Call for Registrations: Improve Your English – Professional English Course for IN.TUNE Staff

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As part of the IN.TUNE Alliance’s commitment to strengthening language skills to support international collaboration, we are pleased to launch a new professional development opportunity for staff across the alliance: Improve Your English.

This online course is designed to help teaching and non-academic staff develop greater clarity, fluency, and confidence when communicating in English in professional contexts. Whether participating in international meetings, collaborating with colleagues abroad, or engaging in academic and artistic projects, strong communication skills are essential in today’s global higher education environment.

The course is free of charge for participants from IN.TUNE partner institutions, and requires commitment throughout the whole period of its implementation. As places are limited, registrations will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Register through the online form at the end of the article by 6 April 2026.

Supporting communication in international contexts

Improve Your English focuses on practical communication skills that are directly relevant to professional work in international academic and arts environments. The course aims to support staff who regularly use English in meetings, collaborations, teaching contexts, or institutional communication.

Participants will have the opportunity to refine their language use through structured sessions that combine focused language work with discussion and interaction.

The course will:

  • Support staff working in international academic and arts contexts 
  • Enhance communicative precision and confidence 
  • Strengthen spoken fluency and pronunciation
  • Provide structured, high-quality language refinement in a small-group setting

Following completion, the course will be evaluated to help inform potential future language-learning opportunities within the IN.TUNE Alliance.

What the sessions will focus on

The course places particular emphasis on spoken communication, helping participants develop greater clarity, naturalness, and expressiveness in English.

Sessions will address areas such as:

  • Pronunciation and vowel clarity 
  • Word and sentence stress 
  • Intonation and natural rhythm 
  • Vocabulary development 
  • Functional grammar used in real communication 
  • Tone and communicative nuance

The teaching approach is discussion-based and responsive to participants’ needs, allowing the instructor to address common challenges and communication goals within the group.

There is no final assessment. Instead, participants will be invited to complete an evaluation form at the end of the course to help assess the experience and support the development of future initiatives.

Course format

To ensure meaningful interaction and personalised feedback, the course will be delivered in small groups and held online.

The format includes:

  • 10 weekly online sessions, each lasting 75 minutes 
  • Groups of 10–12 participants 
  • Fixed group allocation to ensure continuity and group cohesion

Participants will be placed in groups according to their English level:

  • Basic & Intermediate 
  • Upper Intermediate

Proposed schedule

Sessions are planned to take place on Mondays and Tuesdays, with two possible time slots:

  • 19:00 CET / 20:00 EET, and
  • 20:30 CET / 21:30 EET

Final group allocation and scheduling will depend on the number of registrations and the distribution of language levels among participants.

About the teacher

The course will be led by Kim Sargeant, a native English speaker and experienced English language professor who has worked extensively with professionals in the fields of music and the arts.

His teaching approach combines linguistic precision with a strong focus on sound, rhythm, and expressive nuance — elements that are particularly relevant for professionals working in artistic and performance environments. Participants will receive detailed corrective feedback within a structured and supportive learning environment, helping them achieve steady and measurable improvement in their spoken English.

Key dates

Call for registrations opens: 16 March 2026 

Registration deadline: 6 April 2026 

Notification of participants and Zoom link: 13 April 2026 

Course begins: 20 April 2026

Who can apply?

The call is open to all teaching and non-academic staff working at institutions within the IN.TUNE Alliance.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the online REGISTRATION FORM.

As places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis, early registration is strongly recommended.