Success Stories

Julian nervously approached Vici in 2015 harbouring long held dreams of being able to speak French. With a sister-in-law in France and ambitions to one day live abroad Julian decided to bite the bullet and begin learning the language.

“I’ll be honest” says Julian, “I was pretty nervous at first, I’d almost say scared! I thought it would be like school; a bit of a chore. I was scared of making a fool of myself and being shown up. I approached it a bit as if I was facing up to a fear. But I couldn’t have been more wrong!”

From the moment he walked through the doors of the academy Julian was pleasantly surprised:

“I enjoyed it right from the start, the way it’s taught, the games and fun. No one made me feel stupid, we were all in the same boat. I’ve even made some good friends. It’s become a priority for me, I find myself keeping Tuesday evening free partly because of my desire to improve, but also because I genuinely enjoy it.”

So what does the dream look like for Julian?

“I just want to be confident when I’m in France, talking to people in their own language. I am really critical of people here who don’t speak good English, I think a lot of us are, and I don’t want to be a hypocrite. If I am going to spend a significant amount of time in another country I want to be able to get by in their language. If I can do that it will feel like success.”

As for the investment required to achieve the goal, Julian says the benefits outweigh the concerns:

“It is quite an investment, that’s true, but it is also a big achievement! The time and money I spend on Vici are well worth it. I’m not particularly gifted at languages, I am just a normal guy so I would say to anyone thinking about trying it, give it a go. Just try a couple of sessions. Walking through the door that first time is the hardest bit, once you’ve done that you see how much fun you will have and how rewarding it will be.”

Julian has been learning French through the Beginners Group Class for just over eighteen months. If you would like to explore your ambitions talk to one of the team today.