Author name: Jerome Cheok

  There is no denying that education has changed dramatically over the past year due to covid 19. More than 1.5 billion students were affected worldwide according to UNESCO with many of those turning to online learning as their main source of education. Although there has been a rapid increase since the pandemic, there was already an emerging trend of education turning to online learning as a way to supplement and enhance traditional learning.  According to a 2002 Sloan Foundation survey less than 50% of education institutions expected online learning to be part of their ongoing educational plan whereas by 2011 that number had risen to 66% and by 2013 90% of students were anticipated to take at least one online course in the coming years. This highlights the growing understanding that online learning has within education, it’s simply now that people are starting to really take notice.  So, looking forward, how will studying abroad be affected by this change to online learning? How can studying abroad and travelling to a different country be synonymous with online learning and staying at home? It’s time to think outside the box and see how you can make both works to your advantage.      Structured Camps vs Flexible Learning: Studying abroad will always be a constant within the industry, there is simply no replacing jumping on a plane and discovering a new culture, learning a new language and creating unforgettable memories. However for some students, this will be too expensive or too much of a commitment away from home and therefore instead of missing out on a client, you should be thinking of alternatives for those students in an online capacity. Flexibility is key for online learning, don’t forget that.      Expensive vs Cost-effective: We all know that studying abroad isn’t cheap with only the middle classes being able to send students abroad. Online education opens up the doors to a wider range of students and with them a wider range of clients to offer programmes. The cost-effective nature and scalability of online programmes mean that although the profit margin may be less, the possibilities are endless. Just think, no visa or flights to organising, no group leaders or welcome orientation meetings before the camp, online means quick and easy for everyone involved. The content can still be high quality but the ease of accessing that content is much simpler and far more scalable.         Physical vs Online Programmes: Online learning has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and rapidly improved in the past year because of the global pandemic. What used to be considered dull can now offer a multitude of learning opportunities and there is no reason that it can’t be just as valuable to students as a physical programme. The past year has made the transition to online programmes in combination with study tours easier with people understanding the concept and being open to new ideas much more than they were previously. Online programmes that we have offered at BlueSky include international online exchanges, virtual homestays, ModelUN, Video Game Design, University Taster Lectures, Culture Classes and even Yoga! Honestly, the opportunities are endless if you don’t place limits on yourself and on your students. They are much more willing to change and adopt new ideas than they might have previously been.     Stand-alone vs Blended Learning: Online learning can come in many forms. It can be a standalone lesson or course focusing on a particular topic or learning point. However, it can also be part of a blended learning platform combining study abroad with online learning. For students to get the most out of their study abroad programme, a few sessions before their trip online could be the perfect way to complement the camp and prepare students for what they will expect both linguistically, practically and culturally. For parents it provides peace of mind, for agents it provides extra income and for students it provides the opportunity to get excited about their upcoming adventure – talk about a win, win, win! 

In an increasingly globalized world, there is no doubt gaining an international education and a global perspective is a high-value asset for students. It can be difficult at times to see the tangible benefits of studying abroad, especially for shorter programmes that are a little better than trumped-up sightseeing trips with slight educational overtones. This is further exacerbated by high costs and geopolitical issues, especially over the last few years and in the wake of covid. When students participate in a good program there are numerous benefits students will enjoy in their personal lives, in school, and professionally. In this post, I want to go over some of the benefits that students can gain from studying abroad, whatever their age and wherever they go. Now I might be a bit biased because I did several study abroad trips through school and even did my Master’s overseas, but studying abroad is one of the biggest and easiest advantages for students to seize in an increasingly competitive job and university candidacy market.  Insights into Foreign Universities and Majors One of the hardest parts about planning for university is figuring out what you’re going to study in the first place, let alone where you’re going to go. There are so many options in terms of majors and schools, with massive financial consequences for making the wrong decision, from student loan debt to being stuck in a field that you don’t enjoy or doesn’t pay dividends on your initial investment. Going on a study tour before university is a great way to offset some of these risks. By visiting a country before you enter university you can learn about the universities in that country as well as popular majors and truly good study tours will include opportunities to interact with local students giving students a firsthand look at what they can expect from university life. At BlueSky, we endeavour to give every student the opportunity to meet with students from the area of study they’re interested in so they can make the crucial decision of their major with confidence.  Building Resilience and Self-reliance Leaving home for the first time can be a big shock for students, especially if they have no experience living outside their parents’ home. Studying abroad gives students the opportunity to live abroad and develop more independent life skills, and parents can be at ease knowing that on most study abroad trips 24 hour support is only a phone call away. Ordering at restaurants, asking directions and just living everyday life in a foreign country is going to be a massive boost to students’ self-confidence and resilience. Building an Understanding of Foreign Culture and Business Perhaps the most immediate benefit of studying abroad is gaining an appreciation for and understanding of foreign cultures, and importantly, that knowledge of how business in that country is conducted. Gaining a deeper understanding of a culture through first-hand experience is going to provide invaluable insight in the future. Many study abroad programs now include business elements such as company tours, talks, and internships, further solidifying these benefits. Students will also be exposed to new ideas and ways of doing things that they can incorporate into their own lives giving them a host of advantages over their peers.  Building a Global Network This one follows from the previous point but is one that not a lot of people think of when they think about why students should study abroad, and that is the opportunity to start building a network of global connections before even leaving school. It’s an age-old adage in business that networks are the key to success. While visiting other countries students will have the opportunity to make friends who will not only broaden their perspectives but also create networks that can be invaluable professionally and boost future employability wherever students go. Good study abroad programmes will give students multiple opportunities to interact with students, not only during the program but also during online pre and post-learning online sessions where students will be able to cement and continue to develop these relationships.  Higher Employability and Better Admissions to Universities and Grad Schools It’s no doubt that today students are facing far fiercer competition for university positions and jobs than they ever have in the past, from home and abroad. Many universities today have acceptance rates below 10% and competition for jobs at major companies is even worse. Having gone on study tours or having studied abroad make an excellent addition to any student’s resume and helps them to stand out in a crowded field. You don’t have to take my word for it, job agencies consistently emphasize the importance of international travel and global perspective for candidates.  Improved Language and Communication Skills Lastly, let’s not forget perhaps the biggest benefit of studying abroad, improving your language skills. Ask anyone learning a foreign language and they will tell you they learned a lot more a lot faster by immersing themselves in the language and culture than they ever did in a classroom. Not to say that there isn’t value in studying a language at home but students will learn a lot faster and gain a deeper understanding of the language than they ever could in the classroom at home. Communicating does more than just improve a student’s ability to speak that language, taking students out of their element and exposing them to a host of new cultures, customs and experiences is going not only improve their ability to communicate in that country’s particular language but make them an all-around better communicator, in any language.  I hope this helps illustrate some of the key benefits of study abroad and sparks some interest in offering these kinds of opportunities to your students. Personally, I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had studying internationally for anything in the world, and given the opportunity and the right program, your students will love it too. At BlueSky Education, we build our programs around helping students develop real-world skills that they

Last week some of our BlueSky staff attended the International & Bilingual China Schools Conference 2020. Due to  Covid-19 this event was held online this year but it definitely didn’t disappoint!  We were treated to talks on how the education industry is coping in the midst of the pandemic, how technology is impacting learning and what the future holds for students and schools moving forward.  It was also a great opportunity for us to talk with international schools and partners to help us understand this side of the industry in more depth so that we can offer our clients the best possible programmes to suit their needs.  At BlueSky, we are constantly learning, just like our students and meeting with people within the industry helps us grow as a company to make sure we are offering the most cutting edge programmes for our students. As always our academic team of experts are hard at work designing new programmes and content, incorporating what we learned from experts across the industry. We look forward to continuing to offer high quality academic content and look forward to welcoming all of our students back either virtually or in person. 

2020 is an exciting year for BlueSky Education. Over the past 2 years our little business has expanded rapidly and we thought that it was time we refreshed our look to keep up with our ever growing brand. We are very excited to have our new logo now in action along with this brand new website which will hopefully make booking camps easier for those who are coming as individuals instead of groups.  Along with our rebranding we are adding lots of extra features to camps to make sure that our students get the absolute best experience we can offer. This includes updated lesson plans, new student booklets and pre-camp materials to name but a few things.  We have some very cool new t-shirts too for all of our students to take home with them after the programme is finished so we are excited for our first group of 2020 to come and try them out!  We can’t wait to welcome our 2020 students this year with our new branding in tow!

Ryan McQuade, graduate from the University of Sydney with 10 years experience in the education sector is to take over operations in Australia.

BlueSky Team members from around the globe met in Singapore to prepare for another year of fun camps.

Evidence from the UK and Australia show that large numbers of employers highly value graduates with overseas study experience, offering a…

International College Management Sydney (ICMS) will be on offer for groups to both stay and study at starting in 2020.