- Who are we?
Who are we?
The Alliance Française in Paris has been spreading French language and Francophone culture for more than a century. A private higher education establishment and recognised training body, the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France is, above all, a not-for-profit organisation (association d’utilité publique) under the French law of 1901. It has built its actions and reputation on the quality of its teaching and training programmes, in a multicultural environment which promotes exchanges, respect and conviviality.
The Alliances Françaises network
The Alliance Française was created in 1883 in Paris under the aegis of Paul Cambon and Pierre Foncin, around personalities such as Jules Verne, Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Armand Colin and Ernest Renan.
Today, it is the leading cultural network worldwide, with 850 establishments in 136 countries on all five continents. Each year, 500,000 people, of all ages, attend Alliances Françaises to learn French and more than 6 million people participate in their cultural activities.
The network is coordinated by the Alliance Française Foundation (Fondation Alliance Française).
What is an Alliance Française?
Each Alliance Française is a local not-for-profit organisation operating autonomously with no political or religious commitments.
All Alliances Françaises work towards three essential tasks:
- Offering French classes for all, both in France and abroad
- Spreading awareness of French and Francophone culture
- Promoting cultural diversity
Alliances Françaises have shared values which drive the network, acting as the basis for all their actions:
- Respect for cultural diversity, a passion for exchanges and solidarity
- The values of the not-for-profit sector
- Striving for excellence in all activities undertaken
- Modernity and innovation
Passion for the French language
We are, first and foremost, a grande école for the teaching of French as a foreign language (FLE). Receiving about 10,000 students each year, of 160 different nationalities, we are the leading centre of this type in France, and also one of the oldest, as the Alliance Française has been offering classes in Paris since 1919. It was at the Alliance Française in Paris that the first FLE teaching methods were established.
Striving for excellence, a results-based culture
Today, we implement continually innovative teaching methods to enable each student to master the French language as quickly as possible, whatever their objective: personal, professional, social, cultural, in an environment which is always warm and convivial and respects each individual’s culture.
We work with individuals, Alliances Françaises from around the world, ministries, public bodies and also large companies, supporting them in their desire to improve their command of the language in a professional environment.
An innovative teaching approach, using classes and training in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), interactive whiteboards, a multimedia resource centre covering almost 600m² unique to Paris, a phonetics laboratory and multimedia room. This is the modern learning environment we offer to support each student in the successful realisation of their project.
Each year, we train almost 2,300 teachers throughout the world, onsite or through distance learning, at beginner or more experienced levels. Our trainers, who are all practitioners, use their teaching experiences for the benefit of all trainees.
We use our expertise to serve the network of Alliances Françaises around the world. As a privileged teaching operator within the Alliance Française Foundation (Fondation Alliance française), we support Alliances Françaises in their projects to professionalise their teaching and administrative teams. Each year, our trainers carry out more than 40 missions abroad.
Quality French classes
We offer general French lessons, workshops in oral or written French, with a cultural or professional focus, corporate classes and personalised packages at all levels throughout the year.
A professional teaching team
Our team is made up of more than 120 qualified permanent teachers who specialise in teaching French as a foreign language. They keep a close watch on reflections and innovations in the FLE field and benefit from our continuing professional development plan. Many of them are authors of literature on teaching methods by major publishers.
- FLE Quality Label
The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France has been awarded the FLE Quality Label, achieving top marks for each of the criteria studied (welcoming students, quality of teaching and classes offered, premises and school management).
It is delivered annually by the CIEP (International Centre of Pedagogical Studies) :
- Founding member of the ALTE
The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France is a co-founder of the ALTE, an association which includes some of the most prestigious European institutions in the foreign language evaluation sector.
- Excellence at your service
A wide-ranging field of action – a few examples
French as a Professional Language (FLP): Lessons in French for professional purposes for employees in the building and public works (BTP) sector (blue collar workers and worksite managers), the restaurant trade, etc.
- French Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Intensive training in general and business French for Guinean executives.
- Support for managing executives from Alliances Françaises in Brazil.
- Teaching audit project for the Alliances Françaises network in China.