Since 2006Inflexyon has been
welcoming the world.

On the morning of April 3, 2006, Inflexyon welcomed its very first student who had come to Lyon to learn French — Alexandra Jönsson, a young Swedish au pair. As a complete beginner, she started from scratch in French with her teacher, Arnaud Duquesne, the founder and director of the Inflexyon French school.

Since that day, Inflexyon has welcomed more than 3,000 international students from over 80 nationalities, each of them contributing to the story of our French school.

Today, Inflexyon has brought all its services together in one place:

• intensive, semi-intensive, and private French courses throughout the year, for all levels from beginner to advanced
• accommodation with host families or in student residences
• support with visa procedures
• a French exam center
• cultural activities

But how did a school with just one classroom and one student become a globally recognized French language school, also offering an exam center for DELF, DALF, TCF, and TEF?

Our affordable French school in Lyon attracted international students and adults from all over the world. Our French courses and programs were complete, innovative, dynamic and flexible. Whether they took an intensive or a semi-intensive French course, whether they were beginners, intermediate or advanced learners, students could learn French in courses lasting from one week to a year, they could come in the summer, in the winter, anytime — the door was always open!

In three years, Inflexyon also developed a strong administrative support including visa and accommodation support, as well as cultural activities. International students were learning French fast through immersion in small groups and after the classes, they continued building international friendships by chatting and playing in the « foyer » – our free time room. Twice a month, they had the opportunity to discover Lyon’s history and culture with the teachers during cultural visits. As a big family, we celebrated Carnaval, Easter, July 14th (Bastille Day) , Halloween and Christmas together.

Inflexyon is proud to act as a big family and welcome students in a friendly environment for learning French. But make no mistake, Inflexyon is also a very ambitious institute with an insatiable thirst for progress.

We accepted the challenge and sent our application for the Label Qualité FLE. The preparations for the quality audit helped us to examine our way of doing things and to improve our services and procedures. After only 4 years, Inflexyon got its first French-language school quality label. After the initial euphoria, we continued on the road of improvement and we obtained the Quality Label FLE in 2014 with 14 stars out of 15 and finally, in 2018 we obtained the maximum score 15 stars out of 15.

While our foreign students were learning French in small international groups, they were missing opportunities for making French friends. Since the well – being of our students is our priority, Inflexyon opened Lyon Langues – an evening language school providing foreign language courses for French people. Since then, international students have mixed with French students; they help each other in learning new languages and discovering different cultures.

Living in Lyon and making local friends is the best and the fastest way to improve your French!

2011 year is worth being mentioned twice since in addition to the creation of Lyon Langues foreign language school, Inflexyon became a Campus France member. Campus France is an organization working under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, whose aim is to promote France as a study destination. They provide information about higher education in France, offer scholarships for studying in France and assist with the student visa applications for France. As a Campus France member and a recognized institute of higher education in France, our students can get a student visa for French courses in France very easily.

Once our students were fluent in French and integrated into French society, they wished to study at French universities. However, without the DELF or DALF certificate, international students cannot apply for university studies in France.

As usual, Inflexyon accepted the challenge and applied to become a DELF and DALF examination centre. Our application was accepted. Consequently, our teachers underwent training to become DELF and DALF examiners. Since then, Inflexyon has successfully prepared hundreds of students for the DELF and DALF exams. After the success we had experienced with these exams, we subsequently applied to become a TCF and TEF examination centre as well.

Homestays, student residences, hotels…

Finding accommodation in France is not easy and it is even harder to book it while not being in France. From the very beginning, Inflexyon offers accommodation in host families and private student residences to its students. However, the better students feel at Inflexyon, the longer they wish to stay and the less they can spend on accommodation. As always, Inflexyon found a solution and signed a partnership agreement with the public student residence, CROUS. They offer several types of student accommodation for very competitive prices.

After 12 years in a historic district of the city center, we decided to move to a modern neighborhood called Confluence.

Our new premises are equipped with access for people with reduced mobility and also allow us to welcome students in spacious classrooms. The school is located close to many transport options, shops, a shopping center, a train station, a library, universities, museums, as well as the developed banks of the Saône River.

Over the years, Inflexyon has earned several quality labels, often in exemplary way. In 2020, it became the only language school to receive the “Bienvenue en France” label, awarded for five years by Campus France, the public institution responsible for promoting French higher education abroad and welcoming foreign students and researchers to France.

This distinction, validated by an independent committee, is intended for institutions committed to highlighting the quality of their student reception services.

Almost everywhere in the world, Covid-19 lockdowns disrupted human activity throughout 2020 and 2021. Students who experienced this period at the school still remember how Inflexyon supported them!

During this unusual time, Inflexyon was among the most vulnerable organizations: an international school built on a community-oriented model, relying on the physical presence of teachers and students from all over the world. Inflexyon showed resilience through strict management measures and by launching new offerings, such as online courses via videoconference. In its empty classrooms, the school also carried out renovations to significantly improve the comfort of its classrooms, including the installation of air conditioning, particularly valuable in Lyon during sunny weather.

The Qualité FLE label was renewed for the fourth consecutive time, in the new air-conditioned premises equipped with projectors and integrated sound systems.

At the heart of its flexible course offerings, Inflexyon introduced a new Standard program in 2025.

This program includes 20 lessons per week: 15 general French group lessons focusing on grammar and overall language skills (Monday to Friday, 10:00 – 12:30), 4 small-group workshops to strengthen specific skills: speaking, writing, language structure, phonetics, culture, and vocabulary (twice a week, 13:30 – 15:00), plus 1 group tutoring session with a teacher to ask questions, get homework help, and clarify certain concepts (once a week, 9:15 – 10:00). This format is particularly suitable for students from countries requiring a minimum of 15 hours of French lessons per week to obtain long-stay visas (VLS-TS).

Since 2006, Inflexyon has provided all the necessary services to ensure the best conditions for learning French in France and to make its foreign students’ stay in Lyon truly enjoyable.

While individualized support helps students navigate administrative procedures, the collective dynamics allow them to build friendships with each other and also meet local French people.

Around its French as a Foreign Language (FLE) courses, which form the core of its offer, the private higher education institution Inflexyon has become a unique intercultural center in Lyon, where students can experience the best of France, learn French, and also explore other languages.