Estonia does not plan to require couriers to prove their knowledge of the state language, as there are no tests corresponding to the A1 level, while the requirements for the A2 level are already too high, writes ERR News.
Since the beginning of the year, those working in the service sector in Lithuania have been required to know the Lithuanian language at the A1 level, but the experience of the first month shows that the implementation of the law in everyday life will be slower than planned.
Ilmar Tomusk, Director General of the Estonian Language Council, pointed out that basic knowledge of the A1 level is completely sufficient for couriers. He said that the A1 level requires a person to be able to introduce themselves and others, ask about their place of residence, familiar people and objects. “They also need to know the alphabet, as many couriers come from regions with different scripts. The first thing is you need to know basic vocabulary, how to ask for an address or floor, whether the gate opens or closes — all that kind of thing. So A1 is actually enough for a courier to manage,” Tomusk explained.
There is no test in Estonia to test A1 level knowledge. Tomusk highlighted the difference between the two levels of knowledge – the A2 level also requires the ability to write, and this would be necessary for security guards, ticket inspectors, porters and other similar jobs that require communication with other people and, possibly, filling out some documents.
Amendments to the Estonian Language Act are currently being considered by parliament.
Kätlin Kõverik, an advisor to the Ministry of Education and Science, also said that the A2 level of knowledge for couriers would be too high a requirement.
Tomusk said that the A1 level is sufficient, but it would be necessary to create a new exam, which is a serious commitment. He added that at the moment it seems that delivery service providers are coping quite well, and customers are more or less satisfied. Last year, compared to service providers in other areas, there were few complaints about couriers. In 2023, the Estonian Language Council received 700 complaints, of which six were about couriers and 170 about taxi drivers. Tomusk pointed out that the main problem is that the requirement to submit a certificate of language proficiency when applying for a service provider’s license was abolished ten years ago. This means that in the past ten years, tests have only been carried out when communication problems have been experienced, which is not very effective. However, everything is being done to resolve each individual complaint. Bolt has even introduced its own Estonian language test, but the main problem is that it is not known which person passes the test.
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