SKEMA gathers students and professors from all around the world. In such an international environment the corridors buzz with a variety of languages. There is one language that connects all though, that’s English. But what about French? Students can learn French if they wish, these classes are laid on for free by the school.
   
A lot of foreign students who come to study in France want to learn French. For the French language classes, students apply during the orientation day at the beginning of the first semester; on the same day students will be required to take a test to determine their language level, and thus in which class level they will be placed. Classes are usually once per week for 90 minutes. Some students even enroll in one class while also attending another class; in this way a student can do three hours of French lessons a week.

Doris Kukuljan, an MSc International Business student from Croatia explained: “To integrate well in France I believe that it is essential to know the French language. I’m enjoying my French lessons and listening to French all around. Nevertheless, luckily with English, one can get around in the streets because of the importance of tourism and the presence of a lot of international companies around a lot of people do speak English on the French Riviera.”

After finishing their Master studies, students have different ambitions regarding where to search for an internship or job. Some want to stay in Europe and some look for internships further afield.

The foreign language department can help the student in their ambitions to integrate better in a different culture and to do better at job interviews as well.

Some students enroll in other language classes, although these are usually taught using French.

“I want to apply for an internship in Dubai; this is why I took Arabic classes in my second semester. I believe that learning the basics will help me a lot to get an insight into the Arabic culture and I really appreciate this opportunity at SKEMA“, Tiffany Dias, an MSc Human Resources student from Thailand explained.