The power of role models and their influence on us cannot be underestimated. This is particularly true for young people. Whether they are a parent, an athlete, a musician, an actor, or someone else, young people are going to latch onto someone and their accompanying philosophy. They will be influenced by that person’s words, because at their young age they lack the experience and wisdom to know otherwise. When it comes to celebrity role models, media and educators can enhance celebrities’ positive or negative influence on teens, so do we then have the responsibility to channel and explain the messages conveyed by the famous? READ MORE
We talked to Elina about her music, but also about languages since she sings in many different languages. How many actually? Watch our interview to find out and learn more about this charming Swiss-Albanian vocalist.
Elina Spiro Duni is a jazz singer, born in Tirana, Albania. Elina made her first steps on stage at the age of five. Born to an artistic family (her mother and grandfather were writers, her other grandfather was a singer, whereas her father was an actor and theater director), she was exposed early to different types of art. When living in communist Albania, the only opportunity for her was to sing in the “palace of pioneer” (Albanian: Pallati i Pioniereve). In 1992 she settled in Geneva, Switzerland along with her mother. READ MORE
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
FEDELE, which consists of seven associations and 96 Spanish language schools accredited by Instituto Cervantes, invited PRODIREKT and the Verbalists Language Network, as well as 26 other world leading language travel agents to Tenerife for an annual gathering. This year the event took place from September 30 to October 2 in the city of Tenerife, followed by 3-day long familiarization trips to the regions of Andalusia, Valencia and Madrid. READ MORE
Berlin, Germany – 7 November 2016 – The Verbalists Language Network had one of the most successful education fair attendances this year in Berlin. Over the course of the three-day workshop, 1,583 organizations from 100 countries came together at ICEF Berlin to network, learn, and build meaningful connections through 27,267 onsite business meetings. Among the 2,444 participants 1,032 were education agents and 1,412 were educators, service providers, industry associations, or work and travel organizations.
The following ICEF video postcard features highlights from the world’s most important education workshop and the event feedback of Maja Merdovic, Education Program Manager with Verbalists, made by Schools & Agents. READ MORE
Last week, PRODIREKT and Verbalists representatives enjoyed the privilege of being one of the select few companies to be invited to an exclusive Manchester City Football Language School VIP event, organised by Experience English, the leading UK educator, owned by FTI Travel Group. We also used this opportunity to pay a visit to our other partner schools, making this 10-day visit a real island adventure. With a tight schedule, we toured 5 UK cities in 10 days, quite fascinating, to say the least. What made it so? Read on… 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.
