Vocational Training Leave in the State Civil Service (FPE)
Verified 30 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Are you a public official and want to deepen your training to embark on a personal or professional project? For this, you can benefit, under certain conditions, from a professional training leave (CFP). In principle, the duration of this leave is a maximum of 3 years for the entire career. Time spent in PSC is considered to be service time. We explain the rules to know.
In the State civil service, vocational training leave is open to all public officials:
- Civil servant (full public official)
- Contractual (non-incumbent public official).
Public servant
You can benefit from vocational training leave if you have completed at least the equivalent of 3 years of full-time effective service in the public service.
You benefit from a priority access to vocational training leave in any of the following situations:
- You belong to a body category C and you do not have the baccalaureate
- You are a disabled person who benefits from theemployment obligation
- It is noted, after consulting the occupational physician, that you are particularly exposed, given your individual professional situation, to a risk of professional wear and tear.
FYI
If you have completed a preparation for the public service examinations and competitions on your working time, you can not obtain vocational training leave within 12 months of completion of this preparation.
You must apply for vocational training leave at least 120 days (4 months) before the training start date.
Your application should include the following:
- Training Start Date
- Nature of training
- Duration of training
- Name of the training organization.
Within 30 days following receipt of your request, your administration will inform you of:
- His agreement
- Or the reasons for his refusal. Refusal for service requirements shall be subject to the opinion of the HEADING: titleContent. If your request for vocational training leave has already been refused 2 times, your administration cannot refuse it 3e after the opinion of the CAP.
- Or the reasons for postponement.
The administration may postpone your departure on training leave, after consulting the CAP, in the following cases:
- 5% you already have staff members who are away on vocational training leave
- Or your department has fewer than 10 staff and one staff member is already absent for professional training leave.
In other cases of postponement, your application for vocational training leave shall be accepted within one year from the date on which the CAP was submitted.
The duration of the vocational training leave shall be fixed at 3 years maximum for the entire career.
This maximum duration is 5 years if you are in one of the following situations :
- You belong to a body category C and you do not have the baccalaureate
- You are in a situation of disability beneficiary of the obligation to work
- It is noted, after consulting the occupational physician, that you are particularly exposed, given your individual professional situation, to a risk of professional wear and tear.
Leave can be used in one go or spread throughout the career in internships which can be divided into:
- Weeks
- Days
- Or half days.
The pay rules differ depending on whether or not you are a priority on vocational training leave:
General case
You receive a lump sum monthly allowance from your employer administration during the 1re year of leave.
Subsequent years of leave are unpaid.
The monthly allowance is equal to 85% of your gross salary and residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
However, this monthly allowance may not exceed €2,778.62 gross per month.
Priority
You receive a monthly lump sum allowance during the First 2 years of leave.
The years of leave following are not remunerated.
During the 1re In the year of leave, the monthly allowance is equal to the gross index salary and the residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
The 2e the monthly allowance is equal to 85% of your gross salary and residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
However, this monthly allowance may not exceed €2,778.62 gross per month.
At the end of each month and when you return to work, you must give your administration an employer attestation of attendance in training issued by the training organization.
Warning
If you are absent without good reason, your leave is terminated and you must reimburse the allowances received.
The effects of vocational training leave on your career occur during and after vocational training leave.
During the vocational training leave
Time spent on vocational training leave shall be considered as service time.
During your vocational training leave, you keep your annual leave entitlements : you can take them during your vocational training leave (e.g. during school holidays).
In this case, your vocational training leave is suspended during the annual leave periods.
In case of illness or maternity, training leave is also suspended and you are paid according to the usual rules applicable during such leave.
Time spent on vocational training leave is taken into account for retirement.
After the vocational training leave
At the end of your training leave, you must work in the public service for a period of time equal to 3 times the period during which you received compensation.
If you are in one of the following situations, you must work in the public service for a maximum of 36 months :
- You belong to a body category C and you do not have the baccalaureate
- You are in a situation of disability beneficiary of the obligation to work
- It is noted, after consulting the occupational physician, that you are particularly exposed, given your individual professional situation, to a risk of professional wear and tear.
You may be exempted from this obligation to remain in the public service by your employer administration.
If you are not exempt from this duty to serve and you leave the public service before the end of your engagement, you must reimburse the allowances received pro rata to the time of service not completed.
You automatically resume your service at the end of your vocational training leave (or during it if you ask to end it before the scheduled date).
If you are posted to a job in a municipality other than the one where you performed your duties before your leave of absence, you will receive a allowance for change of residence expenses, unless this change of municipality occurs at your request.
Contractual
You must have completed at least the equivalent of 3 years of full-time actual service under contract in the public service of which at least 1 year in the jurisdiction from which you request leave.
You benefit from a priority access to vocational training leave if you have any of the following:
- You belong to a body category C and you do not have the baccalaureate
- You are a disabled person who benefits from theemployment obligation
- It is noted, after consulting the occupational physician, that you are particularly exposed, given your individual professional situation, to a risk of professional wear and tear.
FYI
If you have completed a preparation for the public service examinations and competitions on your working time, you can't get vocational training leave within 12 months of completion of such preparation.
You must apply for at least one vocational training leave 120 days (4 months) before the training start date.
Your application should include the following:
- Training Start Date
- Nature of training
- Duration of training
- Name of the training organization.
Within 30 days following receipt of your request, your administration will inform you of:
- His agreement
- Or The reasons for his refusal. Refusal for service requirements shall be subject to the opinion of the HEADING: titleContent. If your request for vocational training leave has already been refused 2 times, your administration cannot refuse it 3e after the opinion of the CAP.
- Or the reasons for postponement.
The administration may postpone your departure on training leave, after obtaining the opinion of the CAP, in the following cases :
- 5% you already have staff members who are away on vocational training leave
- Or your department has fewer than 10 staff and one staff member is already absent for professional training leave.
In other cases of postponement, your request for vocational training leave is accepted in the one year from the date on which the CAP was seized.
The duration of the vocational training leave shall be fixed at 3 years maximum for the entire career.
This maximum duration is 5 years if you are in one of the following situations :
- You belong to a body category C and you do not have the baccalaureate
- You are in a situation of disability beneficiary of the obligation to work
- It is noted, after consulting the occupational physician, that you are particularly exposed, given your individual professional situation, to a risk of professional wear and tear.
Leave can be used in one go or spread throughout the career in internships which can be divided into:
- Weeks
- Days
- Or half days.
The pay rules differ depending on whether or not you are a priority on vocational training leave:
General case
You receive a lump sum monthly allowance from your employer administration during the 1re year of leave.
Subsequent years of leave are unpaid.
The monthly allowance is equal to 85% of your gross salary and residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
However, this monthly allowance may not exceed €2,778.62 gross per month.
Priority
You receive a monthly lump sum allowance during the First 2 years of leave.
The years of leave following are not remunerated.
During the 1re In the year of leave, the monthly allowance is equal to the gross index salary and the residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
The 2e the monthly allowance is equal to 85% of your gross salary and residence allowance received at the time of your leave.
However, this monthly allowance may not exceed €2,778.62 gross per month.
At the end of each month and when you return to work, you must give your administration an employer attestation of attendance in training issued by the training organization.
Warning
If you are absent without good reason, your leave is terminated and you must reimburse the allowances received.
The effects of vocational training leave occur both during and after such leave.
During training
Periods spent on training leave are:
- Included in the service time that is recognized to you
- And taken into account when calculating your pension rights.
After training
At the end of your training leave, you must work in the public service (state, territorial or hospital) for a period of time equal to 3 times the period during which you received compensation.
You may be exempted from this obligation to remain in the public service by your employer administration.
If you are not exempt from this obligation to serve and you leave the public service before the end of your employment, you must repay the allowances received pro rata to the time you have not served.
At the end of your training leave, if you meet the requirements, you are re-employed on your previous job or occupation to the extent permitted by the service.
Otherwise, you have priority to be reemployed in a similar job or occupation with equivalent remuneration.
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