The “LICET” associated schools share the characteristic of running Italian language and culture courses for foreigners as their main activity. Each school of Italian has developed its own strategy focusing on one or more aspects of teaching Italian, namely those that best respond to the interests and needs of the its participants. The courses are thus aimed at responding to the requests of foreign students who wish to combine learning Italian with the different features of their stay in Italy. In particular:
immersion in the language and culture of Italy
this is perhaps the main reason for most of the foreign students of all ages enrolled in courses at Italian schools. According to all surveys conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the most common answer to the question "why do you study Italian?" is "for the pleasure of doing so, because I like it". This is an extremely motivated audience, from a highly or very highly educated background, which is very demanding in terms of the quality expected. These students in fact consider language learning as a real "cultural investment" from which they expect a concrete return, which can be measured immediately by evaluating their own ability to interact with native Italian speakers. For this type of learner, the approach to language learning is closely linked to the culture of the country in which the language is spoken.
a study-related stay in Italy
a group comprised of Italian language students, most of whom, though not all, are young people who need to learn or improve their Italian in order to attend other kinds of courses in Italy: such as university courses; courses at design, music and art institutes; or vocational training in areas where the Made in Italy brand is perceived as a quality brand (fashion, footwear industry, gastronomy, etc.).
a business-related stay in Italy
this includes foreigners residing long-term in our country, for whom learning Italian is a very practical need as it allows integration from a business point of view for both those who are working and their families. The acquisition of the language might be necessary to obtain a residence or work permit, but it also guarantees social integration even in those working environments where English is the lingua franca (large multinational companies, foreign companies based in Italy, embassies and consulates, international institutions, car manufacturers, tech companies etc.).
Italian might not be strictly necessary from a business-specific point of view, but it is nevertheless essential in order to interact with the surrounding environment and to be able to evaluate the appropriate manners to be used outside the professional context, namely those instances of etiquette usually typically comprised of tacit assumptions and undisputed cultural practices.
The category of students motivated by business-related purposes also includes foreigners who work abroad in companies that have close connections to Italy (trade, import-export, banks, etc.). Even if these individuals don’t need to live in Italy, they do however need the language to interact with Italians.
GUARANTEED BY LICET
The the Italian schools participating in LICET have complete autonomy from an organizational and didactic point of view. Each school chooses the teaching strategies it deems most effective for its target audience. Schools can enter into contracts and agreements, require public or private recognition in Italy and abroad, and do whatever they consider most appropriate for the expansion and promotion of their organization.
LICET guarantees that:
- the school’s main activity is teaching Italian, whether it takes place year-round or seasonally.
- the services offered (courses, schedules, assistance, extra-curricular activities or other) correspond exactly to what is described in the published brochures or on the school website.
- all fees are always clearly displayed and that there are no hidden costs or supplements insufficiently highlighted in the brochure or on the website.
- the school premises used for the courses of Italian L2 comply with the safety standards required by law.
- from the point of view of teaching quality, LICET promotes refresher training seminars for all directors of studies of its member schools. The school directors remain solely responsible for the didactics of each individual school and may not be subjected to methodological impositions of any kind, since each school director is aware of the teaching strategies that best suit the participants of the courses conducted in their Italian language schools for foreigners.
- LICET protects the students of the associated Italian language schools by assessing any complaints relating to inefficiency or fault of the school and reserves the right to expel any school from the Association that has performed any action against the students that damages the good name of the Association (dishonest treatment of the students, acts of discrimination of any kind, obvious teaching incompetence, non-compliance with pre-established agreements, etc.).
