Learning and practicing the czech language

You can find information about Czech courses and the Czech Language Certificate Exam (CCE) on this page:

  • Language courses and tutoring provided on a non-profit basis — usually at reduced or zero cost — see below.
  • Vocational retraining Czech courses covered by the Employment Office — see below.
  • Practicing and self-learning — applications, e-learning, platforms and materials — see below.
  • Language schools — paid courses. For ethical reasons, we do not provide information about language courses offered by language schools here. Search for “čeština pro cizince” (Czech for foreigners) online.
  • Tutoring — paid tutoring by individual language teachers. For ethical reasons, we do not provide websites where you can find tutors. Search for “doučování čeština pro cizince” (tutoring Czech for foreigners) online.

Courses provided on a non-profit basis

You can find below a list of non-profit organizations located in and outside of Prague that organize Czech language courses on a regular basis. For the latest information about support options near you, reach out to the nearest Integration Center.

Non-profit organizations in Prague offering Czech courses for foreigners

Non-profit organizations located outside of Prague offering Czech courses for foreigners

For the latest information about support options near you, reach out to the nearest Integration Center.

Courses listed by purpose

High school preparatory courses

You can find below a list of organizations offering high school preparatory courses for students who have completed primary education (9th grade). Recruitment for the courses usually takes place during summer.

For high school students

These courses are intended for young adults who are already attending high school. You can find below a list of organizations and language schools which offer this kind of courses on a regular basis. Foreign high school students are eligible under certain conditions for language support from their school — for more information about this topic, read the article titled “Jazyková podpora ve škole” (Language support at school)

  • Prague — SJS

University preparatory courses

University preparatory courses aim for the language level necessary for being admitted to a Czech university and being able to study a university program in the Czech language. The levels can vary from B2 to C1, depending on the given major. These courses are usually organized on a commercial basis, but there are scholarships and noncommercial preparatory programs which we will include in the list. Support programs for students and foreign applicants differ from university to university. We recommend you to alwaysget in touch with the Department of International Relations or the Admissions Office of the university where you would like to study to get the latest information about student and foreign applicant support. You can find a list of universities on the Study In portal.

  • List of university preparatory courses — Study In.

For medical staff

For pedagogical staff

Vocational retraining — Czech courses covered by the Employment Office

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports can award certification to 3 types of vocational retraining Czech courses:

“Czech language for foreigners — elementary course” (A1 level), “Czech language for foreigners — follow-up course” (A2 level), and “Czech language for foreigners — advanced course” (B1 level).

Language schools who have the appropriate certification can offer these courses whose cost can be covered by the Employment Office.

In order to receive a vocational retraining reimbursement, you need to submit an application for retraining at the contact point of the Employment Office in your place of residence.

Practicing and self-learning — applications, e-learning, platforms and materials

 E-learning courses

 Applications

Videos, movies, and fairy tales in Czech

Dictionaries, language tools, and language books

Language levels and the Czech Language Certificate Exam (CCE)

Language levels

Language levels are usually divided by the Common European Framework into 6 levels — A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 — where every level is demonstrated by a particular skillset and the C2 level corresponds to the skillset of a native speaker. This framework is widely used in order to determine students’ language proficiency, language course contents, and the level and contents of language books and exams.

Czech Language Certificate Exam (CCE)

We would like to inform you that just any certificate of language course completion (even if you had to pass an exam to complete the given course) might not be sufficient to prove your language level. An official certificate of an achieved language level is only issued after having passed the Czech Language Certificate Exam (CCE).

An official certificate of a certain language level is required by the law for example:

The Institute of Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University (ILPS CU) bears guarantor liability for the CCE. ILPS CU is also the main organizer, has multiple test centers all over the Czech Republic and offers exam dates at a regular basis.

The right to organize the CCE is granted by a certification issued by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The exam can therefore be organized by any language school that has the right to hold a state language exam. The fact though that a language school has the right to hold a state language exam does not mean that you will receive the CCE official certificate after completing every course offered by this school. Depending on the school, the following cases might be true:

  • The CCE is not a part of the courses offered by the school.
  • “A certificate obtained at the end of a course” only certifies the completion of the particular language course at a particular language school — which is different from the CCE certificate and it is not guaranteed that it will be accepted as an official certificate of your actual language level.
  • The CCE is organized by one of the test centers of the ILPS CU and offered at a higher price. The language school only arranges your registration for the exam at an additional cost.

Therefore, if you need an official certificate that proves your language level, we recommend you to always make sure you obtain the CCE certificate at the end of the course of your choice. If a language school offers CCE, you can compare its price, date, and test center with those offered by the ILPS CU.