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Call for applications: International courses for civil servants

Are you a civil servant in Finland? Apply for a training program at INSP or one of the IRAs, prestigious French schools for government officials.

As each year, the French National Institute of Public Service (INSP) and the Regional Institutes of Administration (IRA) have launched the selection procedure for 3 international courses. Application period is open until November 21, 2025. 

These training courses are a major opportunity for civil servants from all over the world to develop their skills in public administration and to study tomorrow’s public policy issues, in close contact with French students and international counterparts. The available courses are: 

1. The Long International Training Course (Cil) 

This course enables young public managers to familiarize themselves with the French administration, in particular by following joint courses with French students undergoing initial training at the INSP, and by completing a practical internship in a French administration. 

  • Profiles | Young international civil servants or academics 

Or, in exceptional cases, young professionals at the start of their career who are intending to pursue a career in their country’s public service. 

  • Diploma obtained | International Diploma in Public Administration 

Possibility of double courses with professional masters at prestigious French universities: Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université de Strasbourg and its Institut d’études politiques. 

  • Duration | 13.5 months (end of August 2026 → October 2027) 
  • Location | INSP Strasbourg 

2. The International Advanced Training Course (Cip) 

This course enables experienced senior managers to familiarize themselves with all aspects of public management in France, in particular by following joint courses with French students and completing a practical placement in a French administration. 

  • Profiles | Civil servants from foreign public administrations, who hold positions of responsibility and have potential for further advancement and influence 
  • Diploma obtained | International Diploma in Public Administration 

Possibility of double courses with professional masters at prestigious French universities: Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université de Strasbourg and its Institut d’études politiques. 

  • Duration | 8 months (November 2026 → June 2027) 
  • Locations | INSP Strasbourg and Paris 

3. The IRA International Course (CiIRA) 

The CiIRA welcomes international promising middle managers to the graduating class of the French Regional Institutes of Administration (IRA). Every year, around ten high-potential auditors are trained under this scheme, making a total of more than a hundred since it was set up in 2012. 

  • Profiles | High-potential middle managers from foreign public administrations, at the start of their career or already experienced 
  • Diploma obtained | Training certificate as a foreign auditor of the international course, with the possibility of earning a Master’s degree 
  • Duration | 8 months (October 2026 → May 2027) 
  • Location | IRA Lille, Metz or Lyon 

Applications and further information 

You can apply via an online application form: Inscriptions – INSP . The registration period is open until the 21st of November 2025.  

To find out everything you need to know about the conditions of access, the stages in the selection process, the course, the fees, the provisional timetable, please visit the International Course presentation page.