The story so far

French Moments is about promoting French culture and language through its website and social network. There was a time when French Moments had its own language centre in Sydney, Australia where Pierre and his team delivered French lessons for all ages and levels. In 2014 Pierre and Rachel relocated to Europe and worked on the development of the French Moments website.

 

The beginnings in Sydney, Australia

In 2006 Pierre Guernier recognised that Sydney’s Lower North Shore loved France and that people were interested in learning the language. The nearest language centre was in Sydney, and the idea of offering French lessons and creating a cultural hub in the Mosman area was birthed. He began slowly, teaching out of Jones the Grocer in Neutral Bay with private lessons, then groups and hosting French dinner parties, which were a great success.

In 2008, the business structure was changed to a partnership with his wife, Rachel and the name “French Moments” was chosen to replace the former name of “French Language Services” which didn’t allow enough scope for the expanding dream that Pierre and Rachel had.

French notes at French Moments in Sydney, Australia © French Moments
French notes at French Moments in Sydney, Australia © French Moments

Until September 2009, Pierre continued to teach in different venues around Mosman and then finally, a permanent office was founded in the heart of Mosman that would become home to the French Moments family. Mosman is a beautiful, leafy suburb not far from the centre of Sydney and has a natural European feel. It is not too far that people cannot travel easily from the other side of town or outer suburbs and fits well with French Moments.

Antoine, Pierre and Rachel in Sydney (2011) © French Moments
Antoine, Pierre and Rachel in Sydney (2011) © French Moments

In 2013, the boutique language centre in Mosman was renamed “French in Sydney” while the cultural side of the business and the informative website (cultural articles about France and Intensive Courses in France) still operated under “French Moments”. The centre grew from about 15 private students in 2009 to a thriving centre with many different groups and private lessons for all ages. An operation was launched in 2013 on the Sunshine Coast, QLD, and 2012 saw the launch of Intensive Courses in France. The Intensive Courses were something that French Moments spent several years planning and developing, and exciting plans are in place to establish these significantly over the coming years.

French Intensive Course in Alsace (Autumn 2012) © French Moments
French Intensive Course in Alsace (Autumn 2012) © French Moments

Then in September 2014, after many years of teaching the Australian community, Pierre and Rachel decided to close their French language centre in Sydney and return to be closer to their respective families in Europe.

Between 2014 and 2017, they continued the international side of the business. They were focusing on growing French intensive courses in Paris and France and customised guided tours in the French capital.

Pierre and Kristy from Sydney, Australia after a Paris Walking Tours © French Moments
Pierre and Kristy from Sydney, Australia, after a Paris Walking Tours © French Moments

From 2017 to 2019, they moved to the French Alps (Annecy and the Tarentaise Valley).

© French Moments
Pierre, Rachel and Aimée in the French Alps © French Moments

Since the Summer of 2019, they have relocated to South-East England, where they continue the French journey by developing their blogs French Moments, Mon Grand-Est and Destination Angleterre.

 

Lessons and culture!

Over the years spent in Sydney, French Moments has had a strong vision for providing outstanding quality French lessons and sharing the French culture with people. You cannot separate the language and culture; students must learn and understand both to get the most out of their French experience. Through the website, French Moments aims to offer lots of cultural information on France and help promote the country to the rest of the world. It also has two blogs, with the goal that one can be used as a language tool for those learning French and the other for people interested in France but who do not necessarily speak the language.

Pierre with Phil from Australia on a Montmartre Walking Tour © French Moments
Pierre with Phil from Australia on a Montmartre Walking Tour © French Moments

In 2020 we reached a new milestone with the release of our first Discovery Course: “The Secrets of the Eiffel Tower”.