Case study · Designing job-specific frameworks

English for museum roles: how can training be built from real work?

Q: How can English training be tailored to a specific job?

By starting from real work rather than a generic programme. We identify who staff speak to, communication goals, frequent or sensitive situations and the documents used, then turn them into content, practice activities and tools available on the job.

Q: How can beginner employees in the cultural sector be trained in English?

By making early learning usable straight away: scenarios, role plays and rephrasing drawn from the job, then short materials, a heritage glossary and a booklet for use in the situation, so that a phrase can be found again after the session.

Q: How can a glossary and tools usable directly on the job be created?

By building them from the map of each role's situations, and keeping them short and easy to consult. These materials do not replace practice: they secure transfer to the job and make it easier to repeat useful expressions.

In a cultural institution, 'speaking English' does not mean the same thing for a ticket office agent, a guide, a professional acting as courier for artworks or a curator. A generic programme stays too far removed from the job, particularly for beginner staff who need phrases they can use straight away.

In short

Before choosing content, Linguaphone identifies what each role needs to be able to do in English: who staff speak to, communication goals, frequent or sensitive situations, documents used. Learners are then grouped by similarity of use rather than by hierarchical level, with short materials they can consult on the job, so that practice stays useful after the session.

The starting point

The initial challenge

The institution welcomes an international public and relies on several categories of staff: reception and ticket office agents, some of them beginners, guides responsible for visitor engagement, and managers and curators involved in expert exchanges. Belonging to the same institution is therefore not enough to define a common programme.

Early learning has to be usable straight away, without restricting advanced profiles to reception dialogues. The organisation must also respect the rhythms of the site and be able to continue during closure periods.

The challenge to solve

Identifying the situations specific to each role
Making training accessible to staff who are sometimes beginners
Developing expert-level English for managers and curators
Producing tools that can be used after the session
Maintaining continuity remotely when in-person sessions are not possible

Language: English
Audience: Reception, ticket office and security staff, guides, managers and curators
Expressed need: Operational English for every role, from reception to expert level

Our answer

The solution deployed

The programme starts from an analysis of each role's work situations: welcoming, informing, directing, presenting an artwork, applying an instruction, talking with an expert counterpart. Learners are grouped by similarity of situations, and a heritage glossary and a booklet for use on the job secure the transfer after the session.

Management

Programmes organised by role
Training on site, as close as possible to the workstations
Remote continuity during closure periods
Individual programmes for managers

Teaching

Analysis of situations by role: ticket office, reception, security, tours, expertise
Tailor-made glossary of heritage and exhibitions
Booklet and digital materials for use on the job
Expert-level English for managers: artwork courier missions, sponsorship, conferences

On site
Remote
On-the-job materials

Our method, step by step

The programme in figures

75%
of sessions held in person: 3 years
of evaluations tracked

The outcome

The results

A collaboration renewed over the long term: the institution keeps renewing its trust in us because the programme meets its teams' needs
A programme that held up during closures to the public, thanks to the switch to remote sessions

Indicators for 2023, 2024 and 2025

93%
Overall satisfaction: 4.8/5
Trainer satisfaction: 92%
Recommendation rate

What followed

A long-standing collaboration, renewed and maintained remotely during periods of closure to the public.

What this case shows

Starting from real work makes it possible to build training with a dual skill set, language and job, rather than a generic programme. The method applies to any organisation where several roles face distinct communication situations.

Three conditions for success

1 Observe or describe communication situations precisely before writing the content.
2 Group learners by similarity of use, not only by hierarchical level.
3 Create short, easy-to-consult materials that help transfer to the job.

Facing the same challenge? the first step is to replace the question 'what English should we teach?' with 'what does each role need to be able to do in English?'. The answer then shapes the framework and the programmes.

The energy, and the search for topics fully suited to our work in museums. End-of-course evaluation · cultural sector

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How can English training be tailored to a specific job?

How can beginner employees in the cultural sector be trained in English?

How can a glossary and tools usable directly on the job be created?

Go further

How we measure: every figure on this page comes from the end-of-course evaluations completed by learners (2023, 2024 and 2025). Trainer satisfaction is the average of four criteria (delivery, listening, encouragement, clarity); the recommendation rate is the share of ratings of 4 or 5 out of 5. This case study is illustrative: the client is not named and is described in deliberately general terms.

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