Information About Our Courses

The CALL courses are open to all members of the EUI, including partners and visiting academics. Please note that partners must be in possession of the EUI partner card.

The CALL offers courses and individual assistance in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. We also help organise courses in additional languages.

At the end of a course, you may request a certificate of attendance.

The academic year is divided into 3 terms (October-December / January-March / April-May) designed to fit with departmental seminar schedules. Some courses carry on throughout the year. Others are offered for one term only.

• Before attending a course you must enrol through CALL's course pages.

• Any required fees must be paid before starting a course.

• You must attend at least 75% of a course to be considered as having completed the course.

• Where there are an insufficient number of participants, courses may be cancelled.

The CALL offers language courses in:

• French
• German
• Italian
• Spanish

Language courses are open to all EUI members, including researchers, postdocs, academic assistants, administrative staff, etc. You can find the target audience of each course included in the description.

• Additional languages (organised by the CALL and taught by freelance teachers)

Please consult EUI Talent Management by email if you are interested in a language not mentioned above.

All courses take place on weekdays (Monday to Friday), during working hours (9:00-19:00), during the academic year (September to June).

Exceptionally, and upon request of the Director of the Service, taking into consideration the interests of the EUI, one-to-one language courses may be organised.

Under the Scholars' Hub, the CALL offers a number of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and academic skills courses which are open to all EUI members, including staff. We also offer a short course on preparing to sit the IELTS exam. Please access our course catalogue for more information.

Should you have questions, please contact us.

1. The CALL sends an email before each semester to announce when registration is open.
2. Consult the course catalogue and select a course.
3. Insert your request in the PDM under "Language Training.”
4. Once your request in the PDM has been approved by your Head of Service or Director and HR, enrol in the course.
5. If you must complete a placement test, you will be informed.

You must enter a new request into the PDM at the beginning of each academic term.

The academic year runs over three terms and registration for each term opens in the month before courses start:

• The first term runs from October to December, spanning eight weeks.
• The second term runs from January to March, spanning ten weeks.
• The third term runs from April to May, spanning six weeks.

You can enrol in a course up until the second week of classes, bearing in mind that courses are capped depending upon room size and language.

Note: When registrations fall below the minimum number, the course may be: cancelled, or reorganised by bringing together two different classes.

• If you are an absolute beginner, no placement test is necessary. You can enrol directly in the course. Please note: if you wish to enrol in an Italian course, you must complete a pre-enrolment form.
• If you have recently followed a course at the EUI in the language in question, no placement test is necessary. Your teacher will indicate the best next course for you, and you can enrol directly.
• If you are enrolling in a language course for the first time or after an extended period away, you must sit a placement test which will allow you to be placed you in an appropriate course.

Important note: A placement test is not an assessment test, therefore it does not indicate a staff member’s ability to work in a third language in the context of Article 45.2 of the Staff Regulations.

If you enrol in a course, you must commit to participating fully. By enrolling in a language course, you agree to the following:

• You may only enrol in one course per semester; enrolment in a second course is only possible if free spots remain after having first considered staff where a service need exists. Attendance in a second language class will be considered to be outside working hours and any fee will be borne by the staff member.
• You may not change languages once your request has been validated in the PDM, unless exceptionally approved by Head of Unit or Director.
• You must submit your request in PDM at the start of each academic term and wait for confirmation before beginning a course.
• You must attend regularly. This is not only to ensure the optimal use of resources, but also to ensure that the pedagogical objectives of the course are met. 
• Where a course has been organised expressly for staff members, HR reserves the right to cancel the course if the number of attendees is low.
• When you are unable to attend or need to arrive late or leave early, you should email the course teacher.

For further information, contact us.

Third Language Certification for Promotions Purposes

Twice a year, the HR sends CALL the names of staff members eligible  to be put forward for promotion. If you are eligible, you will then receive an email from the CALL inviting you to sit a language test. The tests are run in December and June every year at the Convento. CALL staff administer the tests which are created and evaluated by a third-party language testing company. The tests are done online.

International Proficiency Certificates

If you wish to study for an international proficiency certificate in English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish, you may enrol in any preparatory courses offered at the CALL. CALL is an accredited test centre for Italian (CILS examination). For all other languages you must apply to take any proficiency tests elsewhere.