Interlangues

Who Interlangues is and why FIDE matters

Interlangues is a language school with two locations: Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, both in the Neuchâtel region in the Jura (north-central Switzerland). The school has 20 years of experience in au pair programs ("20+ ans d'expérience au pair"), which means it has spent two decades connecting young people with host families and organizing language training for arrivals. That longevity signals stability: the school is not a one-off or a side project, but an established operation with relationships and expertise.

The school's motto is declarative: "Apprenez les langues qui ouvrent les portes" (Learn the languages that open doors). For most arrivals in Switzerland, multiple languages open doors, but for many, one language specifically unlocks legal status: Test FIDE. FIDE stands for "Fédération Internationale des Ecoles" (International Federation of Schools) but functions as the confederation's official language test. It is required to obtain a B or C residency permit and for Swiss naturalization. If you are arriving on a work or study visa with the intention to stay, or if you will be staying permanently, Test FIDE will likely be on your legal agenda within a few years. The test assesses French, German, Italian, or Romansh at the levels required for each permit type.

Interlangues is an approved exam center by the Swiss Confederation ("Centre d'examen agréé par la Confédération suisse") and offers regular sessions in both Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds. If FIDE will be a requirement for you, a school that administers the test is more useful than a generic language school: you learn the actual exam format from teachers who have seen hundreds of test-takers, prep courses are specifically built around FIDE requirements, and you take the test on a familiar campus with teachers who know you.

What the school offers

Interlangues runs regular language courses in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, plus other languages on request (the "on request" part means if you need Mandarin or Romanian, ask; the core six are always available). The school describes three course formats with increasing time commitment and intensity:

Intensive courses (cours intensifs) run daily and are "designed for complete immersion" (conçues pour une immersion complète), "ideal to reach language objectives quickly" (idéal pour atteindre rapidement vos objectifs linguistiques). Daily sessions mean you live in French (or your target language) for several hours every day, building fluency through repetition and deep immersion. This format suits someone who can take a month or two off work to study intensively, or someone with an urgent need to reach a specific level quickly.

Weekly courses (cours hebdomadaires) offer "regular and progressive learning" (apprentissage régulier et progressif) a few hours per week, "perfectly adapted to your professional or family schedule" (parfaitement adapté à votre agenda professionnel ou familial). This suits a working person or a parent who cannot take time off but can commit to 5-10 hours per week.

Private lessons (cours privés) offer "100% personalized follow-up" (un suivi personnalisé à 100%), with a "custom program" and "progress at your pace" (une progression à votre rythme). The instructor adapts entirely to your needs: if you need English for a specific field (medicine, engineering, law), you focus on terminology and documents in that field.

For businesses, the school offers on-site or remote corporate training (formations linguistiques adaptées aux besoins de vos équipes) with custom programs. A company can have the school send instructors to your office, or you can attend at the school, or classes can be remote. A quote (devis) is customized per client. All courses are taught by qualified instructors (formateurs qualifiés). A free assessment (libre) tells you your current level before enrollment, so you are placed in the right group and know what to expect.

For Test FIDE, the school is particularly useful. It is an accredited examination center by the Swiss Confederation, which means it administers the official test on regular dates (sessions régulières à Neuchâtel et La Chaux-de-Fonds). The test covers all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and it determines whether you can satisfy the language requirement for your residency status or citizenship. Interlangues offers dedicated FIDE prep courses (cours de préparation spécifiques disponibles) so you understand the test format, build the competencies it measures, and can sit the exam with confidence. The site does not publish the test fee, exam schedule, or prep course pricing, so you will need to contact the school.

Interlangues also runs a distinctive au pair program (programme jeunes au pair): the school matches young people with verified host families in the Neuchâtel region (mise en relation avec des familles d'accueil vérifiées en Suisse romande), offers French and German courses tailored to au pair circumstances (cours spécifiques français et allemand adaptés aux jeunes au pair), and provides personal follow-up throughout the stay (accompagnement personnalisé, suivi tout au long du séjour en Suisse). The au pair arrangement is different from typical language immersion: you arrive mid-year, live in a family home doing childcare and household duties alongside learning, and you have a job (childcare) and a language commitment happening simultaneously. This is not easier than full-time study, but it is affordable (some families pay housing and pocket money) and builds language through daily family life. The school has 20 years of experience in this pairing, and has an international network of partner families spanning the region.

Academic tutoring and support

Interlangues offers academic tutoring (cours de soutien scolaire) for students of all levels in mathematics (algebra, geometry, analysis, statistics), sciences (physics, chemistry, biology), languages (French, German, English), and IT (office software, programming, introduction). The school accepts requests for other subjects. A student struggling with German while adjusting to a Swiss school can find help with both the language and the subject matter. Tutoring can address academic gaps for newly arrived teenagers or adults returning to study.

What remains unspecified

The site does not publish pricing for any course type, level, or duration. It does not specify group sizes for regular classes, though it emphasizes personalization and qualified instructors. It does not describe the method or curriculum, textbooks, digital tools, or whether online courses use live video or other formats. It does not detail instructor qualifications or experience beyond "qualified." The Test FIDE fee, exam dates, and specific prep course schedules are not published, which means you must contact the school to prepare for the test and understand the cost. For au pair placements, the school does not describe the vetting process for host families, the ages of children you might care for, the expected hours, or the terms of the arrangement beyond matching with "verified host families."

Who it suits

Interlangues suits an arrival in the Neuchâtel region (which includes the Jura) who needs French, German, or another language for work, daily life, or studies. It suits someone who will need Test FIDE as a requirement for residency or naturalization, because the school both teaches and administers the official exam. It suits a professional or student with an irregular schedule who can attend weekly courses, or someone with the time and commitment for intensive daily study. It suits an au pair candidate who wants to arrive with some language preparation and continue learning through the school during the placement. It suits a teenager or young adult struggling in school and needing subject tutoring alongside language support. It suits a business needing customized language training for teams. It does not suit someone who needs immediate public pricing or test schedules: you must contact the school. It does not suit someone seeking a language outside French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese (other languages on request are undefined). The school's two-center presence, 20-year track record in au pair placement, and official FIDE center status make it a practical option for arrivals managing regulatory language requirements. Contact Neuchâtel at +41 32 724 07 77 or La Chaux-de-Fonds at +41 32 968 72 68 to learn current offerings, pricing, and exam schedules.