Responding to a new survey which reveals half of international students don’t feel ‘global’, Tutors International founder Adam Caller supports call for increased global perspective in education

Following a report issued by the Centre of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick in May 2018, Adam Caller – founder of leading global private tutoring company Tutors International – has issued a statement supporting the prioritisation of a ‘global education experience’ for students. The report, entitled ‘The Internationalisation of Higher Education: Developing Global Graduates’, polled more than 2,360 students from six universities in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Germany, with results revealing that students felt they were lacking experience across five key areas: communication skills, foreign language learning skills, social integration, academic integration and global skills and support. [1] Mr Caller noted that Tutors International clients are similarly prioritising a global education for their children, and they find that private tuition enables students to benefit greatly from multicultural, experiential learning.

As reported in The PIE News, [2] the new report acknowledges that businesses are increasingly demanding graduates with ‘global skills’ while also noting that too few possess them. “Universities all over the world have identified internationalisation as a key goal. However, there is currently little understanding of what makes a ‘global graduate’,” it reads.

Responding to these observations, Mr Caller commented, “Because Tutors International clients have the means to travel widely and easily, their children are growing up with a multifaceted international education. Based on my experience of these students, they grow to think of themselves as international citizens able to navigate geographical and cultural boundaries with ease. The tutors we work with recognise the importance of teaching children to be critically interested in everything, appraising and accepting all social, academic, and cultural differences. This is most notable with the tutoring positions which accompany children as their families travel between multiple international homes or locations, but the importance of teaching global skills is recognised by all our clients – and this is something that students from all walks of life should demand from their education.”

Mr Caller believes that the increasing demand for private tutors in itself demonstrates the value of an experiential, global education. Since it was founded in 1999, Tutors International has matched private tutors with families from all over the world for a variety of international placements, including travelling for extended family sabbaticals, travelling between multiple holiday homes or work bases, and even travelling aboard private yachts. “Private tutors are the best placed to use new cultures, environments, and experiences to the learning advantage of their individual student,” added Mr Caller. “However, any talented tutor or teacher should be able to take different cultures, environments, and situations and craft them into a bespoke curriculum, with learning activities uniquely suited to the student and their individual interests, talents, and challenges. A focus on social integration, foreign language learning, and international academic programmes should be employed from the early years stage, in order to best prepare students as they grow for the global citizenship and understanding increasingly sought for in adult life.”

To find out more about Tutors International, the services it provides, and its commitment to providing a global education for each of its students, visit www.tutors-international.com.

ENDS

References

[1] University of Warwick, Internationalisation and the development of ‘global graduates’, May 2018

[2] The PIE News, Half of international students don’t feel ‘global’ according to new survey, May 2018