StudyWorld fam trip guidelines

• Complete the online fam trip registration form and elect one person to be the sole contact with the English UK and act as the trip coordinator.
• The trip coordinator will be responsible for forwarding the details of the agents interested in participating in your trip to all participating hosts for decision (see agent booking procedure) and will also be responsible for confirming the hosts decision to English UK.

Complete the fam trip registration form by Friday 4 July.

NB: Trips with activities scheduled during the official StudyWorld programme, or leaving before 18:00 on the last day of the event will not be promoted by English UK.

Trips tend to be 3-5 days in length. We recommend a group size of 5-10 agents. Trips should visit 3-6 institutions from one or two regions near one another.

The criteria

For English UK to promote your fam trip the following criteria must be met:

• All participating institutions must be a member of English UK or an accredited/ inspected institution (e.g. ISI, BAC, QAA, etc.).
• At least two participating centres attend StudyWorld.
• At least one staff member from a participating institution accompanies the trip.
• The trip co-ordinator/hosts agree to document the trip, e.g. photos and vlogs to be collated and shared with English UK after the trip. These will be used on social media to raise the profile of UK ELT.

Costs/ fees

• English UK does not charge institutions to promote their fam trips.
• To assist with costs, you may wish to apply for sponsorship from your local tourist authority.

When considering organising a trip

• Contact and discuss with other educators in your region the mutual benefits of running a trip. English UK can assist with introducing centres in a region to each other.
• Discuss and agree on a budget for the trip. You will need to provide agents with the following:
  • • Transport to/ from the StudyWorld venue to the fam trip destination and return transport back to an appropriate airport or transport hub
    • Accommodation for the duration of the trip (agents will expect to have their own room with en-suite facilities)
    • Suitable transport to and from their accommodation to the participating hosts during the trip
    • Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the duration of the trip
• Although not essential at first, it helps to discuss and agree who will be responsible for each aspect of the items in the planned itinerary.
• Remember that agents may need to cancel their attendance at the last minute because of sickness, travel restrictions, or other legitimate reasons. Ensure you negotiate flexible terms with any hotels, venues, activities, etc., you contract.

Trip itinerary

• Devise an interesting programme of activities and visits that is well balanced and includes visits to the participating hosts, visits to attractions in the region and a good level of hospitality (see example fam trip itinerary).
  • Centre visits give educators the opportunity to present their courses, facilities and services. You may include tours of buildings and surrounding areas, sample lessons, presentations, or the chance for the agents to chat to students.
  • Include tours of the local area and/or an excursion activity in the timetable. This helps the agents gain insight into the local culture and to better advise students on the benefits of a particular location.
• Each participating host should create an individual welcome and should liaise with other participating hosts to avoid duplication and maximise variety.
• One person from the group of hosts must be responsible for the coordination of the total itinerary to avoid any oversights or omissions in the timings.
• Participating hosts should prepare a welcome information pack to send to agents as soon as they have been offered a place on the trip.
• Your full itinerary (not just the description of the trip) should be sent to the English UK team by the date requested.

Who is invited

• Agent participating in StudyWorld and English UK Partner Agencies will be invited to register for the fam trips.
• Agents are advised that only one representative per agency can attend the same trip. There are occasional exceptions, such as agents requiring translators or travelling with partners. Should this or a comparable situation arise the English UK team will negotiate options with the trip coordinator and agent.
• Agents are charged a non-refundable nominal fee for their participation, which is passed on to trip co-ordinators after the trip.

Agent booking procedure

• English UK will promote the trips on the StudyWorld and English UK websites and in targeted emails.
• It is a two-step booking process for agents.
  1. Agents are sent a Fam Trip Application Form to complete where they choose a first and second choice of trip.
  2. An Agency Company Profile form is sent to the agent, requesting more details about the agency and their courses of interest.
• The trip co-ordinator will receive a notification email when the Agency Company Profile form is submitted so you can review their application.
• Acting on behalf of the group the coordinator can accept or reject an application. The coordinator should not make decisions without consulting all participating hosts.
• The trip coordinator should confirm their decision as quickly as possible. In the case of an agent being offered a place, it is recommended that the coordinator then sends the agent a personalised ‘welcome’ message.

The trip co-ordinator should:

• Provide English UK feedback from the participating institutions and agents.
• Share with English UK a selection of photos and vlogs from the trip
• Send English UK a payment request based on the number of confirmed participating agents at the agreed rate