Our fide solutions
Make it easier for your employees to take the fide test with our dedicated training solutions!
Your fide-accredited partner
Our language centre is accredited by fide: this means all our training solutions meet the fide requirements. Your non-EU/EFTA employees will be able to prepare for their test with peace of mind in order to obtain or renew their Swiss residence permit.
Adapting to your needs and goals
We adapt our language training courses to your goals, your budget and the useful level required by your employees to pass their test.
What does fide mean?
fide, which means “French, Italian and Deutsch” (German), is the official program promoting language integration in Switzerland. It focuses on Swiss culture and everyday life. It is a federal undertaking, which helps people who don’t speak French, Italian or German:
Develop the necessary language skills. Ensure sufficient proficiency in one of these languages. Settle in their new country quicker.
Each expat/newcomer must take the fide test, which assesses their languages skills, to obtain their B/C permit or start their naturalisation process. A network of professional experts, instructors, schools, training centres, local authorities and specialised companies help deliver the fide program across Switzerland. Following the fide council’s directives, they train non-EU-EFTA nationals and assess their skills to ensure they can integrate well in the Swiss Confederation.
Our fide solutions
Individual Swiss language courses
We offer in-person or remote private language courses for your non-EU/EFTA employees. They will benefit from individual French, German or Italian classes with our fide accredited instructor. The courses are 100% tailored to their professional and personal goals and their current language level.They will quickly acquire the level required to pass their fide test and obtain their language passport.
Duo Swiss language courses
We offer in-person or remote private language courses for your non-EU/EFTA employees. Two of your employees will benefit from the same bespoke service offered in our private courses, and they will also benefit from a motivating, collaborative dynamic.
Welcome to Switzerland
Have your employees just arrived in Switzerland? Our Welcome to Switzerland solution includes language courses in one of the official Swiss languages (French or German), as well as cultural courses to understand the habits and customs of their new country. This programme, tailored to their initial language level, helps facilitate their integration and prepare for their fide test. It includes a mock fide test and taking their fide test in our certified centre.
Swiss Integration Journey
Support your employees’ integration with our 360 service. They will benefit from:
- Our fide training programme and taking their fide test at our accredited centre.
- Our Swiss cultural programme.
- Personalised support during their installation.
- Support for their partner, to help them settle in Switzerland.
Taking the fide test
Our language centre is fide accredited. This means that your employees can take their fide test at our centre in Nyon. Alternatively, we can organise the fide test on your premises (if certain conditions are met).
Total linguistic immersion with our innovative digital learning platform
Alongside their language and culture classes, your employees can have access to our engaging Digital Learning platform. They will benefit from an immersive learning experience thanks to:
- Our interactive French or German video classes and engaging podcasts, customised to their personal interests, their jobs and missions.
- Hot-of-the-presses news videos. You will be able to learn the most up-to-date vocabulary thanks to the news content added weekly to your platform.
- Personalised vocabulary and grammar content library. You will build your understanding of French or German thanks to our wealth of resources.
Dedicated fide resources to help them prepare for their test whenever and wherever they want.
Good to know: You will have access to reports to assess their progress on the platform.
Our effective fide process
1
Identifying common goals
between the HR manager, the manager and the employee in order to facilitate their integration in Switzerland and get their language passport.
2
Linguistic audit
to define your employee's starting language level in order to adapt our language and culture courses to their specific needs and expectations.
3
Language courses
to your goals, your employee’s level and the fide requirements.
4
Reporting
throughout the programme thanks to our audits and satisfaction surveys which will be sent to you to easily assess ROI.
fide level A1
Elementary use of language A1
Your employees can communicate in a simple way, in their personal living context (e.g. at home, at work or at their children’s school), as long as their fide instructor speaks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help them when necessary.
Your employees can introduce themselves or introduce someone else using simple words.
Your employees can give short and simple answers to easy, personal questions (e.g. where do you live ? Where do you work ? Where do your children go to school ?)
Your employees can express their needs or concerns (e.g. at home or in a shop), by using prepared and practiced sentences.
fide level A2
Elementary use of language A2
Your employees can understand simple questions and sentences relating to important areas of their life. For example, questions on their children’s school, their education/training, their work, their health or their living situation.
Your employees can communicate in routine situations in a government office or any other public institution, which only require a direct exchange of information on familiar topics.
Your employees can describe where they come from, talk about their education, their work or their personal experiences, using simple words.
fide level B1
Independent use of language B1
Your employees can understand important information from a teacher, their employer, their landlord or public authorities, as long as they use clear, standard sentences and they talk about familiar topics.
Your employees can manage in most day-to-day situations at home, at work or in a public space.
Your employees can express themselves easily and clearly on familiar topics, personal interests and experiences.
Your employees can express their opinions, their goals, their hopes and their wishes, as well as explain or justify them briefly.
fide language levels
Linguistic skills, permits and naturalisation
B Permit (Residence Permit)
To join a partner who holds a B Permit (Art. 73a OASA), also known as family reunification.
To renew workers’ B Permits.
Fide language requirements: Oral level A1. Your employees must provide their fide language certificate to prove they meet the requirements.
Early C Permit (Early Settlement Permit)
To apply for an early settlement permit (Early C Permit) after living in Switzerland for 5 continuous years.
Fide language requirements: Oral level B1 and Written Level A1. Your employees must provide their fide language certificate to prove they meet the requirements.
C Permit (Settlement Permit)
To apply for a settlement permit (C Permit) after living in Switzerland for 10 continuous years.
Fide language requirements: Oral level A2 and Written Level A1. Your employees must provide their fide language certificate to prove they meet the requirements.
Naturalisation
To become a Swiss citizen and apply for ordinary naturalisation (after living in Switzerland for 10 continuous years) or simplified naturalisation for spouses of Swiss citizens (after living in Switzerland for 5 continuous years).
Fide language requirements: Oral level B1 and Written Level A1. Your employees must provide their fide language certificate to prove they meet the requirements.
Formations&Co: your fide partner
A bespoke programme:
We adapt our fide solutions to your goals, your budget and your employees’ levels.
Flexibility:
We schedule our courses when convenient for your employees.
Fide-accredited language instructors:
Our language instructors all hold a diploma, are under EduQua certification and are fide-accredited.
Proven client satisfaction:
We are proud of our 98.7% satisfaction rate (average from our customer satisfaction surveys between 2019 and 2021).
Our B2B services
B2B language courses
We offer private or group language courses, in-person or remote. These courses are adapted to your HR goals, your industry and your team’s linguistic levels.
Linguistic coaching
Our bespoke language learning service. We base our curriculum on your colleague’s work documents to build a 100 % personalized to their job, their missions, their linguistic level, and their goals.
Welcome to Switzerland
Are you hiring from non-EU/EFTA countries? Our Welcome to Switzerland service offers dedicated support service, with language and cultural courses to help them settle in well.