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about IALC
For more than 25 years, the International Association of Language Centres has been a trusted reference for study travel agencies, individuals and organisations seeking high-quality language training in the country where the language is spoken.
history IALC was founded in 1983 by a group of boutique language schools in response to the emergence of large school chains.
Alberto Sampere became IALC’s first President and remained its visionary and inspirational Honorary Life President until his passing in 2005. “Interlang”, as it was originally known, first met in Madrid in June 1983. Over the next six years, private language schools from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas joined IALC. The Constitution, Code of Ethics and Bylaws were approved in 1988 and IALC was incorporated in Ireland in 1990. From the beginning, IALC worked closely with study travel agencies. The IALC Workshop first took place in 1984 and is now a major event in the language travel calendar. Quality assurance has always been our focal point and since the mid-Nineties we have developed our accreditation to meet the changing needs and expectations of today’s diverse language learners. Membership has grown carefully and steadily to embrace more than
100 independent language schools worldwide in 2011.
We are the proud winners of the Language Travel Magazine Star School Association award three times in the last four years.
accreditation To apply to be a member of IALC, a language school must:
be legally constituted be privately owned and independent of a large chain or network teach the official language of the country as a main activity have operated for at least three years operate year-round have five or more classrooms offer lessons at levels meeting the needs of its clients throughout the year comply with the IALC Code of Ethics, Bylaws and Accommodation Code
inspection Applicant schools undergo a demanding entry inspection and members are re-audited at least every four years. Any requirements arising from these inspections must be implemented within a specific timeframe. The failure to meet IALC standards after a second audit results in loss of membership. If an IALC school changes ownership or significant management control, it is also re-inspected.
annual self-assessment Once a year, each IALC school provides documented evidence and a signed undertaking of its adherence to the IALC standards and code of ethics.
quality plan Continuous improvement is at the heart of our accreditation. Each IALC school must create and follow a unique “quality plan”, showing how it will develop and improve its services and facilities over a period of one to three years.
complaints procedure Anyone who is dissatisfied with
The Founders of IALC
Cial Centro de Linguas, Lisbon Estudio Internacional Sampere, Madrid The Language Centre of Ireland, Dublin The Montreal Language School (now LSC) Rennert Bilingual, New York Gran Canaria School, Gran Canaria Istituto Michelangelo, Florence Pitman School of English, London
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the service of an IALC school may call in force the IALC Complaints Procedure, which appears in full on
www.ialc.org
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