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 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
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
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.
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
Last month, in the Verbalists debating club, we had a lively discussion on the subject of “Modern Dating”. The world of dating has changed dramatically in the past few decades. The old ideas and rituals of courtship are gone, replaced with new standards of relationships and dating. But, are we better off?
Traditional courtship — picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date — required courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of “asynchronous communication,” as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble.
On the other hand, many would argue that today’s communication platforms offer a wider variety of connections, and a wider network seems better than a narrower one. We have cellphones, which facilitate last-minute get-togethers. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook let you connect with a wide variety of people, and you can know someone’s political leanings, interests, and hobbies before you ever meet in person. More options may delay the process of picking one, but it seems to improve the chances of picking the right one, instead of simply settling for what’s in front of you.
“Dating culture has evolved to a cycle of text messages, each one requiring the code-breaking skills of a cold war spy to interpret.” – Alex Williams, The New York Times
“Enough bogus nostalgia for a bygone romantic era. Modern love is not perfect, but women today have choices as never before.” – Jill Filipovic, The Guardian
What do you think? Do you miss the days when a man opened the car door for his date just because he cared? But, is it not much better that today we can learn more about someone before we meet that person? Click here and join this very interesting discussion on our LinkedIn Communication & Languages group.
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
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
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
“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!
