Page 2 – Industry insight from professionals in international education

The core considerations for international teachers in new cultures

“There’s a world out there to explore and teachers are uniquely placed to experience new surroundings while helping the next generation”

There are many benefits to teaching abroad and it is becoming a more popular choice for teachers with the current state of Britain’s educational and political system.

If you are considering or have already made the decision to teach abroad then there a few things you might want to consider before making the move. Do your research on locations and schools where you would like to teach before applying and accepting any offers. See what the job has to offer as a package, different countries may offer different packages.

A large number of international teaching packages should offer a competitive salary and include accommodation, medical insurance, visa costs and annual flight allowance.

All of these elements are dependent on if you’re moving alone or with a partner and/or children. If you have children, your school should provide free school places for them if they are unable to attend the school where you work.

“Seeing online education as a ‘cheaper’ way to deliver higher education has long been debunked in the US”

Finding new ways to teach and accredit soft skills has never been more important, writes director and co-founder of UK Education Guide, Pat Moores. In this blog, she explores some of the lessons that educators can learn by observing the practices being adopted stateside.

At a recent presentation at the British Council’s International Education Conference, I was interested to note that none of the attendees at my session had ever heard of Western Governors University (WGU) or Competency-Based Education (CBE).

No big deal, of course, there are well over 5,000 US colleges, so not having heard of one is hardly a crime, but why does WGU matter and why does CBE matter too?

It is estimated 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet and 65% of children starting school will one day hold jobs that do not exist now. It is widely anticipated that many existing jobs will be replaced by robots/AI.

“360s are a brilliant online tool for international students to use in helping them make the right decision for their education needs”

Ash Burling is a senior photographer at Revolution Viewing – the sector’s leading provider of rich media solutions. In this blog, he explains why viewers like 360° images so much and why you should be using them in your international marketing.

If a picture says a thousand words, how much is a 360° one saying? Well to be honest: a lot more. 360s get the international viewer right into the heart of a university environment so they have a completely immersive experience of viewing it.

Imagine you’re a student in Dubai looking to study at the University of Hull, but you’re unable to visit. No worries, just check out the 360 tour we made for them! You get to explore the full campus and the facilities from the comfort of your own home.

January 22, 2020
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Innovation, International student recruitment

UK study: the challenges facing Turkish students

“For many of them, receiving their acceptance letters is only the first of many hurdles”

By the UCAS deadline today, 15 January, thousands of Turkish students will have submitted applications to study in the UK. In this blog, Remzi Gur of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board discusses the challenges facing Turkish students attending UK universities.

The UK has been one of the most popular international destinations for Turkey’s ambitious student population, with 3,440 currently enrolled in universities around the country. The majority of them are postgraduates, studying business, social science, engineering and law.

Turkish applicants will have spent months, if not years, preparing to apply for competitive places in the UK’s most prestigious academic institutions. However, for many of them, receiving their acceptance letters is only the first of many hurdles. I am worried that the increasing complexity of the student visa processes and rising international tuition fees are driving many students away from the UK.

As The PIE News has reported, every year we hear of more and more Turkish students being denied student visas. The majority face rejections by British consulates in Turkey even after they have received offers to study in prestigious universities. Some agencies in Turkey assisting students with this process have reported visa denial rates as high as 60%.

” In Finland for example, there is no national testing, no school inspections and no school league tables”

The latest Program for International Student Assessment results has prompted questions about what certain countries are doing better than others when it comes to the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems around the globe. In this blog, head of School at ACS International School Cobham, Barnaby Sandow, explores some of the lessons that can be learned from Finland.

Scandinavian countries are world-famous for promoting happiness and wellbeing – and also for their exceptional education, whether measured in academic results, student happiness or overall progress to learning objectives.

You may have seen the 2019 PISA results recently which illustrated that most countries – particularly in the developed world – have seen little improvement in their performances over the past decade, even though spending on education increased by 15 per cent over the same period.

The report – outlined in this insightful editorial comment – concludes that huge numbers of graduates are therefore likely to struggle to find their way through life in an increasingly volatile, digital world.

“Every student emerges from primary schooling with a vague awareness of other countries and cultures… this isn’t the same thing as comprehending them”

With connectivity and modern advances, the world has only gotten smaller and will continue to do so. Despite this, there are many channels for our biases and perceived differences to persist and be amplified elsewhere.

It’s important to remember that each of us is just one small piece of humanity. This is why international study opportunities can be so powerful for developing well-rounded, culturally aware, humanistic students and citizens. The following is a look at why cultural education is so important and how studying abroad supports it.

“With today’s mounting pressures on research funding… research practitioners in HE, government, and NGOs face a mounting challenge”

Research has a long tail. The vaccine for Polio — the devastating viral epidemic linked to thousands of cases of paralysation and death in the first half of the 20th century — was launched in 1955.

The impact is still being felt today (and forevermore): according to the World Health Organisation, more than 18 million people walk today who would have been paralysed without the vaccine. Yet, the initial exploratory research project that looked at the poliovirus started and finished decades ago.

It’s precisely this recognition of the long-tail effects of research that is driving an emerging conversation around the assessment of research activity both in the UK and globally.

With today’s mounting pressures on research funding, especially following the global credit crunch, research practitioners in higher education, government, and NGOs face a mounting challenge: how can they continue to expand the borders of intellectual discovery, while investing in research activities that lead to impact and achieve the desired mission?

“Identifying the gaps in language proficiency for each individual is only the beginning”

Kate Bell is co-author of the EF English Proficiency Index. In this blog, Bell examines how subtleties in employee proficiency affect the types and depth of language training that employers must provide.

From the outside, foreign language proficiency looks simple—either you speak a language or you don’t—but anyone who grew up receiving calls from grandparents abroad or who has worked for a few years in a foreign country knows that most people’s linguistic terrain is more of a swamp than a soccer field.

This is because our language skills develop over the course of decades as a result of inclination, exposure, education, and practice.

January 3, 2020
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ELT, Language travel, Skills, Teaching, Testing

What’s heating up in international higher education for 2020?

“In 2020, we see campuses adapting to new norms by putting processes in place to proactively help international students feel welcome”

Anthony Rotoli, CEO of Terra Dotta – specialists in enrollment, mobility, and risk management software for higher education – explores some trends that are likely to heat up in international education in 2020.

The world of international higher education is continually changing – whether due to recent shifts in global dynamics, diversifying student populations or international education-focused priorities evolving across institutions.

Also, many colleges are responding to dropping international enrollment numbers among first-year international students, causing them to modify their own recruitment efforts and programs supporting international education. Let’s explore some trends that we see heating up in international education in 2020.

December 20, 2019
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Admin
International student recruitment, Internationalisation, USA, Volunteering

Climate change and the role of international educators

“”As educators, it is our responsibility to help inform students of the implications of their choices and the ways they can offset them”

As concerns around climate change dominate the headlines, John Pearson, VP Operations at non-profit educational organisation FIE explores how educators can help to offset some of the environmentally damaging practices that occur throughout the study abroad experience.

The transformative power of travel and the value of international education is undeniable. Study abroad providers, such as we at Foundation for International Education pride ourselves on offering this opportunity to young adults so that they might become better-rounded, worldly people upon graduating and entering a global economy.

However, with the concerns around climate change dominating the headlines and elections around the world, the question of how to sustainably administer education abroad to the growing number of international students begins to glare us all in the face.