F.a.q.Frequently Asked Questions

A deposit of 30% of the tuition fee plus € 60,00 of the enrolment fee is required upon registration (see #1) via bank transfer or credit card through a safe link we will send you. The balance can be paid in advance with bank transfer or cash or with credit card the first day of the course.

Non beginners students can start every Monday.

Beginners courses (Intensive and semi intensive) starting dates for 2023 are the following: 9.01 – 23.01 – 6.03 – 3.04 – 8.05 – 5.06 – 3.07 – 7.08 – 4.09 – 2.10 – 6.11 – 4.12 .

Please contact the school for the beginners’ Evening courses starting dates.

The intensive course schedule (20 classes of 45 minutes each/week) is 9:30 – 12:45 with a 15 minute break from 11:00 to 11:15.

The semi intensive course schedule (10 classes of 45 minutes each/week) is 9:30 – 11:00.

The Evening Course schedule is twice a week 18:00 – 19:30 (4 classes of 45 minutes each/week)

Private classes have a flexible schedule, from Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 18:00.

Group courses are open with a minimum of 3 students. In case there are only 1 or 2 participants in the chosen course and therefore the minimum size for a group course is not reached, the school has the right to convert group lessons into individual or semi-individual lessons (60 minutes each) in a number equivalent to the value of the fee set for attending the group course. The maximum group size is 8 participants.

To assess your starting level of knowledge of the Italian language we will ask you to complete our level test. The test allows us to understand which group is the best for you. On the first day of class you and the teacher will continue evaluating whether you fit in the group. If not, you can switch in the higher or lower group.

Our courses are dedicated to adults, from 18 years up. The average age in recent years has been 35 years old. The age of participants can vary greatly depending on the year or the types of courses. Our students particularly appreciate being with people of different ages and nationalities. This makes the experience really interesting and the environment as an international school open, and lively.

italianme students are from all over the world. During the last years the most represented nationalities have been: English, American, German, Japanese.

italianme headquarters is in Via Tornabuoni1. The reception in on 2A floor if you take the lift or on the 3rd floor if you walk.
Coming from the main train station Santa Maria Novella you will reach the school in 10 minutes on foot.
Coming from Peretola Airport, you can take the Tramvia or a taxi, and you will reach the school in 20/30 minutes.

We will wait for you at the reception of the school on the 2A floor for the morning courses around 9:00 and for the evening courses around 17:45. italianme staff will welcome you and will give you all the necessary information and material.

Textbooks and all the other material given by the teacher during the class are included in the price, as well as a notebook, a pen and a folder.

There is a free WI-FI connection in the classrooms and in all the common areas of the school. Before and after your course you can use the common spaces or the classrooms (if available) to study, relax or work with your laptop.

At the end of the course the school issues a Certificate of Attendance. Students who need or want an officially recognized Italian Language Certificate will have to take a valid exam for this purpose on the dates established by the certifying body. Students must take at our school the exam to obtain the CILS certification on the dates established by the University for Foreigners of Siena.

The school offers 2 or 3 activities per week, in the afternoon, evening or weekend. The activities are led by our teachers or partners specialised in different aspects of Italian culture; they are a great way to get to know and immerse yourself in the city of Florence and its surroundings, make friends and practice the Italian language. If, in addition to our activities, you want help organizing the rest of your free time we will help you at no extra cost.

Reaching each level requires on average at least 6 weeks of an intensive course. However, you should consider that the variables are many (how much time you spend studying and practicing the language, knowledge of other foreign languages, level of closeness of your mother tongue to the Italian language, motivation, etc.) and it is therefore impossible to answer this question. In addition, if the B1 level skills are attainable on average in 18/24 weeks, to get to the B2 advanced level skills may take up to 48 weeks of an intensive course.

Students coming from outside the EU may need to apply for a study and/or tourism visa. For all the necessary information, we recommend that you consult the website vistoperitalia.esteri.it and contact the Italian Consulate or the Italian Embassy in your country of residence or departure as the requirements vary depending on the country of origin. Once all the information is collected, if our courses entitle you to have a study visa, you can get it through one of our Italian language and culture courses. You can proceed with the registration and the school will provide you with the documents necessary to meet the visa requirements. In case of refusal of a study visa, upon exhibition of the official document issued by the Embassy, the school will refund the payment made minus the registration fee of € 60.00, which is not refundable under any circumstances.

Please note that the school is not a real estate agency and cannot rent accommodation to students. We simply offer a free accommodation help service. The service consists in reporting the available accommodation corresponding to the students needs, who may or may not accept our suggestions: homestay, rooms in a shared apartment, independent apartment, hostel or hotel. The payment of the accommodation (and any contract) is to be made directly to the owner of the house or to the host structure. If the student wants to make the payment through the school, 22% VAT is applied, according to current legislation.

The registration fee ( € 60,00) is not refunded under any circumstances. Students must advise italianme of course cancellation at least 15 days in advance in order to receive a 75% refund for the course. Students must advise italianme of course cancellation between 14 and 8 days in advance in order to receive a 50% refund.If communication of course cancellation is provided less than 7 days before the beginning of the course, italianme won’t provide any refund. Once the course has begun, no refund will be provided, neither for discontinuous attendance, nor for leaving early. If the cancellation or the leaving early is due to force majeure reasons the student will receive a voucher redeemable within 24 months. Please read carefully the cancellation policy in the Terms and Conditions.

In group courses, missed lessons cannot be made up. For private lessons, you can make them up if you notify the school within 24 hours before the lesson, otherwise the lesson will be considered done.