The verdict in three sentences
In Saint-Louis, UGB students and young graduates often lose internships because of a poorly presented CV or an internship report with no styles or automatic table of contents. Reaching a professional level in Word takes about 10 hours of guided work, not a semester. The course Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that build trust is level 2 Practical, 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR / 85 USD), fully online, taught in French and payable with Wave or Orange Money.
Why formatting matters so much in Saint-Louis
A recruiter at a bank, a delta NGO or an agro-industrial company in the river valley receives dozens of applications for one internship. They spend about 30 seconds on a CV. A document with uneven margins, mixed fonts and misaligned bullets suggests a careless candidate, even with a good degree.
At university, a 40-page thesis or internship report without heading levels forces you to renumber by hand after every correction. With styles and an automatic table of contents, the same change takes two minutes. That is exactly what module 3 of the course covers.
| Document | Common mistake | What the course fixes | Time saved (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-page CV | Spaces instead of tabs, broken alignment | Invisible tables and clean margins | 1 h per version |
| Cover letter | Layout different from the CV | Consistent reusable template | 30 min per application |
| 30-50 page internship report | Hand-typed contents page | Heading styles and automatic contents | 2 to 3 h per correction |
| Final-year thesis | Wrong page numbers and captions | Section breaks, captions, cross-references | 4 h on the final version |
| Administrative letter | Improvised letterhead | Clean header and footer | 20 min per letter |
| Results table | Distorted copy from Excel | Formatted Word tables | 30 min per table |
How much does a Word course cost in Saint-Louis in 2026
Three options exist side by side. Free tutorials exist but are scattered and nobody corrects your documents. Local centres offer an in-person trainer, with fixed hours and often a mixed-level classroom.
| Option | 2026 price (order of magnitude) | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free YouTube videos | 0 FCFA (excluding mobile data) | Variable | Isolated tips, no follow-up |
| International online certificates | 15,000 to 40,000 FCFA/month | 4 to 8 weeks | English content, non-African examples |
| Training centre in Saint-Louis | 60,000 to 90,000 FCFA | 2 to 4 weeks of evenings | Classroom lessons, fixed hours |
| Kolonell, Professional Word (level 2 Practical) | 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR) | 10 h online, at your own pace | 5 modules, graded exercises, final project, verifiable certificate |
| Full Office track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 (about 535 EUR) | Several months | Word, Excel and productivity tools up to Expert level |
The course has five modules: solid Word basics, professional layout, styles and table of contents, images and tables, then CVs, letters and reports. If you are aiming for an administrative job, the Office and productivity track continues with Excel and work organisation at the next levels.
What a well-presented application can bring
No course guarantees a job. A clean application does improve your chances of getting an interview, and some skills can be sold directly.
| Opportunity in Saint-Louis | Indicative 2026 income | Link with Word |
|---|---|---|
| Paid final-year internship | 50,000 to 100,000 FCFA/month | Polished CV and letter |
| Formatting theses for other students | 5,000 to 15,000 FCFA per document | Styles, contents, bibliography |
| Junior administrative assistant | 120,000 to 200,000 FCFA/month | Letters, minutes, reports |
| Secretarial work for an NGO or project | 150,000 to 250,000 FCFA/month | Activity reports and templates |
| Typing and layout for SMEs | 2,000 to 5,000 FCFA per complex page | Tables, visuals, layout |
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Fatou, 23, a management master's student at UGB, sends her CV to six organisations for a final-year internship and gets no reply. She takes the course over three weeks, 3 to 4 hours a week on her phone and the library computer. She rebuilds her CV and letter on a single template, then formats her internship report with an automatic table of contents.
Simple calculation: the course costs 50,000 FCFA. If she lands an internship paying 75,000 FCFA a month, the cost is covered in less than three weeks of internship. On the side, formatting four classmates' theses at 10,000 FCFA each brings in 40,000 FCFA, or 80% of the course price. These are orders of magnitude, not a promise.
FAQ
Do I need to know Word already?
You only need to be able to open a document and type text. The first module covers the basics in under 2 hours, then the course moves to professional layout over 10 hours in total.
Can I follow the course on a phone in Saint-Louis?
Lessons can be read and watched on mobile with a 3G or 4G connection. For the practical exercises a computer is recommended, even a shared one, for example 1 to 2 hours a week at the university library.
Is the certificate recognised?
The Kolonell Academy certificate can be verified online by a recruiter. It proves you passed the exercises and the final project, but it is not a state diploma.
How much is the full track?
The Office and productivity track has 5 levels. Taken together it costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA level by level, a saving of 100,000 FCFA (about 150 EUR).
How do I pay from Saint-Louis?
Payment is made with Wave or Orange Money in a few minutes. Access opens as soon as the 50,000 FCFA payment is confirmed.
Take the next step. Enroll in Professional Word: CVs, reports and documents that build trust: 10 h online, taught in French, 50,000 FCFA (about 76 EUR / 85 USD), verifiable certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
