New to the forum, but really appreciate the help from this online community. We booked some online language lessons with a native French tutor, the monthly fee amounts are in euro. We are given her bank details. A super novice question, when we transfer the amount, do we need to convert it from pound to euro first? Or there are currency options when we make the transfer, we just need to input the number in euro, the bank itself will work it out the right amount in pound?
BTW, it’s not a scam, we had trial lesson, completely legitimate.
Any conversion via your bank is likely to cost you in terms of rate and fees.
I (and others here) use another method, in my case Wise. It’s not a bank, but a financial company (a “fintech”, I believe, and has most of the features of a bank). Revolut is another option, I believe. It doesn’t cost anything to create an account (apart from your time) and you get a reasonable exchange rate and fees.
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Another thought, @YCB : you could also find a French conversation partner, if you have more time to spend. I chat for an hour a week with a chap who has, over time, become a friend. I found him through the website Conversation Exchange. Madame also has someone she speaks to, but she found it was necessary to stress she was looking for a female, and for conversation!
And instant transfer.
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Yes indeed - ditto Lord @Porridge - opening a Wise account is the simplest solution.
The account is free, you can top it up direct from your UK account whenever you like, do the currency conversion within the app or on the website, and then pay your supplier directly in Euros.
You get a VISA debit card so you can just give them those details, or do a bank transfer or use ApplePay - there are various options.
The Wise VISA card is also handy when visiting France as it’s a normal VISA card so you can pay for anything in Euros and take advantage of Wise’s cheaper currency exchange rates compared to UK issued credit cards or bank debit cards.
PS you can hold money in a wide range of currencies not just sterling and Euro - I do business with US companies so I also have a USD balance with them. You get a proper IBAN number for each currency account as well.
It’s not a place to keep your savings (no government guarantees) but for moving money about - splendido!
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Second Wise from my daughter’s perspective and transferring money from the US, always quick and easy and she just used it to pay french customs for a parcel that was being delivered for xmas but she cleeared the payment within hours, they sent an official receipt and all was well.
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Another vote for Wise.
Also, when you say you want to transfer in the exact amount that you will be paying out, it sounds rather as if you are not leaving a “cushion” in your French bank. I think you always need a cushion because it is easy to forget exactly when bank charges will be applied. Why not convert a good chunk when the exchange rate is favourable and then keep an eye on it, rather than transfer monthly in dribs and drabs.
Apologies if I am suggesting to you how to suck eggs but you did claim to be a super novice.
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I’ll chip in for Revolut. I guess it does the same thing as Wise. It’s an app on yr phone [tho’ there is a website now, revolut.com.]
If you set up an a/c in FR you are protected by the full panoply of FR banking regs. The FX rate is extremely good. Most times it’s the same as the Interbank rate of the app I use just as a FX barometer, ‘XE’.
You can set up as many currency a/cs as you like. Also a saving a/c wich gives 3.55% a.p.y. - its been as high as 4.1%. Interest added daily.
I keep the pitiful pot, which is in GBP, in the savings a/c and transfer to GBP a/c and then FX to € when necc. Transfers from the Rev a/cs to UK or FR banks are instant.
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Into battle for Wise! 
You can also earn interest on your Wise money.
(They are both good services, take your pick).
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Personally I use Wise for transfers and for spending when in non Euro countries. I’ve a Revolut A/C as well which I don’t use anymore (but have been too lazy to close). There have been a lot of fraud stories associated with them and their responses have not always been helpful. Just Google it.
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With Revolut you can set a rate you want to exchange at and it does it for you automatically when the rate is reached. It this possible with Wise?
Yes:
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Another vote for Wise….I think they are winning!
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The OP will win either way, fortunately! Both are good services.
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I have, repeatedly. The last 
story I saw was, after a discussion among banking pros, rather loaded with contributory negligence. They’re often so.
The guy, who was operating many Rev a/cs without due care and attention, did most of what a scammer would be pleased to take advantage of and did.
I’m content to know that my Rev a/c falls within the banking rules & regs of France, like all other FR based banks.
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I was always told that pillow talk was the key to success in learning a foreign language 
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I found wyse extremely expensive for transfers
Could you br more specific?
It looks like the OP is not that interested, or has it all sussed elsewhere.
But YCB, if you are intent on cracking the exchange issue, and maybe all the dick swinging here is putting you off, then I can sign you up to an FX specialist, TorFX, AND give you £40 for the privilege of doing so (I am afraid though they are just basic exchange specialists - no cards, accounts or IBANS, just easy old fashioned service with humans in the back office giving as good a rate as you will get anywhere)
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Fair comment, Wise may not offer the best deal for transferring large sums of money e.g. for a house purchase; for that I plan to shop around for a currency exchange company.
But they are very handy for moving smaller amounts and as I mentioned for use as a mini-bank with multi-currency VISA card for UK residents spending time in France.
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