My story

Hello Sébastien, could you tell us about your life in France? 

I was born in the north of France, just a few kilometres from the Belgian border.

During my childhood, I lived in the Ardennes countryside, surrounded by animals, tractors, and nature.

My teenage years were shaped by a few major passions: swimming, role-playing games (mainly Dungeons & Dragons), and radio.

After studying Modern Literature at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, I set off on an adventure in Czechoslovakia (at the time).

Why did you choose Czechoslovakia?

The town of Vouziers, where I spent my entire teenage years, is twinned with a small town in South Moravia. I went there for the opening of the municipal swimming pool… and it was love at first sight. A few months later, I moved to Brno.

In Brno, I felt like a kind of pioneer, as there were very few French people at the time. I began teaching French in various schools and at the Alliance Française.

A very enriching experience, both professionally and in terms of integrating into Czech culture.

Three years later, I joined the Alliance Française de Plzeň as director. This period was a key milestone, during which I learned how to manage a team, develop projects, and strengthen ties between the Francophone and Czech communities. That year, we created the first edition of the Fête de la Musique. It was a major first for Plzeň!

And then you moved to Prague?

Exactly. I worked at the Institut français de Prague. It was an exciting period, marked by the preparation for the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union. Thanks to this experience, I had the opportunity to train in teaching FOS (French for Specific Purposes). I loved it!

Ten years later, I decided to spread my wings and became a self-employed French teacher.  Gradually, I moved away from traditional teaching methods to focus on the real needs of my students. A more personalised approach — and therefore a more effective one.

With greater freedom came the opportunity to meet inspiring people: political figures, artists, but also less well-known — yet essential — members of our society, such as judges and police officers. And then there are all those students I supported throughout their studies, who still take conversation classes with me today as part of their professional lives.

And how did the idea of creating Françaisie come about?

From a virus — COVID-19. At the time, I was training military personnel preparing for missions in French-speaking countries. When everything shifted online, I felt that something was changing deeply. Teaching was about to become different.

Teachers would have to adapt their methods and tools. And students, in turn, would gain more freedom and more ways to learn a language.

At first, like many teachers, I believed the internet would be our Eldorado — that all we had to do was search properly. But I quickly became disillusioned. Of course, there are some excellent websites, but I felt the urge to do something different. Having worked extensively in radio, the idea of a podcast came quite naturally. And as a teacher, I wanted to add learning activities to it.

The goal is to help learners improve their French in a different way, while enabling teachers to offer original activities firmly rooted in real life — all within a francophone spirit.

Why limit the French language to France alone?

And why offer a subscription?

Nowadays, people subscribe to Spotify to listen to music and to Netflix to watch films and series. So why not subscribe to gain access to high-quality learning activities? It saves time by avoiding the need to search for reliable content. And for learners, it provides almost daily motivation to improve their French while discovering the francophone world.

And what are your plans?

There are two main projects. One is to offer very short video clips focused on specific aspects of the French language. The other is to provide more comprehensive teaching sheets to explore grammar in greater depth.

And what can we wish you?

To continue sharing my passion for the French language and francophone culture, to reach more subscribers, and to keep developing Françaisie into a place for exchange and discovery — one that is increasingly enriching.