If you are working in France, then you are entitled to Mon Compte Formation - which is an annual budget for training and professional development.
It was introduced back in 2015 under François Hollande's government and an app was created in 2019. The online application process was simplified and the scheme's popularity soared.
Technically, a CPF account can be created by any worker in France who is over 16, but it was initially introduced for private-sector workers and then it was extended to self-employed people.
People who lost their jobs (involuntarily) may also be able to benefit from points they already accrued.
Based on the amount of time you have been working, money is credited to a personal training account (not your bank account, so you can't spend it on wine instead) and it's up to you to decide what course you want to spend it on.
You could do courses to improve your workplace skills or courses on becoming an entrepreneur or running a business, and if you're not French you can also take French language courses.
Unskilled full-time workers get €800 a year while skilled full-time workers get €500 a year, with pro-rota allowances for part-timers. You can carry your allowance over for one year if you have your eye on an expensive course.
Do I have to pay anything?
As of May 2024, employees have to contribute at least some of their own money toward the training costs.
This amounts to a lump sum of €100 per person - so any course you take, you pay the first €100 and then your CPF budget pays the rest. The fee will be re-evaluated on a yearly basis to consider inflation, according to French business daily Les Echos.
Job-seekers, who make up around 30 percent of CPF clients, are exempt from this charge.
If you see a course that is appealing and costs more than your budget allows, you can also pay the difference if you do not want to wait for more money to build up in your account.
How to register
First you need to set up an account on the Mon Compte Formation website here or on the app - Mon CPF. Make sure you're on the official government site, as there have been quite a few scams linked to this scheme.
The account asks for basic personal information, plus your work and education history. You will need your social security number, which if you are working, you can find on your payslip. You can also log in using the Identité numérique La Poste option, but this is not available for everyone.
Once registered, head to the 'Droits' section on the app or website to check how much money is in your training budget.
When you know how much you have to spend, head to the 'Recherche' section to find a course. You can search by subject (français étranger for French classes for foreigners) and set your location to find courses near you.
You can only use this budget for approved providers, so you will have to pick a language class from the list on the website, but in the big cities there is plenty of choice and quite a few language schools are now signed up to the scheme.
A reminder: if you find a course that is slightly more expensive than your allowance you can use your CPF budget and pay the rest yourself.
Once you find a course that looks right for you, and is within your budget, then click on 'submit dossier' - this bit is surprisingly easy, just fill out the online form with your details and click submit.
The next stage is that CPF contacts the language school that you have chosen so you will hear from them, either by phone or email, asking you to confirm the course.
Once you have confirmed this with the school, the status of your dossier on the CPF website moves from 'pending' to 'approved' and your total available training budget reduces by however much you have spent.
After that it's between you and the language school to arrange times, dates etc for classes.
What if I cannot submit because I do not have access to the 'Identité Numérique'?
You might find yourself held up at the 'submission' step you were not able to sign in initially with your 'Identité Numérique' (ie you do not have a smartphone to download the application, you are under 18, or you do not have a French ID card/ passport or a valid titre de séjour that is good for five years or more).
In this case you will need to take a few extra steps (outlined here), starting with filling out this FORM to verify your identity.
Next, print out a copy of your identity document (passport, residency permit, etc) as well as a copy of your carte vitale or social security certificate (attestation de sécurité sociale).
Put the documents together in an envelope and send them by post to 'MCF' at the following address: Service de demande de vérification d’identité, Libre Réponse 78788, 59889 LILLE CEDEX 9
It may take up to four weeks to process, but eventually you should receive a registered letter to the address you listed on the form. This allows CPF to verify your identity, and then within 10 days you should receive an email inviting you to finalise your training request.
Other ways to learn for free
The training budget only increases while you are working, but there are some other ways to learn French for free.
Unemployed
If you're unemployed and registered with the France Travail (French unemployment office) then you could be entitled to French courses if it would improve your prospects of getting a job. Ask your France Travail (ex. pôle emploi) agent what is available to you.
If you previously worked and lost your job then you may be able to use existing funds in your CPF account.
Language exchange
If you can't afford professional classes there are other ways to learn, and one of the best is through language exchange. As a native English speaker you have a valuable skill to offer, and there are lots of exchange programmes where you buddy up with a French person and help them with their English, while they do the same for your French.
Search online for language exchanges near you, or try the app Meetup. Exchange sessions are usually free, but if you're meeting in a café you will be expected to order something to eat or drink.
If there are no exchanges near you, why not set up your own informal exchange with French friends or neighbours who want to improve their English?
Cheaper classes
If none of these work for you, there are options to get classes that are not free, but are still cheaper than language schools.
Once of these is classes through your local mairie. These tend to be during the day, so are often not suitable if you are working, but offer cut-price classes.
Ask at your local mairie if this on on offer and when the next sign-up date is - in big cities places go fast so be poised to sign up as soon as the next enrolment session opens.
The other option is the Université Pour Tous programme, which offers classes in the community in a variety of subjects, including French as a foreign language. Search online for your local Université Pour Tous and see what classes it offers.
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