Alliance Française

Not to be confused with Foreign alliances of France.
Alliance Française
Founded 1883
Founder Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Jules Verne, Ernest Renan, Armand Colin
Type Cultural institution
Location
Area served
 Worldwide
Product French cultural and language education
Website www.alliancefr.org

The Alliance Française (French pronunciation: ​[aljɑ̃s fʁɑ̃sɛz], French Alliance), or AF, is an international organization that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. Created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris.[1] In 2014, the Alliance has 850 centers in 137 countries, on all five continents.[2]

History

First publication of the Alliance française in 1884.
Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France
Alliance Française de Manille, the oldest branch in the Far East, existing as early as the 1920s.

The Alliance was created in Paris on 21 July 1883 by a group of eminent men, including the scientist Louis Pasteur, the diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, the writers Jules Verne and Ernest Renan, and the publisher Armand Colin.

It finances most of its activities from the fees it receives from its courses and from rental of its installations. The French government also provides a subsidy covering approximately five percent of its budget (nearly 665,000 € in 2003)

More than 440,000 students learn French at one of the centres run by the Alliance, whose network of schools includes:

The organizations outside Paris are local, independently run franchises. Each has a committee and a president. The Alliance Française brand is owned by the Paris centre. In many countries, the Alliance Française of Paris is represented by a Délégué général. The French Government also runs 150 separate French Cultural Institutes that exist to promote French language and culture.[3]

Recognition

In 2005, along with the Società Dante Alighieri, the British Council, the Goethe-Institut, the Instituto Cervantes, and the Instituto Camões, the Alliance française was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for outstanding achievements in communications and the humanities.

By country

France

Paris

The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France is a Higher Private Education Institute. It is an association from the law 1901. Located in the heart of the capital, the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France is a genuine international meeting point where more than 11,000 students from 160 different countries come every year to learn French. It is also the oldest one since the school offers courses in Paris since 1894.

The 110 faculty teachers at the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France are all certified in teaching French as a foreign language.

Until 2007, the year of creation of the Alliance Française Foundation, the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France was called "the Paris Alliance Française".

It was divided into three branches: the International Relations (DRI), the School of Paris, and the Department of Human and Financial Resources (DRHF). In 2007, the DRI has become the Alliance Française Foundation, while the School and the DRHF became the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France.

Three conventions are now governing the relations between the Foundation and the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France:

The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France works with Alliances Françaises from around the world, ministries, public bodies, and also large companies, supporting them in their desire to improve their command of the language in a professional environment.

It is also a training center for French language teachers. Each year, nearly 2,300 teachers across the world are trained on site or remotely, initial or continuing training.

It delivers specific diplomas for French teachers such as the ‘DAEFLE’ (Diplôme d'Aptitude à l'Enseignement du Français Langue Étrangère), created with the ‘CNED’ (National Center for Distance Education) or the ‘DPAFP – FLE’ (Diplôme Professionnel de l’Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France en Français Langue Étrangère), which you obtain in five months after an initial training on site.

It also offers summer teaching courses for French teachers wishing to deepen and improve their knowledge. The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France has been awarded the FLE Quality Label, achieving top marks for each of the criteria studied by the auditors: welcome, quality of teaching, premises, school management.

It is also co-founder of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe), an association that includes some of the most prestigious European institutions in the field of evaluation in foreign language.

Since 2010, it is the provider of the ‘OFII’ (French Office for Immigration and Integration) for language training of the signatories of the Contract Integration living in Paris.

Africa

Alliance Française in Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde.

Americas

New building of the Alliance Française in La Paz, Bolivia
Alliance Française in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Asia and Oceania

The Médiathèque of the Alliance Française de Manille
Alliance française de Wuhan in China
An Alliance Française office in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Alliance Française de Taiwan

Europe

Alliance Française de Moldavie
Other locations in Ireland include Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford, which also has a branch in Wexford.[37][38][39][40]
Other locations in the British Isles include Bristol-Bath, Cambridge, Exeter, Glasgow, Jersey, Manchester, Milton-Keynes, Newscastle-upon-tyne, Oxford and York.[48]

Further reading

References