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How to create effective student testimonials, our perspective

27-November-2018 · by Verbalist

The Importance of Student Testimonials – An Agent’s Perspective

In this day and age selling has become quite an aggressive business – be it the selling of tangible products as well as the selling of services. Education, is by no means an exception to this rule. Nowadays we are living in a world which uses every possible medium to spread the world about whatever it is that Company X or Business Y has to offer. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that when it boils down to making a decision about their future, students all over the world need all the reassurance they can get. READ MORE

Prodirekt at the world’s biggest education event focusing on higher education

16-November-2018 · by Verbalist

PRODIREKT visited their long-term partner, German Language School, and attended their famous party, which this year had a spectacular setting.

Once again, ICEF was very successful in bringing international educators, service providers, work & travel professionals, and the world’s best agents under the same roof, helping them to create strategic partnerships. In fact, the ICEF Berlin workshop, which was held from 3-6 November at the InterContinental Hotel, proved to be the best so far for Prodirekt and its Verbalists Language Network. A total of 2,842 participants from 1,789 organizations, representing 111 countries across six continents, took part in ICEF Berlin 2018.

On the first day, Prodirekt representatives attended valuable seminars and expert panels, relating to trends in the education and student recruitment industry. Maja Merdovic, Education Program Manager at Prodirekt, singled out several seminars as most notable, READ MORE

Top-ranked and quality-focused communication and language education Verbalists YouTube Channel exceeds 1 million video views

21-March-2016 · by Verbalist

Few education YouTube channels can claim the level of devotion earned by the Verbalists Education & Language Network, home to language and sports education as well as study travel; with more than 700 subscribers and 1 million video views, the Verbalists YouTube channel is easily among the most popular for language travel in Europe. READ MORE

Has language learning in the UK been affected by the strong Pound? The leading European agents speak out…

01-January-2016 · by Verbalist

The Study Travel Magazine, one of the best known and most read publications in the education and travel industry, published in its December issue several responses from the leading education agents in East and Southeast Europe on the subject of the strength of the British Pound and its impact on language education opportunities around the globe.

Commenting on how the rise of the British Pound has affected people’s choice of destination for language learning, Maja Merdovic, Education Program Manager at Prodirekt, said that “it has created significant problems for language travel in price sensitive markets”. Students from the Balkan region are somewhat adjusting their preferences, opting for more affordable opportunities to attend language courses and summer camps. In addition, the rising school fees in the UK only exacerbated the whole situation. Consequently, Prodirekt and its Verbalists Language Network “experienced an increase in bookings to Malta, an alternative English learning destination to the UK,” added Maja Merdovic.

This slight shift in destination choice to more accessible areas is also partly due the UK’s lengthy, complex and costly procedure for obtaining an entry visa, which is not needed for Malta.

Agents from regions close by the Balkans, such as Turkey and Russia, noticed a similar trend in their students’ interests, with growing number of students considering Malta in 2015.

Please click here to see the full article in Industry Issues: Agents Speak Out

English language learning and the Manchester United Soccer Schools

20-March-2015 · by Verbalist

Manchester United Soccer Schools’ English language curriculum is unique. Not only does our partner teach using a syllabus where sport is integrated with the English language teaching, but they also use the latest technology to keep our classes interactive, engaging and above all else fun!

The Verbalists Language Network recently spoke to David Pepper, Soccer Schools Head of Academic Studies, to find out more about the English language teaching on the Manchester United camps…

What’s a typical English language lesson like?

“Typically we make our English lessons as interactive and as entertaining as possible, in order to make children feel safe when they are in the classroom; we want all of our students to have the confidence to use their language skills!

We do this by developing a good rapport with the kids and by teaching them that it’s okay to make mistakes, because we learn from these mistakes. We also use football-themed examples, including ones from Manchester United’s first team, which keeps students interested and in turn makes them feel confident.”
READ MORE

Communication and Languages Networking Forum

15-June-2014 · by Verbalist

The Communication & Languages LinkedIn group is a networking forum for senior strategic communicators, media and marketing experts, opinion leaders, educators, school owners, teachers, and young professionals. It connects professionals of varied backgrounds and expertise, yet common interest — effective communication. Please join here

Discussion: Importance of student testimonials

Students are inundated from a young age by pushy marketing tactics. They are justifiably skeptical about the objectivity of educators’ claims, so they often seek reassurance from others who have had to make the same decision that they are about to. Therefore, testimonials can play a powerful role in enhancing integrated marketing communications, particularly for international student recruitment. Unfortunately, testimonials are not used enough by educators, and when they are used, the messages are often polished, providing no authenticity. READ MORE

Greetings to Verbalists from The Brand New Heavies

31-May-2013 · by Verbalist

Guitar player Simon Bartholomew, The Brand New Heavies

The Brand New Heavies are a British music institution whose unique mix of jazz, funk and soul has lit up the dance scene for well over three decades — and shows no sign of stopping. They came to prominence in the early 90’s with hits like “Never Stop” and “Sometimes.” Verbalists had a great pleasure to meet and interview Simon Bartholomew, guitarist and frontman of this famous British band. READ MORE