A little more French.
A lot more confidence.

Absolutely. Tell me what you remember and what you would like to do. We’ll find a comfortable starting point and build from there.

No. Beginners start with supported exchanges, useful phrases and pronunciation. More experienced learners can spend more time in open conversation.

Sessions are relaxed and practical, with clear goals and helpful explanations when you need them. There are no exams, and any practice between sessions is optional.

We normally meet on Microsoft Teams. I’ll send a separate invitation to the email address you use when booking. Zoom or Google Meet can be arranged by agreement.

Yes. Use the booking buttons to open my Acuity calendar, choose your appointment and follow the booking and payment instructions. The introductory chat is free. Group courses remain open for expressions of interest; dates and venue details will be confirmed before booking.

These terms cover individual online lessons and online lessons for two adults. The free introductory chat lasts 15 minutes. Individual lessons last 60 minutes and cost £45; lessons for two last 60 minutes and cost £60 in total. The total payable is shown before you confirm your booking. Paid lessons require payment in full when booking. Your booking is confirmed when you receive the confirmation email.

Sessions normally take place on Microsoft Teams. A separate invitation will be sent to your booking email address. Zoom or Google Meet can be arranged by agreement. Please contact Nico if the invitation has not arrived by the day before your session, or promptly after booking if your session is sooner. You need a suitable device, working audio and an internet connection. Late arrival normally does not extend the scheduled finish time.

You may cancel for a full refund, or reschedule subject to availability, with at least 24 hours’ notice before the scheduled start. Use the links in your confirmation email or email nico@decourt.net. You can always contact us by email if the booking system prevents a change.

With less than 24 hours’ notice, or if you do not attend, a charge may apply to reflect the reasonable net loss caused by the cancellation, up to the lesson price. We take account of costs saved and whether the slot is filled by another learner, and refund any balance. Please contact us about emergencies or exceptional circumstances.

If Nico cancels, you may choose a replacement session or a full refund for the affected lesson. If a technical problem on our side prevents delivery, we will offer replacement teaching time or an appropriate refund. Please report other connection difficulties promptly so we can try to resolve them.

These arrangements do not limit your statutory cancellation rights or your rights if a service is not provided with reasonable care and skill. Refunds will be made to the original payment method, without an administration deduction, within 14 days of agreeing or receiving a valid cancellation.

For these online lesson bookings, we offer a 14-day cancellation period from the day after the contract is made. You can cancel by emailing nico@decourt.net or by sending a clear cancellation statement to our registered office. You do not have to give a reason or use a particular form.

If you want teaching to start within this period, we will ask for your express request. If you then cancel during the period, you pay only a proportionate amount for the teaching already provided at your request, and we refund the remaining balance. Your cancellation right ends once the booked service has been fully delivered only if you expressly requested early performance and acknowledged beforehand that full performance would end that right. Booking an early date alone is not treated as that acknowledgement.

Optional cancellation form: To Lumina Education Ltd, 3 Dolafon Villas, Abbey Road, Llangollen, Wales, LL20 8SU; nico@decourt.net. I give notice that I cancel my contract for the following service: [service]. Booking date/reference: [details]. Customer name and address: [details]. Date: [date]. Signature: [only if sent on paper].

Group courses are currently open for expressions of interest only. Dates, venue, minimum enrolment, inclusions and course-specific cancellation arrangements will be supplied before paid bookings open.

For questions or complaints, email nico@decourt.net with your booking details and the outcome you would like. We will consider your concerns and work with you to resolve them.

French with Nico · Last updated 5 October 2026

Who looks after your information?

French with Nico is operated by Lumina Education Ltd, the controller of personal information used to provide this service. Registered in England and Wales, company number 16214494. Registered office: 3 Dolafon Villas, Abbey Road, Llangollen, Wales, LL20 8SU.

For privacy questions or requests, email nico@decourt.net or write to the registered office. This notice covers French with Nico enquiries, bookings and lessons; it does not describe unrelated activities on the personal website or other Lumina services.

What we collect and why

We collect information you give us when enquiring or booking: your name, email address, any telephone number you supply, appointment details, correspondence and information you choose to share about your French experience and learning goals. We also receive payment status and transaction information needed to manage bookings and refunds. Stripe handles payment-card details; please do not send card numbers by email.

We use this information to answer enquiries, arrange and deliver lessons, send confirmations and meeting invitations, manage changes and refunds, and keep business records. Your name, contact and booking details are needed to arrange your lesson; additional learning preferences are optional. If required details are not provided, we may be unable to complete your booking.

Our website and service providers may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser details, access logs and meeting connection information to operate and secure their services. If you book for someone else, please share this notice with them and only provide information needed for the booking.

Our reasons for using your information

• Contract: responding to a booking request and arranging, delivering and administering the lessons you book.
• Legal obligations: keeping required accounting and tax records and responding to lawful requests.
• Legitimate interests: handling general enquiries and complaints, protecting our systems and keeping appropriate records of disputes.
• Consent: if we offer optional promotional emails, we will ask separately before adding you to a mailing list. You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing us.

A lesson booking does not automatically subscribe you to marketing.

Who receives information?

We use the following providers where needed to deliver the service:

• eUKhost: website and email hosting. eUKhost privacy policy.
• Acuity Scheduling, part of Squarespace: appointment booking and booking communications. Squarespace privacy policy.
• Stripe: payments, refunds and payment security. Stripe privacy policy.
• Microsoft Teams through Lumina: online lessons and meeting invitations. Microsoft privacy statement.
• Zoom or Google Meet: only if we agree to use one of these alternatives. Zoom privacy statement and Google privacy policy.

Relevant business records may also be shared with our accountant, professional advisers or public authorities when needed for accounting, legal obligations or resolving a dispute. Providers may act on our instructions and, for some activities such as payment fraud prevention, use information for their own purposes as described in their notices.

Online lessons

We do not record or transcribe lessons. In a shared lesson, other participants can see your display name and hear or see what you choose to share. Please do not record, photograph or share other participants’ contributions without their permission.

Processing outside the UK

Some providers operate internationally, including in the United States, so information may be processed outside the UK. Their published data-protection terms describe safeguards for relevant transfers, including recognised adequacy arrangements and approved contractual clauses with UK provisions where applicable. For details, see the Squarespace data processing addendum, Stripe data processing agreement, Microsoft data protection addendum and eUKhost privacy policy linked above. You can contact us for information about the safeguards applicable to your information and how to obtain a copy.

How long we keep information

We keep enquiries, learning notes and correspondence only while needed to answer your enquiry, support an ongoing learning relationship or resolve an outstanding issue. Booking and payment records are retained for the period needed to administer the service, meet applicable accounting and tax recordkeeping duties, and establish or defend legal claims. We review records and delete information that is no longer needed. An unresolved complaint, legal requirement or dispute may require particular records to be kept longer.

Website and booking services

The booking buttons take you to Acuity’s separate website; payment and meeting services have their own privacy and cookie information. Hosting and security services may process technical information to provide and protect this website. You can manage cookies through your browser settings, although blocking essential cookies may affect booking or sign-in functions.

Your rights and complaints

Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to access, correct or delete your information, restrict its use, or receive a portable copy. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.

Contact nico@decourt.net to exercise your rights or raise a concern. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We will update this notice if the way we use personal information changes.