Because it is:

• useful: it’s a chance to improve your speaking skills.
• easy to participate in: it’s open to everyone at the University of Padova.
• informative: it provides a means to get to know a different culture from your own.
• enjoyable: it’s good fun!
• flexible: you decide when and where to meet your partner.

Registration for the Face2Face Tandem is open to:

• students of the University of Padova
• foreign students on exchange at our University with any agreement (e.g. Erasmus+, Mundus, Boston University Padua etc…)
• the Universal and Regional Civil Service Volunteers and the European Civil Service Volunteers
• whoever has a formal relationship with the University of Padova or with the Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova (technical-administrative staff, research fellows, doctoral, master’s and specialization students and teachers)

The meetings take place in total autonomy: the participants decide when, how often and where to meet.

When: The CLA recommends meeting at least once a week.
Where: Tandem partners can meet wherever they want, deciding together (park, canteen, bar, square, library, etc.). Upon request, the CLA provides participants with a small classroom which must be booked by writing an email to autoapprendimento.cla@unipd.it with the name and surname of the participants, date and time requested. The partners can also decide to have some remote meetings (Zoom, Skype, etc.) by mutual agreement.

Important: during the meetings it is important to equally distribute the time dedicated to the two languages. Between the Tandem partners there is not a “teacher-student” relationship: it is an equal exchange to practice the “living” language.

Once registered on the dedicated platform, participants will receive an automatic email and only then they will be able to complete the registration by indicating, for example, the language they would like to practice and the other information necessary to then be matched with a Tandem partner.

Once the system has found a Tandem partner (it may take a few weeks), the participant will receive a notification via email and the two will be able to get in touch and plan meetings.

It is not always possible to guarantee a Tandem partner for all those who request it, because this depends on the number of students who join the initiative. Participants who are not matched will still be able to register again the following semester.

Registrations for the 2nd semester 2023/24 open from March 27th and close approximately in mid-May; click on the button below to register:

Carefully follow the instructions for registering, also available within Matorix platform.

The tandem partners can note the objectives and linguistic progress of their meetings by completing the DIARY. The diary is also available within the Matorix platform where the interested party has registered.

At the end of the meetings, presumably at the end of the semester, by handing in the diary completed in all its parts for at least 8 meetings, it will be possible to obtain a certificate of participation in the project.
The diary can be delivered to the CLA Students Office (in Via Venezia 16, 5th floor) or uploaded directly into your personal area (My Data) of the project registration platform (Matorix).

1) Do I have to pay anything to take part in the Tandem Learning project? No.

2) How and where can I sign up for Tandem Learning? To apply, simply register on the dedicated online platform by the established deadline.

3) How many times a year does the Tandem Learning project run? The matches are updated weekly starting from the opening date of registration approximately until the end of the semester.

4) How many times a week should I meet my Tandem partner? It’s up to you. You can meet once, or twice a week, or even more.

5) What can I do if I don’t get on well with my Tandem partner? You can request a change by writing to autoapprendimento.cla@unipd.it: we will try to find a new partner who speaks the same language.

6) Is it true that I am asked to fill in a diary? Where can I find it? Should I fill in the diary each time I meet my partner? You are not obliged to fill in the Tandem Diary. The diary can be downloaded within the platform and must be completed and submitted by the end of the semester. It is recommended to use it as a tool for reflection, planning and to keep track of new knowledge acquired. In order to receive the certificate of participation it is necessary to fill in the diary for at least 8 meetings.

7) If I participated in Tandem once, can I sign up for this project again? Yes.