Who pays for language training in France?
In France, vocational training – including language courses – is funded by compulsory contributions paid by companies, calculated on the basis of the company’s total wage bill. These pooled funds are then allocated to finance training programs chosen by the employer, the CPF (Personal Training Account) or work-based learning schemes. Below we explain who pays for English, French as a foreign language and our other language courses, depending on your situation.
Financing training according to your situation
You are an employee
Your French training could potentially be funded by your employer through the skills development plan. But in all cases, you can use your personal training account (CPF).
You are an employer
Finance your employees' training - French, English...- through the skills development plan offered by your OPCO. The budget available and the funding criteria vary from one business sector to another. In any case, it's a good idea to take advantage of it every year, as this budget cannot be accumulated from one year to the next. You can also suggest your employees to use their personal training accounts (CPF) and support a part of it.
You are a self-employed entrepreneur
Like any business, you also contribute to vocational training and the skills development plan, and this entitles you to an annual budget! You also have a CPF account.
You are self-employed, a liberal profession or a company director
You make a compulsory annual contribution to vocational training, which entitles you to a certain budget (depending on the organisation you belong to). You should remember to use this budget each year, as it cannot be accumulated from one year to the next. You also have a CPF account, just like any other working person in France.
You are a jobseeker
Your France Travail adviser will be your first point of contact. However, you should be aware that there are other forms of assistance available, such as the AIF (Aide Individuelle à la Formation - Individual Training Assistance), which can amount to up to €6,000 depending on the case, and can be paid in addition to your CPF account.
You don't fit into any of these categories
Unfortunately, the only solution is personal financing. Linguapolis is not a personal services company, and is therefore not eligible for the tax credit for home services.
Funding your team's language training: the skills development plan
Finance your employees’ training – French, English… – through the skills development plan offered by your OPCO! The available budget and the funding criteria vary from one business sector to another. In any case, it’s a clever idea to take advantage of it every year, as this budget cannot be accumulated from one year to the next. Another option is to encourage your employees to use their CPF accounts, to which you can also contribute.
This plan is the responsibility of the employer. The employer decides what training is needed to help employees adapt to their jobs and develop professionally, or to ensure that the company remains competitive. Such training is either decided directly by the employer (and his managers, who pass on their needs and those of their teams), or requested by the employee, for example during the annual appraisal interview with their manager.
The reform of vocational training that came into force on 1 January 2019 reaffirms the role of companies in training their employees to meet the company’s development or adaptation needs, but also to maintain employees’ employability. It is therefore up to the company to identify, budget for and cover the costs inherent in the ongoing training of its employees if they cannot be fully covered by the budget managed by the OPCO.
If the training falls within the eligibility criteria of the OPCOs (Opérateurs de Compétences, the funding bodies to which companies and non-employees contribute), the company with fewer than 50 employees can apply for all or part of the costs to be covered, according to the criteria defined by the branch for the year.
The budget made available by the OPCOs is based on the calendar year and on the principle of mutualisation. If the company does not use it in a given year, the budget is lost and cannot be carried over to a subsequent year. A good reason to use it every year to train your employees!
Of course, Linguapolis can advise and guide you at every stage of your project. Talk to us !
The Personal Training Account (CPF)
The Personal Training Account (CPF) was created for all working people from the age of 16 (15 in the case of apprenticeship) and concerns all working people: employees and jobseekers, the self-employed, the liberal professions, company directors, etc.
These accounts are credited annually in the spring of the following year with €500 and are capped at €5,000 (€800 and €8,000 for the least qualified and people with RQTH).
Today, the focus is on the employee rather than the employer. The initiative for mobilising the CPF therefore comes from the employee (salaried worker, self-employed person, etc.), who must make the request, not to his or her employer, but via a dedicated website. If the training takes place outside working hours, the employee no longer even has to inform his employer. However, it must meet a certain number of criteria to be covered by the scheme. It must lead to a qualification or diploma, must be on the list of training courses eligible for the CPF and must be provided by a Qualiopi-certified training organisation accredited by the certifiers. LINGUAPOLIS is of course Qualiopi-certified and offers five eligible languages, including English and French as a foreign language.
Since April 2026, a compulsory personal contribution of €150 applies to every course funded through the CPF, even when your credits cover the full cost. Jobseekers are exempt, as are employees whose employer tops up their CPF account to cover the balance. You will find our eligible courses on our CPF language courses page. For language courses, since February 2026, it has not been possible to
allocate more than €1,500 per project from this available budget.
Employees may also approach their employer if they wish to undertake training during working hours, or even to secure co-funding from their employer via their CPF account. If the training is of mutual benefit to both parties, the employer will indirectly benefit from the employee’s CPF budget.
To apply for training via the CPF, you need to log on to the website www.moncompteformation.gouv.fr using your secure “France Connect +” account.
If the available budget is not sufficient to fund the chosen project, employees can choose to pay the difference themselves. But employers can also make a contribution, in the form of a direct top-up to the employee’s CPF account, provided of course that it is in their interest and that the employee has informed them and asked them to do so. If you are an employee, don’t hesitate to talk to your employer, manager, etc. about it.
In certain cases, France Travail can also contribute to this account, as can the Opérateurs de Compétences (depending on branch priorities) or Agefiph for people with disabilities.
Of course, LINGUAPOLIS provides step-by-step advice and support for employees and employers in all CPF-related matters. We look forward to hearing from you! Talk to us !
Can a foreign employee working in France use it?
Yes, absolutely. Anyone can benefit from this scheme, provided they have an employment contract under French law. Whether it is a permanent, fixed-term, seasonal or temporary contract… all types of employment contract entitle the employee to these rights, which will be credited in the spring of the following year. This includes employees who have come to work in France and who want to learn French as a foreign language, or improve their English.
The training fund for the self-employed
This is the equivalent of a company’s “skills development plan”. Just as an employer trains his employees, the self-employed benefit from a budget aimed at developing their skills, not from an “active” point of view for which they can use their CPF, but more for needs intrinsically linked to their sector of activity (regulatory, compulsory, technical training, etc.).
The main ones are FIF-PL and Agefice, but there are others, such as FAFCEA, FAP-PM, etc. To find out which OPCO you belong to, simply download your CFP (Contribution à la Formation Professionnelle) certificate from your URSSAF space.
The available budget is based on the calendar year on the principle of mutualisation and varies greatly depending on the sector of activity. If it is not used in a given year, the budget is lost and cannot be carried forward to a subsequent year. A good reason to use it every year for training!
Of course, Linguapolis can advise and guide you at every stage of your project. We look forward to hearing from you!
How much does a language course cost?
Except in the case of in-house training courses, our language training courses are delivered as one-to-one sessions, either face-to-face or via videoconference. We offer modules lasting a minimum of 20 hours, starting at around €1,500. The exact budget depends on the language, the number of hours and the funding scheme you use.
The steps, and how long they take
- Once we have received your enquiry, we send you a grammar placement test and a needs assessment form to complete.
- We discuss your situation with you to determine the number of hours required and to optimise the funding for the course.
- If you wish, we can assist you in putting together your funding application.
- We select the trainer who will deliver the course, based on their availability, your profile and your objectives.
- The course can begin!
The time between these stages can be very short. If you are as quick to respond as we are, the whole process can be completed in just a few days.
A completely transparent service
The prerequisites, objectives, duration, access arrangements, fees, assessment… We answer all your questions to ensure that your language training project is a success! You will find the full details of our courses — content, duration, assessment and pricing — on our Tailor-made training courses page.
