Online Greek courses for work in Greece, Cyprus and the EU

Modern Greek is the official language of Greece, one of two official languages of Cyprus alongside Turkish, and since 1981 one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. This creates three working environments: the job market in Greece and Cyprus, the EU institutions, which translate their legal acts into all official languages, and companies elsewhere that work with Greek customers or suppliers.

The levels follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which describes language ability in six levels from A1 to C2. Standard enquiries by email often need B1, while meetings and presentations usually need B2.

The state certificate Ellinomatheia is awarded by the Centre for the Greek Language, a body of the Greek Ministry of Education. It shows your level of Greek on the job market, and several Greek rules link specific levels to specific purposes.

A regulated profession is one that requires a state licence to practise, such as doctor or nurse. The language level for it is set by the chamber or authority that grants the licence.

The A2 exam for professional purposes is aimed at foreign nationals who want to work in Greece and must prove their Greek. It follows CEFR level A2, meaning simple conversations on familiar topics, and tests three skills.

The listening and reading papers each have two parts with about 500 words. In the speaking test two candidates sit together before the examiners, without preparation time. They talk about themselves, answer questions and do a role-play. If you fail any one of the three parts, you fail the whole exam.

In October 2026, in addition to the main session in May, there was a session only for A2 for professional purposes and B1, held only at exam centres in Greece. An online course for this exam therefore trains listening and speaking on work topics and practises the role-play with a partner.

Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and Turkish. In the Greek-speaking part many people speak Cypriot Greek in daily life, which differs clearly from the standard in pronunciation and vocabulary. Correspondence, contracts and letters from authorities, however, are written in Standard Modern Greek.

For work in Cyprus this means two things. A course in Standard Modern Greek covers everything written and is the right foundation. For conversations with colleagues and customers, a teacher from Cyprus helps by letting you hear the spoken variety and explaining the main differences.

Work-related Greek courses take one of two directions. Business Greek trains communication in the office, and specialist language trains the vocabulary of one profession.

In business Greek, formal address comes first. You address customers and managers with εσείς, the plural form of the verb. A formal email opens with Αξιότιμε κύριε for a man or Αξιότιμη κυρία for a woman, similar to Dear Sir or Dear Madam, and often closes with Με εκτίμηση, roughly Yours sincerely.

In specialist language, English speakers have a head start. Many terms from medicine, technology and science come from Greek, such as therapy, diagnosis or thermometer. In Modern Greek they sound different and carry an accent, but their stem is often recognisable.

1. A needs analysis clarifies before the course which situations you must handle in Greek at work.
2. You write emails with formal address and practise switching between εσείς and εσύ.
3. You make phone calls and give numbers, dates, prices and times securely, because these words carry many endings in Greek.
4. You learn the vocabulary of your sector with accents and in whole sentences.
5. You read letters from authorities and employers, which use more formal language than everyday speech.
6. If you have an exam goal, you train the Ellinomatheia tasks at A2 for professional purposes, B1 or higher.

Work-related courses usually require at least A2, so that you read the alphabet securely. For professional working proficiency, the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the language school of the US Department of State, estimates about 1,012 class hours for English speakers.