Inspiring Conversations with Margaux Clermontel of Coucou

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaux Clermontel.

Hi Margaux, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been living in LA for seven years. I was born and raised in France and felt the urge to travel pretty young. I moved about 15 times before settling in LA, and as a result, changed jobs quite a few times… I worked as a Human Resources consultant in New Zealand and Paris did an admin job in Tuscany, Italy, worked for an airplane security company in Melbourne, Australia and started teaching French when I landed in NYC 10 years ago. I have a passion for knitting, which also led me to work for a while as a Marketing Manager for a wool and yarn company in France and NYC and to co-found a brand of hand-knitted accessories in 2015 (WOOLN).

I now run a French school for adults in Silver Lake called Coucou (you might have driven past it on Hyperion Ave!); a concept 2 very talented friends created in NYC 10 years ago. It’s been very exciting and fulfilling to recreate the Coucou experience and a fabulous community of francophiles here in LA.

I had never considered teaching French and didn’t think I would be much of a teacher. I went to business school and none of my experiences were related to teaching. I changed my mind when I walked through the door of Coucou Brooklyn in 2013! Looking back, I’ve always loved bringing French culture and language to life in the different countries I have lived in. There are now 48 of us at Coucou (in NYC and LA) and I enjoy dealing with the day-to-day at our LA location and taking care of Marketing for the company.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Do smooth roads exist? Not in my reality! Even when you work hard and have a real drive, you will always find obstacles along the way. Obstacles are chances to become a better human and get things done better the next time!

I had two jobs and two very young kids when I started Coucou LA. I took the risk to quit both (the jobs, not the kids!). I was all over the place but I was also lucky to take on a business with a strong concept behind it (I didn’t start from scratch) and got a lot of support from the founders of Coucou in NYC. I arrived with tools, a method and a strong brand. LA people are very different and we had to adapt. We’ve been here for five years and it’s still a learning curve!

As you know, we’re big fans of Coucou. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Coucou is a French educational and cultural company with the mission of redefining language learning and bringing French cultural experiences to life while fostering a vibrant community of francophiles. Coucou opens a door to the modern French-speaking world for students of all levels. We offer in-person classes and French culture workshops in person in NYC (Nolita), in Culver City (at the Culver Hotel),  in LA (Silver Lake) and online. Coucou turns 10 this year and we’re excited to celebrate… stay tuned for a very special Bastille Day party! We also organize cultural workshops with our partners throughout the year at Coucou and all over LA!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We welcome all people curious about French culture, films, food, fashion and more! We’ve been partnering with many local and International brands we share common values with and we’d love to hear from you if you have a great collaboration idea!

Contact Info:

• Website: coucoufrenchclasses.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coucoufrenchclasses/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@coucoufrenchclasses

Image Credits
Coucou French classes Cécile Delepiere photographer