 6 November 2026). Visa file: France-Visas accepts applications from 3 months before departure.
How to enrol
- Check your level and your slotThe workshop starts at A1.2; a complete beginner starts with the intensive course (Mon to Fri, 9:00–13:00) on the first Monday of a session. Enrol at the latest on the Tuesday before the start to be sure of a place; the online placement test is compulsory. Show your host family the Tuesday and Thursday 13:30–15:30 slot before you enrol.
- Enrol and pay the 8-week depositFor a visa file, the school asks you to pay 8 weeks in advance: €325 at the 8-week rate (€44 × 8, with 8% off), plus €50 registration: €375 in all (2026 prices).
- Ask for your certificateThe school can issue an official certificate stating the nature, level and length of your course. Ask your consulate whether it wants it with the signed convention d’accueil.
- Pay the balance once the visa is grantedWhen the visa arrives, the school collects the balance, in one payment and at the latest on the first day of class (its terms for visa holders). You then pick the Monday that follows your arrival in Nice.
Address
Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur
8 rue de Paris, 06000 Nice
Contact
Alex Vahnovan, administrative assistant
+33 (0)4 93 62 67 66
[email protected]
Reception: Mon–Thu 8:30–18:30, Fri 8:30–16:00
Getting there
Tram: Durandy (lines 2 and 3), Gare Thiers (line 1). Railway station 5 minutes away, beach 15 minutes.
Nice after class
Four places for the afternoon that follows the workshop. They show the city, not the school.
- The Baie des AngesThe Promenade des Anglais runs along it: a Saturday walk with the children, 15 minutes from the school.
- Cours SaleyaFlowers, fruit and vegetables in the old town. Your A1 shopping sentence is waiting here.
- Vieux-NiceNarrow streets, ochre façades and the Colline du Château above: a walk after the Tuesday class.
- The tramThe nearest stops are Durandy (lines 2 and 3) and Gare Thiers (line 1). The railway station is 5 minutes away.
Why AuPair Connect recommends this school
- The Au Pair Formula takes place on Tuesday and Thursday, 13:30–15:30: between the school runs, not on top of the children’s day.
- The school asks an 8-week deposit for the visa file and collects the balance after the visa: a clear rule for the consulate.
- It holds the Label Qualité FLE with the top mark on every criterion, and a 3,500 m² campus with a media library and a café.
- It is an approved TCF centre (TCF IRN and TCF Tout Public), if your au pair wants an official level.
Partnership transparency: AuPair Connect and Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur are partners. The “Recommended Partner” badge is provided to the school for its website. This page is editorial: fees, dates and terms are those published by the school and may change. Spotted a mistake? Write to [email protected].
Questions
Which course suits an au pair in Nice?
The Au Pair Formula · Oral Workshop: 4 hours a week on Tuesday and Thursday, 13:30–15:30, from level A1.2. Classes last a full 60 minutes. The general, intensive and super-intensive French courses exist too, but at 12.5 to 26 hours a week they take most of the mornings.
How much does it cost?
The school’s 2026 prices for the workshop: €44 for 1 week, €170 for 4 weeks, €325 for 8 weeks and €467 for 12 weeks. Add €50 registration: there is no course-materials fee for the oral workshops. The school is still drawing up its 2027 prices.
How does the visa deposit work?
For a long-stay visa file, the school asks you to pay 8 weeks in advance: €325 at the 8-week rate, plus €50 registration, €375 in all. The balance is paid once the visa is granted. If the visa is refused, the first payment is refunded minus €100 of administrative fees (€275 back), on presentation of the official refusal letter. A course does not grant a visa: the French consular authorities decide. Apply on France-Visas, at the earliest 3 months before you leave, with the signed convention d’accueil.
I’m a complete beginner: can I start?
The workshop starts at A1.2. A complete beginner must first take the intensive course (Monday to Friday, 9:00–13:00), starting on the first Monday of a session, then joins the workshop. Enrol at the latest on the Tuesday before the start.
How many hours can I work if I study twice a week?
The French rules cap family tasks at 5 hours a day and 25 hours a week. Class time is not childcare time: build the timetable with your family before you enrol, so that the Tuesday and Thursday slot works for both sides.
Does the host family have to pay for the course?
No: the host family has no legal duty to fund French classes, but many contribute, and your au pair must be able to attend. Agree it in the convention d’accueil.
French rules: Service-Public F13348, F15813, checked on 6 November 2026.
Ready for your first Tuesday?
Timetables, current prices and enrolment are on the Alliance Française Nice website.
See courses and prices ↗Keep going
Photos: Promenade des Anglais, Lspigon (Public domain); Baie des Anges, Rundvald (Public domain); Colline du Château, Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 3.0); Cours Saleya, Patrice Semeria (Public domain); Cours Saleya (flowers), Patrice Semeria (Public domain); tram, Gare Thiers, Remontees (CC BY-SA 4.0); old-town alley, Abxbay (CC0); Vieux-Nice, Qjafcc (CC BY-SA 3.0); socca and pan-bagnat, Arnaud 25 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Place Masséna, Mona (CC0). Logo, campus photos and plan: Alliance Française Nice Côte d’Azur, from the communication folder the school makes available for use.
