In an increasingly competitive global market, businesses seek capable workers that are adapted to a globalized world. Among sought-after qualities in employees, fluency in multiple languages is an indispensable asset. French is one of the more valuable languages to master.
Not only is French the third most widely spoken language in the business world, it’s also the official language of the francophone world, which is comprised of 83 countries on 5 continents, containing 16% of the world’s population.
Certifying your ability to work in french in your job sector, no matter your level (A1- beginner to C1 – advanced), will make you a more valuable job candidate. Add a Diploma in French for Professions to your CV!
 |
 |
 |
 |
Please note that the Diplomas in French for Professions are also recognized by the French Ministry for the Interior to assess your French level when applying for a resident card or a naturalisation.
Unlike the TEF Intégration, Résidence, Nationalité, the Diploma is valid for life and adds value to your resume.
The examinations are taken online, followed by an oral interview.
The examinations are divided into two parts:
1- Understanding and processing information (between 45 mins. and 2 hrs. depending on the level)
2- Oral interaction (between 5 and 15 min depending on the level, including preparation time)
Levels |
A1
|
A2
|
B1
|
B2
|
C1
|
Business |
X | X | X | X | X |
International Relations |
X | X | X | ||
Tourism-Hospitality-Catering |
X | X | X | ||
Healhcare |
X | X | X |
The prices of Diplomas are determined by each test center.
Contact the center closest to you to learn about the prices and dates of exams. You can find center contact information here.
The Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry has developed Diplomas in French for Professions for businesses and young professionals.
Diplomas in French for Professions are offered by 123 universities and management schools around the world, including Duke University, Durham University, MGIMO University, Moscow State University, Bocconi University, the University of Milan, and HEC Paris.
The CEMS (Global Alliance in Management Education) recognizes Diplomas in French for Professions as a valid verification of their students’ french levels in all of its 32 schools.
Diplomas in French for Professions are recognized by multiple European governments, including those of France, Switzerland, Italy, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic.
In France, they are also listed on the National Commission for Professional Certification (CNCP) website. Learn more about the CNCP here.
The International Organization of La Francophonie recognizes and recommends the Diploma for International Relations in French as a means of validating french levels for various international programs.
Additionally, the Diplomas in French for Business have been recognized by ALTE, an internationally-renowned language testing organization, as being one of the leading tests of french linguistic ability in the field of business.
Diplomas are available to all students and professionals who want to obtain certification of their level of competency in French in a professional context.
The tests are available to all candidates over the age of 16.
To register for a test, contact a test center near you. You may either take the test that corresponds to the skills you wish to certify, or register for a preparation course, if offered by a nearby test center.
If you believe your situation requires a special arrangement, please notify the test center before registering. The center will inform you of the proper procedure to follow to ensure that Le français des affaires provides appropriate testing conditions.
You can find the list of all of our testing centers online. Some centers offer preparatory courses for Diplomas in French for Professions. Feel free to contact a center near you, or contact us (francais@cci-paris-idf.fr) to learn more.
We also have a large number of online tools to help you prepare for your exam:
Find our tools on our page Preparing for the Test
The Diploma in French for Professions is divided into two parts: Understanding and processing information and Oral interaction.
Each part results in a score out of 100.
To obtain your diploma, you must:
– score at least 50% of points for each part ;
– obtain an average of at least 60% of points on all parts.
To obtain your diploma “with honours”, you must:
– obtain an average of at least 80% of points on all points.
Please note that the evaluation scale slightly differs for the Diploma in French for Healthcare B2/C1. Consult the Candidate Manual Healthcare (in French) to know more about it.
The 4 evaluation criteria have the same weighting when calculating the final score.
| Criteria | Level of candidate performance | ||
| TASK COMPLETION | |||
| 1 – Adaptation of the text with the requested format | Insufficient task completion |
Sufficient task completion |
Complete performance of the task |
| 2 – Relevance and completeness of information provided | |||
| PROFICIENCY IN LINGUISTIC TOOLS | |||
| 3 – Syntax (correction) | Does not match the targeted level |
Sufficient for the targeted level |
Fully matches the targeted level |
| 4 – Lexicon (matching and accuracy) | |||
The 5 evaluation criteria have the same weighting when calculating the final score.
| Criteria | Level of candidate performance | ||
| TASK COMPLETION | |||
| 1 – Professional attitude | Insufficient task completion |
Sufficient task completion |
Complete performance of the task |
| 2 – Professional speech organization | |||
| 3 – Relevance and completeness of information provided | |||
| PROFICIENCY IN LINGUISTIC TOOLS | |||
| 4 – Lexicon and syntax (scope, correction) | Does not match the targeted level |
Sufficient for the targeted level |
Fully matches the targeted level |
| 5 – Speech (fluency, pronunciation) | |||
Please, find the weighting details of the tasks for each Diploma in French for Professions in the corresponding manual:
Candidate Manual – Business (in French)
Candidate Manual – International Relations (in French)
Candidate Manual – Tourism-Hospitality-Catering (in French)
Candidate Manual – Healthcare (in French)
After Le français des affaires has received and corrected your exam, you will be sent an email within about 4 to 6 weeks, containing a link that will enable you to access your secure digital area and obtain your diploma.
When your register for a Diploma in French for Professions, Le français des affaires will collect a certain amount of information to reply to your request.
Le français des affaires will keep your data on file for 10 years. They are not transferred to third parties.
The data collected may also be processed for the purpose of carrying out studies and surveys, in order to improve our services. In this case, the data collected during surveys will be kept for a period of one year and will not be passed on to third parties.
According to the Data Protection Act of January 6th, 1978, as amended by Law 2018-493 of June 20th, 2018, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as adopted by the European Parliament on April 14th, 2016, you have at any time, a right of access to and rectification or deletion of all of your personal data.
If you wish to exercise this right and gain access to your personal data, please write to francais@cci-paris-idf.fr.
