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“We are kidding ourselves into thinking a one-time meeting one month after programme is sufficient in supporting students’ needs during their return processes”

Supporting students during a period of study abroad is a topic that’s widely discussed, but equally important is continuing to support them after they have returned, writes Megan Lee, an international educator, traveller and writer and former Study Abroad Director for GoOverseas. Megan currently leads study abroad programmes in Asia, the South Pacific, and Africa. Chat all things #intled with her on Twitter @peglegmeg.

While working as the Study Abroad Director at GoOverseas.com, I observed a range of activities designed to serve returnee study abroad students, from providers, non-profits, and universities alike. Tweet ups, meet ups, photo contests, review outreach. While some outstanding programming stands out, such as the Lessons From Abroad conferences in the United States, let’s face it: overall, we fall short in our offerings for students.

We have watered down our post-programme correspondence to scavenge for more photos, reviews, or collect campus volunteers for reaching potential students (“Ambassador” programmes). We have taken students’ genuine fire for study abroad, living a passion-inspired life, and willingness to contribute to a cause they believe in, and morphed them into our nationwide marketing army.

It’s important that our field recalibrates our approach to reentry programming. We need to make good on our commitment to encouraging student growth, and prioritise students’ needs before we fulfil our organisation’s needs.

4 Simple Ideas to Strengthen Your Re-Entry Programming

Instead of jumping ship when students really need you most, here are some easy, no-fuss ideas to better serve your students with integrity:

1. Offer open office hours

Let students come to you when they are struggling, feeling off, or just need to talk. Avoid the bureaucratic nonsense of making appointments and meetings before they can reach you. Sometimes students just need a friend who ‘gets it’.

2. Check in with students periodically after programme

We are kidding ourselves into thinking a one-time meeting one month after programme is sufficient in supporting students’ needs during their return processes. It is our duty to also check in with students three months, six months, and one year after programme.

Challenge students in these conversations. Don’t simply ask how they are doing or stick to surface-level chit chat. Tell them to demonstrate how their experience abroad has had a real, tangible impact on their life in their home communities.

3. It starts with relationships

Advisors need to make a conscious effort to have individualised attention for each student. Once you gain a student’s trust, you will be able to speak more comfortably and openly. When providing mentorship to students you have a personal relationship with, you will eventually have a greater overall impact.

Advisors need to more confidently own their roles as mentors, and play an active role in students’ lives beyond logistically organising their semester abroad and helping them choose a programme.

4. The internet is your friend

Do you have alumni around the country or around the world? Why not reconnect with students by using technology they are accustomed to in a manner they enjoy? Fire up that webcam and connect creatively with your past students in a monthly webinar, or leverage social media to build online communities that always available for students to tap into.

No Excuses!

As a field staff educator, I now recognise how difficult it is to stay engaged with a student post-programme. Before, I would think, “How hard is it to offer X, Y, Z to a student?” And now, from the opposite end, I totally understand how these aftermath tasks get pushed to the bottom of the priority list, and how your focus quickly shifts to the next group of students preparing for their trip abroad.

I have heard multiple international educators say “Students aren’t interested in return programming unless there’s something in it for them,” or “We organise a great big event and only 20 students show up,” or “Our students clearly don’t experience reverse culture shock very strongly.”

To all that I say a big. fat. “PHOOEY.”

It is too easy an out for us, as educators, to allow these menial excuses to keep us from doing better; from solving the problem more creatively; from providing better support to returnee students (you know, the kind that allows them to flourish as global citizens upon their return).

Get Excited!

I get really excited thinking about working with students before, and especially after, their study abroad programme. While interacting with students directly during their time abroad is meaningful, I realise now it is the easy part. Completing the programme abroad is the easy part.

The hard part is when students return to where they started and are challenged to maintain their fresh perspectives borne abroad. The hard part is when students feel isolated, disempowered, and tempted to return to their old ways. The hard part is when students lose their footing and succumb to the pressures of their home communities.

The hard part is where we come in!

Let’s step it up as a field to ensure our students have the support necessary in their life after study abroad. What programme offerings are successful in your office, and what other weak areas exist that we can be doing better in?

“I am saddened by the ‘go away’ message that seems to be writ large in the perception sphere of those Indian students and their parents who once considered studying in the UK but won’t any longer”

Sonal Minocha, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement at Bournemouth University, writes about falling interest among Indian students in studying in Britain, how to address it, and the power of Education Brand Britain.

Following a customary break in India over Christmas I am ready to start the New Year with New Ideas. The PIE is the perfect forum for that!

So why India? Well, ’tis the only way to escape stuffing my mouth with Christmas cake and mince pies and red wine for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between – life of a PVC! And India is where family is as well for me – so instead Christmas is all about lots of dhals, currys, chicken tikkas and oh, those diabetic Indian sweets for me! And it all ends with a Delhi Belly by my last day before flying back – an excruciating flight a day or two after New Year follows! For me it’s been the same routine, year on year, since 2001.

This time round, however, I felt a special connection with India. Was it because I am so proud of what India has achieved since I left home? Is it because Modi has genuinely put India on the map and made all NRIs (Non Resident Indians) proud? Is it because I am saddened by the depravity that still engulfs one of the fastest growing economies of the world? It has to be because I am saddened by the ‘go away’ message that seems to be writ large in the perception sphere of those Indian students and their parents who once considered studying in the UK but won’t any longer (Britain has seen a decline of 51% in enrolments from India in the last two years). The latter hurts.

“I know the truly transformative power of Education Brand Britain”

As an international student to the UK first and then as a staff member in UK HE I know the truly transformative power of Education Brand Britain. Yet to see this questioned by the once prospective international students from India is sad and something I am determined to rectify.

Yes, our policy environment hasn’t been conducive; yes, we have got it wrong with the immigration, visa and PSW debates. I along, with other leaders in HE, will continue to make a compelling case on all three matters. In the meantime, however, I want us to make a call for a campaign to restore faith in Education Brand Britain. I will start this firstly as PVC at Bournemouth University, but hope that my counterparts will join in on sending a welcome message to India. This is not a marketing gimmick or a precursor to a token ministerial visit. This for me is a commitment to the values of Higher Education in Britain, which are currently challenged in the Indian context. Britain has never denied access to talent – so I make a call to my readers to work with me as we begin work to rebuild Brand Britain in India. Practically, I offer three directions in which to approach this agenda:

1. Closer working with Indian employers

This is crucial to ensure the employer base in India continues to value the skills development that British HE excels in. Input from Indian employers into our curriculum is another agenda that HE institutions might want to think of collectively – are our graduates ready to operate in the Indian socio-economic-political environment? An environment that is undergoing unprecedented transformation.

2. Closer working with Indian alumni

Since 2004, over 250,000 alumni from UK institutions have returned to India – they are a powerful voice and testament to the transformative intervention that education in Britain provided them – yet am not sure that we do enough collectively as a sector to work with these alumni.

3. A clear set of communication messages

This is easier said than done. However, I feel I still have to make the case: the media coverage for governmental and educational interaction with India has only resulted in confused messages from Britain to India at worst and at best made us appear fragmented and short sighted in our purpose. The messages that Britain is open for business and is welcoming of Indian students have lost their value in the minds of the discerning Indian ‘customer’ (businesses, students, parents etc). The policy regime has been contradictory to these generic messages. It’s time, therefore, to refine our messages and unify them (across the government/ministerial/business/non government bodies) so that we have one clear message from Britain to India and it isn’t just welcoming but is also clear, consistent and compelling.

This is my short passage to Britain as I embark on my journey back home (to Britain) from home (India)!

Sonal Minocha

Sonal Minocha is Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement at Bournemouth University.

“I never bought into the idea of volunteering abroad. What on earth would an HIV positive Kenyan child growing up on a rubbish dump want with a spotty, white teenager pretending to care?”

Joe Pearson, Marketing Executive at African Adventures, writes about how his perception of volunteering abroad has changed and the benefits of project-led volunteer organisations.

After finishing A-Levels, I took a gap year. A few friends did the same. I worked in a sweet shop and many of them worked too, saving money for a trip to Africa or India, or wherever, to volunteer. I grew up in a relatively affluent area so I was not surprised that so many opted to volunteer abroad. Gap year volunteering was the norm, if you took gap year you travelled or volunteered. Anything else was a wasted year.

Honestly, I never bought into the idea of volunteering abroad – it seemed an expensive way to achieve nothing. What on earth would an HIV positive Kenyan child growing up on a rubbish dump want with a spotty, white teenager pretending to care?

This is a massive oversimplification of problems but some of these concerns remain valid. The uncomfortable truth is that volunteering abroad is a mandatory rite of passage for children of doctors and lawyers that must be undertaken before they persue their true destiny at Oxford or Cambridge. At best they might volunteer again after university, at worst their trip to ‘save Africa’ goes down as just another line on the CV.

“Volunteering abroad is a mandatory rite of passage for children of doctors and lawyers before they persue their true destiny at Oxford or Cambridge”

Yet volunteering in Africa is a changing industry. Faye Egan, a friend in full-time work, recently volunteered in Nakuru, Kenya. Her experience, she claims, could not have been more different. Keen to make a lasting difference, she volunteered with a company called African Adventures and worked at projects near the Hilton Dump site in Nakuru. Travelling alongside Ely College and Ormiston Sudbury she was delighted at the way the organisation, the projects and the volunteers worked with each other to support sustainable projects and make a difference. Ely College’s Group leader, Mark Sirot-Smith, commented on the impact of volunteering both on his students and the children at the projects in Kenya.

“First there was the confidence they gained through the fundraising process. Initially many students didn’t believe that they could raise £1500 each, but they all did – through quizzes, curry nights, sponsored events, race nights and by directly approaching businesses. What they discovered was that many people are keen to help them, but want to see that they have taken some initiative and are not simply relying on others for hand-outs. I think they surprised themselves.”

“Many of the team had never really experienced success before, but to achieve what they did and to be told how well they had done was a real boost”

“In Kenya they had to work as a team, which is very important, but what I think they gained most of all was belief in themselves and what they could achieve. Many of the team had never really experienced success before, but to achieve what they did within a week and to be told how well they had done was a real boost to them.

“The benefit is longer term – all of them have started to understand what they can do rather than what they can’t. They have started to believe in themselves and understand how much richer life can be if you give yourself. I truly believe this experience will be the making of the team. Volunteer in Africa, but make sure you do it with a purpose not simply as a holiday. The extras such as the safari are lovely but without the volunteering it would have been an empty experience.

“Be prepared to get emotionally involved – go as a volunteer and a human being, not a teacher”

“Be prepared to get emotionally involved – go as a volunteer and a human being, not a teacher. Be prepared to muck in and lead by example. It’s a lot of work and there are times when you will think – never again, but the impact of the experience overcomes all these and the high you experience when you see your students achieve great things is immeasurable. I’m totally hooked!”

Oliver King, from Ormiston Sudbury School, who led a similar trip to Kenya, had similar thoughts on his student’s experience. “Eleanor Roosevelt said ‘do one thing every day that scares you’. Wifi, hot water and electricity are all things I no longer take for granted, not just because we went without for a few hours at a time but because we worked with young people every day succeeding with much less.”

I believe travelling is crucial to development. Recently groups from King Richard’s School in Portsmouth and Ross Hall School in Glasgow volunteered in Kenya, both schools from deprived areas of their respective cities. All of the students had to fundraise in order to pay their trip costs and did so successfully. I don’t doubt in the slightest how beneficial this has been for those children.

“Their target market? Well, it’s certainly no longer exclusively individual groups of wealthy gap year students”

Perhaps volunteering abroad is more than just a line on a CV for today’s students. Providers such as African Adventures maintain that they are project led, which is a welcome change. Sustainable projects assisted, but not dictated by, UK run organisations are becoming more common. These organisation’s successes are rightly judged by the successes of their partner schools and projects in-country. Their target market? Well, it’s certainly no longer exclusively individual groups of wealthy gap year students. School, college and university students all attest to the immeasurable value of volunteering abroad. It’s about time. Volunteering shouldn’t be a dirty word and it certainly shouldn’t be seen as some sort of exclusive club. It might surprise many that an awful lot of good can be done by volunteering, you can actually help people and make a difference. Who knew?

“The most incredible experience I had on my voyage was not the one you might expect”

Lauren Hartig, Director of the Field Office at Semester at Sea, shares the final instalment in a three-part blog series on her travel adventures.

The most incredible experience I had on my voyage was not the one you might expect. Each of the diverse countries we visited offered a unique experience seemingly better than the last. I also managed to eat my way through the local offerings of each new city several times over. Pintxos for life! However, now that I am back in San Diego, the memories that keep resurfacing and the homesick feeling I have is for the ship itself. Along our voyage, the MV Explorer became a special community, its own country in a way, our homeport.

In grad school and in my professional career, I have studied the benefits of living-learning communities. Currently I work with the International House UCSD, which is part of a worldwide consortium of international houses across the globe. There are four key factors that define this sense of community: membership, influence, fulfillment of individual needs, and shared events/emotional connections.

The ship was our safe harbor, the place where we said good-bye and welcomed each new port, ten times over. Our cabins became our sanctuary, some cleaner than others. We sat together in the dining halls, the pool deck, the classrooms, and the union. We shared the details and photos of our adventures with each other and planned for new experiences.

“There are four key factors that define this sense of community: membership, influence, fulfillment of individual needs, and shared events/emotional connections”

During the day while at sea everyone was usually busy working, studying, and taking classes, but we also had special days of no class like the Sea Olympics. The Sea Olympics were organized by the extremely talented student life team and included activities for all ages and all levels. I was happy to compete in the trivia contest, but there was also synchronized swimming, basketball, and comedy shows. Overall, it is important to keep up a regular fitness routine because the food in the dining halls is served buffet style (with dessert)! The gym on the ship is small, but my friend and faculty member Amber Johnson, who also happens to be a Ninja Warrior, taught sunset yoga classes on the 7th deck!

From students, staff, and faculty dressing up and sitting/dancing side by side at the Alumni Ball to students and faculty/staff children wearing pajamas to the Union for the cultural/logistical pre-ports, the ship was a floating university. It was an incredibly unique 25,000 ton traveling campus. One that even hosted a TEDxSemesteratSea event on the way to Finland. As the shipboard drive and our moving convocation ceremony demonstrated, membership into the SAS alumni makes us a part of an exceptional group of people. I can’t wait to see what the students from our voyage accomplish out in the world and I am continually impressed by what students from previous voyages have accomplished (check out Pencils of Promise and Kiva).

“Membership into the SAS alumni makes us a part of an exceptional group of people. I can’t wait to see what the students from our voyage accomplish”

There were many sunsets to behold on our 66 days at sea, most of them I witnessed from my special spot on the fifth deck starboard side outside my office. The final Administration Team meeting held on our last day as sea was filled with laughter and love (and some tears). In a very short time, I grew to respect and cherish the professional relationships and connections I made on this voyage more so than any place I have ever worked.
My final farewell to the staff and students and faculty of the Summer 2014 voyage was not a good-bye per say, but a ‘sea’ you later. My peripatetic self will not let me stay put for long so I know there are many visits across the country and faraway travel in my future. If I am really blessed, I will one day get to sail again with Semester at Sea.

“How students gather, view and share data is undergoing a silent revolution, thanks to innovations like cloud computing and touchscreen technology”

Marlon Gallano from TYD shares some thoughts and a handy infographic on how YouTube videos can be used to enhance in-classroom teaching.

How students gather, view and share data is undergoing a silent revolution, thanks to innovations like cloud computing and touchscreen technology. Although many teachers long for the good old days, they have to admit, they find it far faster and easier to update tests, lessons and books virtually using today’s modern methodologies. Education is becoming globally-expansive, uniting students and educators around the world, thanks to modern teaching methods.

And then there’s YouTube. YouTube videos takes the education transformation to another level. With the availability of a variety of topics, teachers have the tools they need at their fingertips to teach everything and anything they want with ease.

You may have utilised YouTube to figure out how to fix that annoying printer problem or create a weekend craft project, but did you know it provides a variety of interesting learning channels to engage and create a spark in your students?

And if you still insist on using traditional methods of teaching, that’s okay. YouTube is an effective classroom companion to book learning, helping students struggling with a topic or complex concept.

Although students are changing, education can keep up with those changes by embracing innovation. Thanks to modern technology, we can update our classrooms and teaching methods to connect with students and how they want to learn today.

 “Presented in a manageable way, data can be used to predict attainment, readily identify issues and implement the appropriate early intervention strategies”

Dr Paul Dowland, Senior Lecturer at Plymouth University and the architect of the S³ data system, discusses how data collected by systems such as Cengage Learning’s MindTap on the online activity of students, is being used effectively to identify top resources, improve the student experience and underpin success at university.

Student data in the form of exam results has been used in the past to evaluate the performance of individual departments within universities and student outcomes. Today universities are taking this one step further, using real-time data on student attendance, frequency of access to the university’s virtual learning environment (VLE) and level of contact with tutors. This is helping to improve student retention and results, as well as ensuring courses are better run.

Student analytics is defined by the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) as the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for the purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs.

All universities have access to student data through their record systems and learning environments. Presented in a manageable way, this data can be used to predict attainment, to readily identify issues and to implement the appropriate early intervention strategies.

“It is important to remember that while data can be very useful, human skills are still required to interpret and apply the information in a useful way”

Data vs. human

It is important to remember that while data can be very useful, human skills are still required to interpret and apply the information in a useful way. One-to-one meetings between a lecturer and a student can uncover details that data analysis alone would be unable to provide.

A clear institution-wide policy on the role of data drawn from student analytics should be agreed at the onset. Data typically draws on information that is easy to measure, for example, it can confirm that a student has taken a book, but not if they have read it.

Data protection

Universities should ensure that students understand exactly why their personal data is being collected, processed and stored. It is also important that universities resist collecting too much data, irrespective of its relevance – the motivation for any system should be to facilitate information sharing for the benefit of the students.

“Universities should ensure that students understand exactly why their personal data is being collected, processed and stored”

Technology

At Plymouth University, we use the Student Support System (S³) to collect assessment submissions, monitor academic attainment, tutoring and attendance records. This helps lecturers to better manage and support over 15,000 students.

Commercial companies that store and analyse data include Oracle, SAS, Newton and Cengage Learning’s MindTap. MindTap is a new personal learning experience that combines all of the university’s digital assets – readings, multimedia, activities, and assessments,integrates with the university’s VLE and allows tutors to set mock exams using the assessment feature to track student progress and to identify areas where further tuition is required.

The future

Student analytics is an important development in higher education as, in an increasingly competitive market, the potential for using data to improve services, student retention and student success is clearly evident.

“Usually you wouldn’t expect an English Teacher and a Consultant Physician to have too much in common work-wise, but that day was different”

Andy Johnson, Development Manager at The London School of English looks at the decision by the General Medical Council to revise its criteria for assessing knowledge of English amongst its members, which comes into effect this week, and the implications of these changes.

I saw a friend of mine recently who is a doctor. He’s also an Arsenal fan, though he doesn’t like to admit that at the moment! We spoke about a number of things before the conversation turned to football and eventually to work. Usually you wouldn’t expect an English Teacher and a Consultant Physician to have too much in common work-wise, but that day was different and it had nothing to do with Arsène Wenger’s team. The reason was IELTS.

The General Medical Council (GMC) announced earlier this year that from 18 June 2014, the minimum IELTS scores they accept as evidence of knowledge of English when registering doctors to work in the UK will be:

• A score of at least 7.0 in each of the four areas tested (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
• And an overall score of at least 7.5

The GMC will accept only the academic version of the IELTS test. For those who are unfamiliar with the IELTS scores (ranging from 1 – 9), a score of 7.5 sits between a good, and very good user of English. Bands 6 – 9 break down as follows:

An overall score of 7.5 is a big ask. While a minimum score of 7.0 through the four modules – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking – seems achievable, now it is not enough. If you score 7.0 in say, speaking and writing, candidates would now need to score a minimum of 8.0 in the reading and listening papers to reach the minimum overall score. That is going to be very difficult for many candidates.

“An overall score of 7.5 is a big ask. That is going to be very difficult for many candidates”

Since these changes were announced by the GMC to its members, there has been quite an emotive response. If you take a look at the comments section on the GMC’s site, you get a sense of the depth of feeling on this topic.

Some have accused the GMC of outright discrimination, while others have warned that the UK should brace itself for a shortage of doctors in the coming months. There is an acceptance that of course a good working knowledge of English is a prerequisite to working in the UK, but this is tempered with a belief amongst members that the GMC is setting the bar too high, and that language command alone does not make you a good or bad doctor.

I cannot comment on that last point, but as a teacher with experience of the Academic module of the IELTS exam, I know how hard it is for any student to achieve an overall score of 7.5. I can understand the consternation amongst doctors and wonder if the GMC is making a rod for its own back. My friend felt the same. As a native speaker who works with many doctors for whom English is not their first language, he had a lot of sympathy with those who are going to be affected by these new requirements.

“I can understand the consternation amongst doctors and wonder if the GMC is making a rod for its own back”

The strict deadline doesn’t make things any easier. Students taking one of our intensive IELTS preparation courses often see their overall IELTS scores rise by up to one band. As with many things though, making leaps seems easier the lower the level, but the work required to keep improving becomes more difficult the higher up the scale you go.

That’s not to say that all is lost. Students can find many tips for improving their scores – for example, this blog post from The London School’s Laura, What to do in the IELTS exam, as well as practice activities on London School Online. At the school we see students scoring high on IELTS all the time.

You can hear from Malika, a former student who achieved an 8.0 in her exam here: Malika interview video.

This was originally posted on The London School’s language blog.

“International schools provide a comprehensive cross-cultural education that gives students access to a global, mobile community that is defined by its internationalism”

Emily Buchanan, a professional writer living in Norwich, UK, who’s passionate about education, the environment, and human rights, writes on the value of an international education and the ‘third culture’ identity of students at international schools.

For a young family which is given the opportunity to relocate abroad for a new job or promotion, there are going to be a number of things to consider. From accommodation to healthcare, planning before you go is paramount to a successful move. One of the most important things to come to terms with is education. As a newcomer, what can you expect from an international school and how will it change the way your child defines themselves?

International schools are ideal for expat families in that they cater to students who are not nationals of the host country. This can include children of international business owners, international organisations and companies, foreign embassies, NGOs, charities or missionary programs.

On first glance, this may concern some parents. After all, how will your child mix with their peers if their school is populated by students from other countries? However, many local children attend international schools to learn English and to obtain qualifications that they might not have access to in other schools – such as the International Baccalaureate, Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations.

These certificates of education are highly regarded and for this reason, demand for an international education is high. The market has grown exponentially in recent years, with statistics from the International School Consultancy Group (ISC) predicting that by the end of the year, there will be 7,200 international schools teaching over 3.7 million students in English.

“Rather than identifying with any one country or culture, many internationally-educated children and adults will consider themselves global citizens”

This market growth can partially be attributed to the advance of globalisation but also to the growth of the middle classes in emerging markets. This new population of working, well-off families has meant that in some markets, 80% of enrolment demand is from local parents who want to prepare their children for foreign university degrees. When you consider that 20 years ago, most international schools were dominated by expat students, it just goes to show how well integrated international schools have become within their local communities.

International schools provide a rigorous and comprehensive cross-cultural education that immerses students in multiple languages and gives them access to a global, mobile community that is defined by its internationalism. Anyone who has been to international school or knows someone who has will appreciate the unique cultural identity this gives you.

Firstly, if you are always on the move, your children will have spent very little time in their country of origin. Therefore, rather than identifying with any one country or culture, many internationally-educated children and adults will consider themselves “global citizens” or “Third Culture Kids”.

At an international school, where you’re from is less about birthplace and more about cultural identity. “As an expat student your cultural identity ends up being difficult to categorise,” Hannah Smith, a 16-year-old British-Taiwanese student currently living in Beijing, writes in the Guardian. “This lack of definition means that I’ve ended up in a murky haze of different cultures, with bits and pieces from everywhere I’ve lived and everyone I’ve met.”

“International students’ culture can be spotted in their tell-tale ‘international school accent’ which is a kind of transatlantic timbre that’s difficult to place”

International students relate to each other through this hybrid identification process and eventually settle on a culture that is typified by their education. This can be spotted in their tell-tale “international school accent” which is a kind of transatlantic timbre that’s difficult to place. The result of an English-speaking education that encourages bilingual conversations and cross-cultural lessons, international school accents give their students a sense of belonging and a root in an otherwise culturally disparate environment.

One of the many great advantages of international school is that students are more open to people from all walks of life. In the very fabric of their education, students are exposed to a multitude of cultures, languages, religions and values. They learn how to adapt quickly to change and how to form and nourish fast friendships. This promotes a broad-minded spirit and a multicultural attitude of acceptance. Indeed, with multiculturalism and International Baccalaureate qualifications increasingly transforming state schools, international schools might not be traditional, but they certainly reflect the future of education in a truly globalised world.