Auditors

Auditors work in pairs and are responsible for the following:

  • examining the self-assessment forms submitted by the language centres allocated to them;
  • performing on-site audits - a maximum of 8 per year;
  • writing audit reports and formulating recommendations to submit to the CIEP for examination by the Interministerial Certification Committee.

For more information on the auditors' task see the roadmap. 

Their profiles

Two distinct yet complementary profiles have been identified for the purposes of pairing up auditors with an advanced knowledge and understanding of French as a foreign language centres.

The senior auditor conducts the audit and is the main point of contact between the candidate centre and the operator. They ensure that the preparation and implementation of the audit comply with the terms outlined in the processes and procedures applicable to the scheme. In addition to the number of years' experience they have in the teaching of FFL, their professional background will demonstrate the expertise they have acquired in managing a French as a foreign language centre, which is why the senior auditor is more specifically responsible for assessing fields A (Hosting and support), L (Premises, safety and equipment) and G (Management).

The secondary auditor specialises in teaching FFL and is an expert in the field of course engineering. They analyse the methodological and pedagogical components of a teaching programme and assess the quality of the audited centre's teaching staff, which is why they are more specifically responsible for criteria E (Teachers) and F (Teaching and training courses).

Terms and conditions governing recruitment

Auditors are recruited in accordance with the following specific criteria: 

  • they must hold a higher education qualification (Baccalauréat + at least four years' higher education);
  • they must be able to demonstrate current or recent professional experience of at least 10 years, either in the field of language teaching and/or course engineering or in the field of auditing and assessment;
  • they must prove that they have substantial experience in administrative management;
  • they must have strong analytical and deductive skills;
  • they must have strong interpersonal skills;
  • they must be able to demonstrate recognised writing skills;
  • they must have a strong ability to work both in pairs and in a team.

There are two parts to the CIEP's recruitment of auditors:

The first of these is the pre-selection phase, which is based on a detailed study of the curriculum vitae and the candidate's cover letter. This comprises five areas of analysis:

  1. basic training;
  2. applicant's status;
  3. professional experience and career history;
  4. skills and expertise acquired;
  5. availability and mobility of the candidate.

This is followed by an interview during which a panel is responsible for selecting auditors from among the admissible candidates. A grid is used to assess the candidate auditor in the following four fields:

Knowledge of FFL professions:

  • management and administration;
  • human resources management;
  • FFL methodology and teaching.

Operational expertise:

  • a teaching programme;
  • a class offering;
  • the educational quality of the training courses offered by the establishment.

Interpersonal skills:

  • working in a team;
  • interacting with French as a foreign language centres and the operator.

Personal qualities

  • motivation;
  • ability to adapt (responsiveness, availability and mobility).

Certification training

Following the interview process, successful candidates are required to attend audit training days pertaining specifically to the certification scheme. The aims of this training are as follows:

  • to outline the terms under which the auditor will be required to work with the operator and within a pair of auditors;
  • to ensure that auditors have a sound command of all aspects of the certification scheme;
  • to teach auditors all of the techniques they need to perform on-site audits.

The content of the training relates to the following:

  • the quality approach in the training sphere;
  • the functioning of a French as a foreign language centre;
  • the operator-auditor-candidate centre relationship;
  • the tools pertaining to the certification scheme;
  • preparing for and performing an on-site audit;
  • evaluating indicators and writing an audit report;
  • evaluating training products designed in accordance with the CEFR.
Useful links
Download the auditor presentation