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Languages & communication
Working in another language, not merely understanding it
Professional language pathways built around a precise objective of use: running a meeting, negotiating, writing correspondence, presenting a case. Placement on the CEFR scale and measured progress.
Context
A professional language is judged by use
Most employees sent on language training have already had several years of lessons. The problem they meet at work is rarely a lack of vocabulary: it is hesitation, the absence of automatic responses, and the inability to hold an exchange under time pressure.
So we build pathways from the target situation rather than from a general level. Someone who must chair weekly meetings in English and someone who must write technical reports do not need the same pathway, even at an identical CEFR level.
The initial placement establishes the real level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (A1 to C2), and the progress objective is agreed with the participant and the sponsor before the course begins.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Establish their real level on the CEFR scale and identify their priority gaps
- Communicate fluently in everyday professional situations: meetings, calls, informal exchange
- Present a case, a project or a result to a non-francophone audience
- Write clear professional correspondence in the expected register
- Understand and use technical or regulatory documentation in a foreign language
- Conduct a straightforward negotiation and argue a position
- Adapt their discourse to the intercultural context of the person they are addressing
- Continue progressing independently after the course
Who it is for
- Staff in regular contact with counterparts abroad
- Managers and executives attending meetings or committees in a foreign language
- Sales, technical and support teams working internationally
- Officers and senior staff in multilingual institutional environments
- Non-francophone staff who must work in French in a professional setting
Prerequisites
A placement test is carried out systematically before the start of the course. Advanced professional pathways require a confirmed A2 entry level as a minimum; beginner and complete beginner pathways require no prior knowledge.
Programme
The modules that make up this field
The modules below combine into short courses of one to three days, or into longer pathways. The final programme is agreed with you at the scoping stage.
Placement test and objective setting
Assessment of the four skills on the CEFR scale, an individual spoken interview and agreement of the objective of use with the participant and the sponsor.
General professional English
Consolidation of structures, sector-focused vocabulary and intensive work on spoken fluency in everyday professional situations.
English for meetings and negotiation
Opening and framing a meeting, intervening, objecting, reformulating, concluding. Straightforward negotiation, defending a position and handling disagreement.
English for presentations and public speaking
Structuring an intervention, holding an audience, handling questions and coping with the unexpected. Filmed practice with individual feedback.
Professional writing and correspondence
Emails, notes, minutes and short reports. Register, formulae, structure and precision, with individual correction of participants' own writing.
French as a foreign language for the workplace
Workplace French for non-francophone staff: reception, safety instructions, team exchange and everyday professional writing.
Professional Arabic
Modern standard Arabic applied to professional situations: correspondence, institutional exchange, reading documents and spoken communication.
Intercultural communication
Implicit codes and attitudes to hierarchy, time and conflict across cultural contexts. For international teams and staff on assignment.
Intensive individual pathway
One-to-one contact teaching calibrated to a single objective and a defined deadline, typically 15 to 40 hours.
Independent consolidation
Methods and resources to sustain and extend progress after the course, with a personal work plan.
Key strengths
An objective of use, not an abstract level
The pathway targets a precise professional situation. CEFR progress is the consequence, not the headline.
Speaking at the centre
The largest share of time goes to spoken production. Fluency is not acquired by listening but by speaking under pressure.
Individual follow-up
Entry placement, regular checkpoints and an exit assessment on the same scale: progress is measured, not asserted.
Delivery
How the course runs
Language courses are delivered one to one or in very small groups, face to face or in a virtual classroom. Sessions are preferably short and regular: linguistic progress is built through frequency, not through occasional intensity.
- Contact teaching with a trainer specialised in language for specific purposes
- Authentic materials and documents drawn from your sector
- Majority spoken production: simulations, role play, presentation practice
- Individual correction of written work
- Regular checkpoints placing progress on the CEFR scale
| Indicative duration | 15 to 40 hours of contact teaching per pathway, spread over several weeks |
|---|---|
| Levels | A1 to C2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) |
| Languages taught | English · French as a foreign language · Arabic |
| Recognition | End-of-training attestation stating the level reached on the CEFR scale |
| Delivery | One to one or small group · face to face · virtual classroom |
| Access lead time | Initial response within 72 working hours; start within 3 to 4 weeks of placement |
| Fee | On quotation — hourly rate, distinct for face-to-face and remote delivery |
Assessment and recognition
- Placement
- A placement test is sent before the start of the course.
- Assessment of learning
- Formative assessment during the session (quizzes, practical cases, role play) and summative assessment at the end of the pathway.
- Satisfaction
- Immediate review at the end of the session, then a follow-up review some months later.
- Recognition
- A certificate of completion and an end-of-training attestation stating the objectives and the results of the assessment of learning.
- Accessibility
- The course can be adapted for participants with disabilities. Contact our disability adviser in advance; the access lead time is then reviewed with you.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours does it take to move up a CEFR level?
As an indication, moving up a full level commonly requires between 150 and 200 hours of learning, including personal practice. That is why we set objectives of use rather than promising a change of level over a short volume: a well-targeted 30-hour pathway produces a real professional gain without crossing a full CEFR threshold.
Can classes take place during working hours?
Yes, and that is the most common arrangement for in-company work. We fit the slots around the department's organisation. Virtual classroom sessions allow greater flexibility, particularly for staff who travel.
Do you leave with proof of your level?
Yes. A placement test establishes your level on entry against the CEFR scale, and an exit assessment measures progress on the same scale. You receive an end-of-training attestation stating the level reached.
Interested in this field?
Tell us the number of participants, their level and your scheduling constraints. We will send you a detailed proposal.