The Long international training course (Cil)

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The Long international training course (‘’Cil’’ in French for ‘’Cycle international long’’) is aimed at:

• new civil servants from foreign public administrations in responsible positions and with clear potential for development and influence

• or those in the early stages of their professional career who intend to pursue a career in the public service of their country

For admission to the Long international training course (Cil), the following are required :

• you are not a French citizen or about to acquire French nationality

• you have an excellent command of the French language both orally and in writing

• you have monthly resources amounting to at least €1,500 per month, grants included where applicable

• you have a master's degree or equivalent course

• you are a civil servant, public official or, in exceptional cases, you have not yet entered professional life and you are planning to pursue a career in a responsible position in the public service in your country

• you exercise higher-level responsibilities as a civil servant or public official

• you have passed the admission tests organised by the INS

• you have a good command of English

This multidisciplinary training course, which combines internships and courses, focuses on the following topics:

• public policy design, management and evaluation

• public transformation and innovation

• environmental transition

• human resources management, leadership and negotiation

• public economics and finance

• territorial issues

• European and international issues

Applications are now open!

Complete your application on the online platform between 7 October and December 1st 2024.

Apply online

 
Do you have any further  questions?

The INSP teams are here to help! You can contact them by e-mail at the following address, and they will get back to you as soon as possible:

cyclesinternationaux2025@insp.gouv.fr
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The selection procedure, steered by the INSP, is carried out via French embassies around the world. It takes place in several stages:

 
Online application

The first essential step in the procedure is to submit an application on our online platform. Applicants fill in a form and submit supporting documents.

 
Pre-selection on the basis of applications

At the end of the online application period, the INSP analyses the applications and makes a pre-selection of those eligible for the written tests.

 
Eligibility test (written)

The written test consists of 3 tests, organised over the same half-day.

• Test of written expression
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  Objective: to ensure that the candidate has a sufficient level to be able to follow the courses and take full advantage of the INSP's teaching and practical training.

• Reflection and knowledge test
  _{^{Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes}}
  Objective: to assess the candidate's basic knowledge and ability to think, reason and argue through an essay based on a choice of two questions.

• Specialisation test
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  Objective: to assess knowledge in the candidate's particular field of expertise by means of a multiple-choice test and short answer questions. Candidates choose one of two specialisations: ‘International Relations’ or ‘Comparative Administration and Public Management’.

At the end of the written test, a list of eligible candidates is drawn up.

NB: the written tests are organised by the French embassies on their premises. Candidates who are present in France during this period will sit the tests at the INSP's premises (Paris or Strasbourg), by invitation.

 
Admission test (oral)

The embassies invite the eligible candidates to attend and interview them to find out about their motivation and their ability to adapt to high-level training in France.

The jury is made up of at least 2 people chosen from within the embassy (chancellery or advisers for cooperation and cultural action - Cocac). Former students of the ENA/INSP international courses may be included on the jury if appropriate.

NB: the oral test is organised by the French embassies on their premises. Candidates present in France during this period may take the interview by videoconference.

 
Admission

A final selection committee decides on the list of candidates admitted, with a supplementary list in the event of withdrawal. The admission results are communicated to each embassy, which informs the candidates.

Successful candidates confirm their participation in the programme by submitting a set of supporting documents.

The fees are free.

Living costs are approximately €1500 per month. It’s the student’s responsibility to meet these costs.

A scholarship from the French government can be requested from the French Embassy. It can also be sought from a national or international, public, or private institution, or from the candidate’s sponsoring government.

Master’s registration fees: it costs €500 to register for any of the three master's courses. These students will also have to pay additional tuition fees to the relevant university (around €260).

Students awarded scholarships from the French government can have their contribution to the INSP tuition fees refunded for these 2 master's programmes, and are exempted from the university tuition fees for these programmes.

The training leads to an international diploma in public administration called "Long international course".

Students also have the opportunity to obtain one of the following 2 master’s: 

Master "Administration publique générale" | Université de Strasbourg - Sciences Po Strasbourg

Master "Affaires publiques européennes | Action publique en Europe" | Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne