Business English in Canada

Executive language courses in Canada are evolving to meet the needs of the business world, as well as individual clients, and the increasing popularity of such courses attests to their success.

Most language schools in Canada that offer business English courses report that they first became involved in this sector in order to cater for a growing executive student market. The Canadian as a Second Language Institute (CSLI) in Vancouver, BC, first started offering English classes for executives five years ago because, according to Valéria Castro at the school, they "had a high demand from clients and agents asking for business/executive programmes".
Brenda Brandle from the Canadian English Language Centre in Toronto, ONT, says that their school has been catering exclusively for executive clients since 1986. "There was not a programme exclusively for executives and professionals available at the time and as there was a need, we filled it," she explains.

Executive language courses, therefore, are not a new phenomenon in Canada – Language Studies Canada, for example, has been offering such courses for the last 20 years – although there is evidence that the market is continuing to grow. Castro reports that their business programmes have been extremely popular with a variety of nationalities. "We usually have a full class of 16 students but [at times] we [have] had to open two classes of 16 students," she says. "It';s a great programme because it is extremely multicultural [and] usually we have many Europeans, Mexicans and Quebecois students."

At the Pacific Language Institute in Vancouver, BC, Katie Idle agrees that they generally have no trouble filling spaces on their executive language courses. "Our business programmes are extremely popular," she says. "They usually attract students between the ages of 25 to 40, and all nationalities. Many students choose to combine business English with a career-related internship for practical application of their business English outside the classroom."

In terms of course content, executive language programmes tend to stick to the same general language related themes, including giving presentations, negotiating, marketing and interviewing, although schools make a point of emphasising their attention to staying relevant within the wider business world. Some language schools, such as Linguabiz Business English School in Toronto, ONT, go to great lengths to ensure their courses are relevant to individual clients. "All our programmes are reviewed year round on a regular basis in order to keep the content current and up to date," says Majinder Singh at the school. "We design the fast-track [fully customised closed group programme] using the client company materials and documents. This ensures extremely focused and targeted learning. The client invests and expects the highest return on investment."
With executive language courses costing more than most other general language programmes, it certainly pays for schools to ensure that the standard of these types of courses is high. Singh points out that all their business courses are designed and taught by language specialists with MBAs. "This ensures that our courses are always current and focused on the language of business," he relates, "and delivered by teachers who bring with them considerable business knowledge to the classroom."

Advanced language learning is also an integral part of courses in this sector, as Brandle explains. "The [business] programme is learner-centred and as such is tailored to meet the needs and learning style of clients," she says. "We have added an advanced-plus programme [that] involves refining an already very high level of English skills for the purposes of presentations and negotiations."

According to some schools, continued communication with clients and agents is central to ensuring the development of courses, both in content and delivery. "Following requests from many agents, we launched an eight-week diploma in business communication last year," says Idle. "Professionals with limited time available can choose to study our super-intensive – 30 hours per week – or super-intensive plus at 40 hours per week."

http://www.hothousemedia.com/ltm/ltmbackissues/oct05web/oct05spotlight.html

Brazil's strength
	The Brazilian language travel market soared in 2004, building on the promising growth experienced during the previous year. Key points The total number of students placed by the 25 agencies in our survey was 5,037 Average business growth was 54 per cent The average length of stay for Brazilian students was 9.1 weeks Business language programmes rose in popularity with 10.5 per cent of students opting for such a course Seventy-six per cent of clients requested host family accommodation Twenty-four per cent of agencies charged a handling fee, down from 30 per cent last year Canada remained the most popular destination, gaining ground on its competitors The UK was noted as an expensive destination and in danger of losing market share Top destinations Most popular courses Canada 32% UK 21% Australia 17.5% USA 13.5% New Zealand 6.5% Spain 4% Germany 2% France 1% Italy 1% General 33.5% Intensive (+25hrs) 26.5% Summer vacation 10.5% Lang + work 10% Business 9.5% Work exp. 6% Junior 4% Exam prep 4% Others 2% Reasons for language travel Top languages Current work 46% Studies overseas 31% Studies at home 53% Other 12% Pleasure 10% Studies at home 2% English 85.5% Spanish 7% French 2.5% Italian 2% German 2% Other 1% How do agencies recruit students? How do agencies find new schools to represent? Word of mouth 55% Other 11.5% Mail shots 9% Advertising in press 8% Website 8% Seminars to students 6% TV/Radio 2.5% Workshops 31% Fairs/expos 25% Other 16% LTM/ETM 15.5% Internet 11% Other press 1.5% Percentage of agents who recognised each of the following organisations Australia Acpet 54% English Australia 63% Canada Capls 63% CLC 54% France Souffle 21% L'Office 17% Unosel 13% FLE 8% Ireland MEI~Relsa 46% IEAI 17% Italy Asils 33% Italian in Italy 25% Malta Feltom 46% New Zealand Appel 25% Crels NZ 13% Education NZ 50% English NZ 58% Portugal Aeple 8% Spain Fedele 58% UK ABLS 29% English UK 71% British Council 96% Europe Eaquals 29% USA AAIEP 46% Accet 79% CEA 17% UCIEP 17% International Ialc 50% Market growth There was a lot of optimism across the 25 agencies that took part in this issue';s Agency Survey. Only one agency reported a decrease in business in 2004, while all other agencies said they had experienced growth last year, citing a favourable exchange rate as the most important factor propelling business. Across all agencies, the average growth rate reached 54 per cent, boosted considerably by the five agencies that reported growths of over 100 per cent, underlining the fact that the Brazilian market is back on form after some slow years (see Language Travel Magazine, June 2004, page 14-15). Language and destination trends Canada remains the most popular destination and has, in fact, gained market share since 2003, accounting for 32 per cent of bookings in 2004 – almost one-third. The USA managed to improve on its performance in 2003, accounting for 13.5 per cent of the vote in 2004 rather than eight per cent. New Zealand, which had been in joint fourth position with the USA in 2003, was nudged into fifth place, with a market share of 6.5 per cent. Ireland was notably absent in the list of top destinations this year. Student and course trends The reasons given by agents for their clients wanting to study overseas has changed dramatically since last year. Current work is now the greatest motivation for travelling overseas, and some agents also cited "future work" as a reason (in the "other" category). In our last survey, almost half of students were studying for their continued studies overseas. This year, agents reported that this was the reason given by just 31 per cent of students. Meanwhile, learning a language overseas for pleasure only accounted for 10 per cent of students'; study motivation, which indicates that there is a significant portion of the Brazilian market that has the financial means to pursue overseas studies for vacation purposes only. Agency business Word-of-mouth recommendation remains the most common way of recruiting, accounting for over half (55 per cent) of new clients, according to the agencies surveyed. Mailshots were the second-most successful method, with an agency';s website actually slipping from its number-two position last year to being only the third-best marketing tactic this year. When finding new schools to work with, workshops were the most productive channel, followed by fairs or exhibitions and then Language Travel Magazine or Education Travel Magazine. On average, agents represented 63 different institutions in 16 countries. Looking ahead The future definitely bodes well for study abroad agencies, most companies agree. But one agency forecast that the more buoyant marketplace will also cause a growth in the number of agencies. Most agencies pointed to the stabilisation of the real as a definite factor boosting demand, while a few also underlined that their new products or marketing plans would also help sales. Economic overview The economic outlook at the end of July this year was one of deceleration but not stagnation, as indicators suggested that Brazil';s economy was slowing. Reductions of 5.9% in job creation and 5.1 points in the index of business confidence were registered. Brazil';s Labour Minister, Luiz Marinho, stated that interest rates have stopped rising, which will allow for the recovery of the exchange rate, also affected by a drop in the US dollar. Marinho said the government aimed to create 100,000 jobs per month to the end of 2006, although job creation was slowing down in mid-2005. "Growth has been weaker but it hasn';t stopped," he said. Sources: Prensa Latina, AE Brazil Brazilian agents named a range of language programmes they work with, including, in Australia: Aspect, various; Australian College of English, various; Geos, various; Holmes Colleges, various; IH Sydney, Sydney. NSW; Phoenix English Language Academy, Perth, WA; PICE, Perth, WA; Shafston International College, Brisbane, QLD; University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW. In Canada: British Columbia College, Vancouver, BC; Canadian College of English, Vancouver, BC; Centre Linguista, various; Cornerstone Academy of English, Toronto, ONT; English School of Canada, Toronto, ONT; Global Village, Toronto, ONT; Hawthorn, Vancouver, BC; ILAC, various; ILSC, various; JLS College, Vancouver, BC; King George International College, various; Pacific Gateway International College, Toronto, ONT; Pacific Language Institute, various; Tamwood International College, Vancouver, BC; Vancouver English Centre, Vancouver, BC; Western Town College, various. In France: Ecole les Roches, Paris. In Germany: Carl Duisberg Centren, various. In Ireland: English in Dublin, Dublin; ISI, Dublin. In Italy: Linguaviva, Florence. In New Zealand: Auckland Language Centre, Auckland; Dominion School, Christchurch; Unique NZ Education, Auckland; Worldwide School of English, Auckland. In Spain: Enforex, various; IH Clic, Seville. In South Africa: Good Hope Studies, Cape Town. In Switzerland: IH Montreux, Montreux. In the UK: Beet Language Centre, Bournemouth; Bell International, Cambridge; Bloomsbury International, London; ELC Bristol, Bristol; IH, London; Hampstead School of English, London; Harrow House International College, Swanage; Oxford House College, London; Malvern House, London; Milner School of English, London; Sprachcaffé, London. In the USA: Cetusa, various; Intrax, San Francisco, CA; New England School of English, Boston, MA; Rennert Bilingual, New York, NY; University of California Riverside Extension, Riverside, CA. Worldwide: ELS Language Centers; Embassy CES; Kaplan. Thank you to the following agencies for taking part in our survey: AF Intercambio; Atrium Turismo; Azics Intercambio Cultural; BEI; BICS; Britannia International English; Canada-Brasil/Mundo Brasil; Embarque Educacional; Exel Cursos e Turismo; Expand Cursos no Exterior; Helena Mirabile Intercambios & Cursos no Exterior; IE Intercambio; IEP Brazil; Integrity Viagens e Turismo; Kangaroo Tours; Learn Abroad; MA Intercambio & Turismo; N&M Exchange Programs and Lang. Courses Abroad; Principal Estudo e Turismo no Exterior; SIC Turismo & Cursos no Exterior; Studium Linguae; Upward Study Abroad & Travel; Via Mundo Intercambio & Turismo; WES Brasil; World Study Network.

http://www.hothousemedia.com/ltm/ltmbackissues/oct05web/oct05agencysurvey.htm

Studying in the USA

Students from across the globe are continuing to pursue degree courses in the USA. Peggy Printz and Alfred Stover explains why the numbers are rising

Maybe you have been dreaming of studying in the U.S.A. for a long time, or maybe you have discovered that you need to improve your English in order to continue your studies or career. You may also have discovered that you can best gain expertise in your field at a particular U.S. university. Certainly your prospects for employment with a U.S. corporation will be enhanced by your U.S. degree.

You have read about the U.S.A., seen American films and videos and talked to Americans. But only the experience of actually living in the U.S.A. will give you the mastery of the language and sympathy with the culture that is necessary for understanding this large and influential country. Many international students arrive in the U.S.A. with misconceptions about American life. They are pleasantly surprised to find that not all Americans are blonde, wealthy or intolerant of others.

Diversity
The land and people of the U.S.A. are incredibly varied. Wherever you choose to study, you will encounter a regional culture rich in history, local traditions and customs. The U.S.A. is a multi-racial society that is still absorbing new immigrants. While students must exercise caution in a few locations, in much of the U.S.A. streets and university campuses are clean and safe.

Differences
U.S. universities may differ from those in the U.K. in several ways. For one thing, classes are generally small. There may be as few as ten to twenty students in a class. While in class, students are encouraged and expected to contribute to the discussion. Professors meet with students in their offices or even share coffee or meals with them. The close relationship between students and faculty serves to motivate students and fosters a personal approach to the curriculum.

Most U.S. university students live on or near the school campus. When you are studying in the U.S.A., you will have many opportunities to join planned and informal activities, spending your leisure and study hours with other students. This will enhance your language skills. From your fellow students you will learn about U.S. culture and about all the other diverse cultures represented on any U.S. campus.

The Leading Edge
While studying in the U.S.A., you will be exposed to some of the most up-to-date developments in technology. You may be fortunate enough to meet and even study with the leading scholars in your chosen field.

Because the U.S.A. is in the forefront of new technology worldwide, at many universities in this country you will benefit from innovations such as state-of-the-art computers, multimedia and networking.

Technology in Student Life
You will encounter and use a wide variety of modern technologies as soon as you arrive on campus. When you sign up for classes, you will register using an automated, interactive system. You may use remote access via telephone or modem when registering. Later you can check your own records, e.g. grades and instructors’ comments, from your remote personal computer, as most college administrative records are now online as well.

Students will use email to communicate with each other and with their instructors as a regular part of class work. Faculty members often create automatic email mailing lists, “listserves” so that students and instructors can easily communicate about specific topics and keep up-to-date with assignments.

Many classrooms are equipped with networked computers that have World Wide Web access for use during class. Often, professors will post course information including syllabi and announcements on a home page on the Internet. This home page may include links to other sites with data, text, graphics, video and sound files related to the content of the course.

As part of their out-of-class work, students are increasingly encouraged or required to gather information from sources on the Internet. For example, at the University of Arizona’s Center for English as a Second Language in Tucson, international students are asked to locate pictures, charts, graphs or other data on the Internet for use in class projects. Increasingly, students will combine digitized photographs, video, sound and graphics with text to illustrate their research papers and class assignments.

If you are learning English, your school may have a multimedia lab. Programs can be customized to each student’s level of English proficiency, so the computer will respond to a student’s inquiries more quickly as he or she develops greater fluency.

During class, a number of students take notes on their laptop computers. The professor may present visual materials using a laptop connected to an overhead projector. You will find that the number of computerized tests, especially standardized tests, is constantly increasing, with the results therefore available more quickly. Use of an identification “I.D.” card doubling as a debit card is probably the easiest way to buy a meal in university dining halls.

Extending your Educational Horizon
Because of computers, your education will no longer be limited to what is available on your own campus:

• More and more universities are using video conferencing for instructional use. Faculty hold classes in rooms equipped with wide screens where they interact with “guest” instructors or experts in other cities.
  
• Distance learning is becoming a factor in the education of many university students.
  
• University libraries use electronic storage and retrieval of information, and online searches of various databases have become commonplace. Encyclopedias, book texts and other reference sources are available via remote access. You can contact other libraries around the world from within your university library or from remote sites.
  
• Potential students can explore information about universities that interest them.
  
• In short, advanced technology has become part of almost every facet of U.S. university life. This is yet another reason why studying in the United States offers specific advantages for someone who wants a career in the new technologies of the 21st century.

By Peggy J. Printz; Editor and Publisher, Study in the U.S.A. magazine, Seattle, Washington, and http://http://www.studyusa.com/ website, and Alfred D. Stover, Ph.D.; Network and Database Manager of the Center for English as a Second Language at the University of Arizona

Links [immigration process]

Helpful Internet links in navigating through
the immigration process

US Embassies Abroad
http://travel.state.gov/links.html

USICE - Special Registration
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/enforce/imm/imm_sr.htm

DHS Special Notice
http://travel.state.gov/special%20notice.html

Visa Processing for Citizens of North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan,
Iran, Iraq & Libya
http://travel.state.gov/visa/section306.html

Visas for Third Country Nationals in Canada or Mexico
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tcn.html

Visa Process Guide
http://www.uga.edu/gaie/gettingavisa.pdf

Fees for Visa Services
http://travel.state.gov/visa/%20photorequirementsivdv.html

Visa Denials
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_denials.html

US VISIT
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/content_multi_image/
content_multi_image_0006.xml

Airport Security - Web videos in various languages
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0435.xml

Airpost Status
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

What to expect upon arrival at a US port of entry
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/enforce/imm/sevis/
poe_factsheet23jan04.doc

SEVIS Fee
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/factsheets/sevisfactsheet.htm