Language courses for companies

The standard in-company English course is about three hours per week, divided into two one-and-a-half hour classes per week. This number of hours can then be adapted according to the case. For more advanced levels, or when you just want to maintain your level, doing just one class a week may work. On the other hand, if the levels are lower, or if you need to make progress more quickly, a semi-intensive or intensive course, of four, six or more hours per week, will help you reach your objectives more quickly.

In-company language classes can be individual or group, depending on the case. Normally, senior executives and managers tend to take individual classes, which are tailored exclusively to their professional needs and which allow them maximum flexibility due to their changing responsibilities and schedules. Also, for those people who due to travel and schedules cannot adapt to a group, or who have to learn at a faster pace than usual due to their work needs, individual classes are the best option.
When you are looking for a group of people to progress in the language at a regular pace, in-company language courses in small groups are a good option; of course, as long as the levels are homogeneous and the professional needs in the language are similar.

Under good conditions, doing an in-company language course for three hours a week and devoting time outside the classroom to study and practice, it usually takes about one and a half to two years for students to progress to the next level. However, the most important thing is that the company and the study centre assess progress in the language in relation to the individual's professional needs.

The duration of in-company language courses depends on several factors: the number of hours of tuition per week, the previous level of the learners, the objectives to be achieved, the number of hours learners can devote to language study and the opportunity to use the language learnt in everyday and working life.

As of the pandemic, in-company language courses taught via Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms can be subsidised if they meet the requirements established by FUNDAE, in the same way as a face-to-face course. Online language courses can also be subsidised. In both cases, it is necessary to comply with requirements such as registering the attendance of participants and having a certain number of attendances, just as in a face-to-face language course.

In-company courses in any language are possible; companies request courses in the languages they need for their activity. Most companies, whatever their origin and sector, normally need English courses for international communication. Many companies in Spain also require courses in languages such as French, Portuguese, Italian and German. To a lesser extent, language courses in Russian, Romanian, Arabic and Chinese are sometimes useful.

In-company language courses are tailor-made, depending on the needs of each company and the language objectives of the participants, as well as their level. For a course to work well and progress quickly, the group should ideally be small in order to give students plenty of opportunities to practise their oral expression. Constant follow-up is also key.

Los cursos de inglés para empresas pueden ser individuales o grupales (lo aconsejable es que los grupos sean pequeños). Primero, se realiza un test de nivel escrito y oral a cada alumno, y luego se hace un análisis de necesidades. Con esta información, se forman los grupos y se asigna el profesor más idóneo para cada caso (según el curso sea de inglés general, business o especializado). Al comenzar las clases, se elabora un programa de estudios, y se hace un seguimiento y control de calidad a lo largo del curso.