Many language schools offer you the opportunity to prepare for upcoming language diploma examinations in a diploma course. These diplomas are internationally recognized and are required by many employers as a prerequisite for certain jobs, for example in tourism or the hotel industry. At a French school, you can prepare for the following diplomas and exams, for example:

• DELF (Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française) A1, A2, B1, B2
• DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) C1, C2
• telc A1, A2, B1
• BULATS (Business Language Testing Service) A1-C2
• Diplomas of the Alliance Française:CEFP 1Certificat d'Etudes de Français Pratique 1 A2,CEFP 2Certificat d'Etudes de Français Pratique 2B1, DLDiplôme de Langue B2,DSLCFDiplôme Supérieur Langue et Culture FrançaisesC1
• Diplomas from the CCIP (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris): DFA 1/DFA 2: Diplôme de Français des Affaires (premier et deuxième degré), DAFA: Diplôme Approfondi de Français des Affaires, CFP: Certificat de Français Professionnel, CFTH: Certificat de Français du Tourisme et de l'Hôtellerie, CFJ: Certificat de Français Juridique, CFS: Certificat de Français du Secrétariat, CFST: Certificat de Français Scientifique et Technique

You can also end your language study trip in France with a recognized exam. In a diploma course at any French school, you will be specifically prepared for these official and internationally recognized language exams, usually with a weekly workload of 30 lessons or more. These examinations are DELF, Diplôme d'études en langue française, and DALF, Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française, examinations of the French Ministry of Education and can be taken not only in France, but in 154 countries worldwide. However, the dates are fixed, so you cannot take your diploma at any time.

Although the Alliance Française diplôme de langue (DL) and the Alliance français diplôme supérieur d'etudes français modernes (DSLCF) are highly recognized French language diplomas, they are only offered by a few language schools in France. In most cases, you will find exam preparation courses for the Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) and Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF) diplomas, which can be booked for as little as two weeks or four weeks respectively. An additional week is usually allowed for the exam, which takes place on fixed examination dates. At a language school in France, you can either attend a preparation course for a DELF exam that covers a single level, i.e. either A1, A2, B1 or B2, or opt for a combination of A1/A2 or B1/BB2. The latter courses obviously last longer and allow you to rapidly improve your French language skills. Nevertheless, the DELF exams are independent of each other, but can be taken together if they take place on the same date. For the DALF exams, language courses are usually offered exclusively for each language level, DALF C1 and DALF C2, which require very intensive preparation. Those who have DALF C1 or C2 have the opportunity to be admitted directly to universities in France without having to take another language exam.

There are various French diploma exams that you can prepare for at most French schools. These individual exams, such as DELF, DALF or even telc and BULATS, are designed for different levels, so that the DELF exams, for example, range from level A1 to B2. As a result, there are already four separate exams. The language exams have fixed dates so that you have identical exams in Bern on the same day as in Zurich or Lucerne, for example. This ensures that no one has an advantage over the other candidates and knows the French exam questions in advance. The individual exams are also divided by target group, for example into:

• DELF Prim for primary school pupils
• DELF Junior for secondary school students
• DELF Pro for professionals
• DELF Tout Public for people aged 16 and over (general French or everyday French)

When registering for a diploma course, you should therefore pay attention to which target group is specified in the description of the French schools and select the appropriate French course accordingly.

Most language schools where you can take a French diploma course offer different language diploma exams that you can prepare for. The most well-known French language diplomas that you can take through a French course are:

• DELF Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française A1/A2
• DELF Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française B1/B2
• DALF Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française C1/C2
• Alliance Française DL- Alliance Française diplôme de langue
• Alliance Française DS - Alliance Française diplôme supérieur d'etudes français modernes
• Alliance Française DHEF - Diplôme de hautes études françaises

However, most language schools primarily offer the DELF and DALF diplomas as French courses, which have become increasingly important in recent years and are awarded by the French Ministry of Education. Like the Alliance Française diplomas, they are internationally recognized and are best prepared for in a special French diploma course.

You can take the DELF exam at 900 different locations around the world and retake it as often as you like if you don't pass. Nevertheless, there are always costs and a certain amount of time involved, so it is advisable to prepare intensively for this language test at an early stage. Language schools offer specially developed diploma courses that provide you with comprehensive training in precisely those areas that are important for passing the exams. These diploma courses have a fixed time frame and are offered by language schools in Switzerland as well as by schools in France or another French-speaking country. In this way, you can also study for the DELF exam as part of a language trip to Guadeloupe, Canada, Monaco or Tahiti.