Practical Information

Enrolment

• Central banks and other institutions intending to enrol a participant must apply before the deadline, typically 3 months before the date of the seminar, via the seminar calendar page  on our website.
• Please specify the HR correspondent or superior validating the application.  You are advised not to use special character, accents and copy-paste from word.

• A notice of receipt is sent to candidates upon registration. The answer is sent after the closing of the application period. For seminars to be confirmed, a sufficient number of applicants is necessary.
• Given the large number of applications received, applications are accepted depending on availability (in particular regarding late applications or multiple applications from the same bank).

• Participants in the seminars must have a good command of one of the working languages mentioned in the training programme: French or English. Poor understanding of presentations and discussions goes against the smooth running of the seminar and compromises its efficiency.
• Around 2.5 months prior to the seminar, the confirmed participants shall receive an official invitation letter by email, in particular for visa purposes. They are then requested to fill some practical information (social event, diet restrictions, traveling schedules and hotel for eligible countries) through the link provided.

Organisation

• The duration of the seminars is usually from 3 to 5 days. In the case of 5-day seminars, a half-day off is generally scheduled for participants,
• They are held at our Paris headquarters.
• The on-line Moodle platform enables participants to access the slides, various documents, practical information and is a forum for discussion or exchange of documents. Each participant will receive a password and ID to access the platform.

We insist on the fact that trainees have to attend every session of the seminar and sign the attendance sheet circulated every day.

Cost coverage

Banque de France covers the following costs:

• training courses (seminars are free of charge)
• lunches and coffee breaks
• Social events
• All or part of the hotel costs for eligible countries (single room and breakfast)

Trainees cover in particular the following costs:

• dinners,
• hotel (except for eligible countries. See the section “Accommodation”).
• transport (plane, taxi, metro).

Accommodation

Participants care for their own hotel reservation and payment. The IBFI provides a list of hotels nearby at negotiated rates. However, a partner hotel is proposed for participants eligible to the coverage of accommodation costs under the following conditions.

1 - Participants from central banks of middle-income and industrialised countries. Banque de France does not cover accommodation costs.

2 – Participants from central banks of countries of the HIPC (highly indebted poor countries) IMF/WB initiative. The Banque de France covers the accommodation costs from the night before to the night after the seminar (for example 6 nights for a 5-day seminar).

3 - Participants belonging to the other Least Developed Countries (LDC). Banque de France covers half of the hotel nights[1].

The eligibility of the participant is automatically determined by the application platform depending on the country.

The accommodation cost average for eligible trainee implies (s)he stays at the partner hotel. The cost coverage applies for a single room with breakfast. It does not include: additional cost for twin room, longer stay (additional nights before or after the seminar), mini-bar, telephone and other services,

Cancellations

In case of withdrawal, it is absolutely necessary to inform us at least 10 days prior to the seminar.

Given the large number of applications, a late cancellation deprives another central bank applicant from joining the seminar and incurs cancellation fees.

For those participants eligible to partial or total coverage, hotel cancellation fees in case of no-show shall be chargeable to the institution of the participant involved.  A restrictive position may be adopted vis-à-vis any future applications from the latter.