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Studies & Degrees in English for Executives

English for executives is business English taught to managers and other professionals who already work and need the language for their job. Courses are short and intensive, classes are small or one-to-one, and the content is built around the tasks of the participant: meetings, negotiations, presentations, reports, phone and video calls. It is language training, not a degree, and it can be taken in an English-speaking country, at a school at home or inside the company.

What participants learn

The syllabus of a business English course shows what to expect. The NW Academy of English in Derry, Northern Ireland, lists among its topics formal and informal written communication, telephoning, greeting clients and dealing with visitors, giving presentations, reading business texts, numerical information and basic statistics, meetings and conferencing, deals and negotiations, business idioms, etiquette and business customs. Bournemouth City College in England practises the language through scenarios such as team meetings, negotiations, marketing presentations, financial reporting and trade fairs.

Executive courses normally start with a needs analysis. The NW Academy includes one before every business course, and Languages4Life in Barcelona tests the level of each employee before it forms groups.

Course formats and levels

  • Intensive group courses abroad. At Bournemouth City College the Cambridge Business English course has 10, 20 or 30 lessons of 45 minutes per week, for levels A2 to C1 of the CEFR, with a maximum of 12 students per class. It lasts from 1 to 12 weeks, starts every Monday and is open to students aged 18 or over. The NW Academy offers an Intensive Business English course of 20 lessons of 60 minutes per week, from intermediate level and for a minimum of one week.
  • Combined courses. The NW Academy also combines 20 general English lessons of 45 minutes with 6 business English lessons of 60 minutes per week, and has a business course with visits to UK and Irish companies chosen for the student.
  • One-to-one tuition. This is the usual format for senior staff with little time. The NW Academy offers 15 hours per week, or as requested, for any length of stay.
  • In-company training. Languages4Life designs corporate programmes with individual or group classes, in person, online or hybrid, and with vocabulary and cases from the client's sector, such as legal, medical, financial or technology. For companies in Spain it also handles the FUNDAE training subsidy paperwork. Sprachschule 24, in Tübingen, Germany, teaches on site at the client company.

Levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which describes ability on a six-point scale from A1 for beginners to C2. Group business courses usually ask for an intermediate level; one-to-one courses can start lower.

Certificates and exams

Schools give their own certificate at the end of the course; Bournemouth City College, for example, issues it to students with at least 80% attendance. This is a certificate, not an official qualification.

The exam landscape has changed. Cambridge states that its BEC business certificates (B1 Business Preliminary, B2 Business Vantage and C1 Business Higher) remain available in China but have been discontinued in all other countries. Its current option is Linguaskill, an online test that covers levels B1 to C2 of the CEFR and has a Linguaskill Business version on the English used in the workplace. Ask a school which exam its course prepares for before booking a course advertised as BEC preparation.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 12 active schools for English for executives: five in the United Kingdom, three in Spain, two in the United States, one in Trinidad and Tobago and one in Germany. Besides the schools mentioned above, the list includes ESADE in Barcelona, The Language Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Langdons Language Institute in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago.

In the United Kingdom, British Council accreditation is a quality mark for English language schools. Bournemouth City College states that it is accredited by the British Council.

Visas for a course in the United Kingdom

According to GOV.UK (checked in October 2026), a Standard Visitor can study in the UK for up to 6 months at an accredited institution, and this includes English language courses. Whether a visa is needed for the visit depends on nationality. For an English course of more than 6 and up to 11 months there is the Short-term study visa. It costs £228, and the healthcare surcharge, which usually costs £776, is paid with the application. Holders of this visa cannot work, and that includes work experience and work placements.

Frequently asked questions

What level of English is needed for an executive course?

It depends on the format. The business English classes of the NW Academy ask for intermediate level or higher, and the Bournemouth City College course accepts levels A2 to C1. One-to-one courses are open to all levels.

How long does a course last?

Most are short. The minimum at the NW Academy is one week, and the Bournemouth City College course lasts from 1 to 12 weeks.

Is there an official business English exam?

Cambridge has discontinued its BEC exams outside China. It now offers Linguaskill Business, an online test of workplace English reported on the CEFR scale.

Do I need a visa to take a short English course in the UK?

Courses of up to 6 months can be taken as a Standard Visitor; some nationalities need a visitor visa. Courses of more than 6 and up to 11 months require a Short-term study visa.