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Corporate Relocation

Virtual Tutoring Helps Ensure Successful Relocations

Many transferees relocating with children can benefit from virtual tutoring. When family matters are taken into account, relocations are more likely to be successful. Relocation programs should include career support for spouses. They should also take care to ensure children’s needs are met. School searches and identifying specific needs helps ensure children acclimate well to their new location.

GMS spoke with Inigo Lopez, CEO of BiCortex Business Language Services. Through their experience and research, Inigo’s company has determined that one of the main reasons relocation programs do not succeed is because the family’s adaptation to their new location is not successful. Inigo agreed to share his expert guidance on this topic.

Helping Children Learn at Their Own Pace With Virtual Tutoring

In Inigo’s experience, children learn faster than adults. They also generally do not experience problems learning languages. However, adapting to their new school is usually the hardest part of the whole relocation experience. School curriculums are different in every country and therefore the requirements will differ between international schools.

Virtual tutoring sessions give the opportunity for parents to be more flexible with their time. At the same time, parents can obtain professional support for their children’s learning across a wide range of school subjects. The extent of tutoring can range from regular lessons or just a little help before an exam.

Virtual Tutoring Options

BiCortex provides tutoring for children in a wide variety of subjects, including:

  • Language (Portuguese, Italian, German, English, Spanish, French)
  • Mathematics, Geometry
  • Chemistry, Science, Biology, Physics
  • Writing/Composition, Literature
  • History
  • Geography

At BiCortex, the tutoring session may be one-to-one, either online or in-person. However, it may also be virtual tutoring in groups with other children, perhaps located in other countries. For example, currently BiCortex is conducting lessons for both Italian and French. In each group there are 3-5 children, aged 9 to 11. The children are from: Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States.

Adaptive Virtual Tutoring

BiCortex can provide the right trainer that adapts to your child’s needs. The company can also offer tutoring in the child’s native language if preferred.

Some of the tutoring courses BiCortex provides are the following:

  • Academic Text Revision/Proofreading Services
  • School Tutoring
  • Preparatory Classes for upcoming Exams and Diplomas
  • Preparation for Entrance Exams to Schools and Universities
  • Relocation/Expatriate Trainings
  • Preparation for Foreign Language Schools

In cases where either the students request to have lessons virtually (with a live trainer), or due to major disruptions such as offices closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BiCortex delivers training online.

The BiCortex Virtual Tutoring Platform

BiCortex has its own platform to deliver virtual instructor-led lessons in a fully professional, secure, and GDPR-compliant format.

Features of this state-of-the-art virtual tutoring platform include:

Ease of Use

  • Download-free (no need to install a plug-in on most browsers)
  • Scheduling directly by students based on course or instructor availability
  • Class reminders and notifications
  • Interactive whiteboard

Language Friendly

  • Interface in several languages
  • Toolbox with extensive list of verb conjugations for the following languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish

Audio/Video

  • Superior audio/video quality
  • Recording/playing-back audio and video excerpts

Lessons, Documents, Assignments

  • Lesson materials are pre-loaded
  • Document sharing
  • Homework and assignments for students

Reporting Capabilities

  • Attendance reports
  • Learning analytics

Just as with face-to-face training, the content and methodology are adapted to the children’s needs. Also, books and materials are either virtual or delivered to the children through mail delivery services.

What Should Employers do About Virtual Tutoring?

Relocating employees will have questions regarding their children’s education. From the choice of schools to the availability of specialized learning programs, all aspects of the education process are important to address. Employers should provide information about virtual tutoring solutions and other helpful resources. By providing useful resources for transferees and their children, your company will help ensure a successful relocation.

GMS provides our clients with an extensive range of virtual tutoring solutions, language training services, and many other valuable resources so employee relocations are successful. Our high-touch service model fully extends to helping transferees and their children with everything they need to ensure a successful educational experience during their relocation process.

Conclusion

GMS’ team of corporate relocation experts has helped thousands of our clients learn about valuable resources such as virtual tutoring for children. These resources help relocating employees and their children quickly and easily settle in to their new location. Our team can help your company determine the best virtual tutoring solution for your relocation program to promote successful relocations.

GMS was the first relocation company to register as a “.com.” The company also created the first online interactive tools and calculators, and revolutionized the entire relocation industry. GMS continues to set the industry pace as the pioneer in innovation and technology solutions with its proprietary MyRelocation® technology platform.

New SafeRelo™ COVID-19 Knowledge Portal

GMS recently launched its new SafeRelo™ COVID-19 Knowledge Portal featuring a number of helpful resources including:

  • Curated selection of news and articles specific to managing relocation programs and issues relating to COVID-19
  • Comprehensive guide to national, international, and local online sources for current data
  • Program/Policy Evaluation (PPE) Tool for instant relocation policy reviews

Contact our experts online to discuss virtual tutoring for children as a valuable resource for your company’s relocation program, or give us a call at 800.617.1904 or 480.922.0700 today.

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Successful Language Training: What Does it Look Like, and What Can it Provide?

Successful language training often helps employees determine if they can easily accept a global assignment. Many transferees may have a commanding grasp of several languages. Language proficiency and other professional skills often prepare them well for work in a new location. However, their family members may not be as proficient in multiple languages. The prospect of relocating to a destination where language may become a barrier can be daunting.

Employers should inquire as to whether transferees, their spouses, and their family members have proficiency in the language that is most in use at their new location. If they do not have proficiency, employers should provide assistance with language training.

What Does Successful Language Training Look Like?

Language training programs may include several helpful elements. All of these elements work together to provide transferees and their family members with valuable communication skills. These programs provide professional resources that are proven to assist transferees and their family members successfully settle in to their new location.

GMS spoke with Inigo Lopez, CEO of BiCortex Business Language Services to learn more about how participants can get the most out of their language training programs. Inigo agreed to share his expert guidance on this topic.

Successful Language Training Should be Efficient

Inigo notes that for greatest efficiency, students should study in a private class. Also, the number of student in group classes should always be kept to a minimum. The best solutions are tailored to the student’s specific needs including:

  • Preferred location (home, office or a neutral location)
  • Level of education
  • Business industry
  • Student’s professional and personal objectives

Language training that uses multiple methods to teach students typically has the highest rate of success. These methods may include conversation, use of visual aids, grammar exercises, and self-study. Also, students report higher levels of satisfaction with the training program. As a result, they are also more highly motivated.

Successful Language Training by Expert Language Trainers

Inigo believes the best language training providers work with trainers with the following profile:

  1. Significant number of years within the field of education
  2. Native and multilingual teachers
  3. Qualifications from renowned colleges and universities
  4. Highly motivated specialists with excellent customer feedback

Language Training and Complementary Services

Beyond language training, good solutions offer a range of complementary services. Inigo believes language training and other services can work together to help students reach the highest level of success. For example, tutoring can extend beyond language to include academic support in schools, preparatory classes for examinations, diplomas, and entrance exams, or writing papers.

Additionally, training should incorporate a wide variety of formats. Live online classes, online module learning, and custom solutions all work together to help students learn at their own pace.

What are Students of Successful Language Training Saying?

Inigo provided comments from several students who have utilized language training solutions successfully. Their comments show the amount of value that language training can provide:

M. recently relocated from Colombia to the United States

“My goal is to learn the English language because now we live in the United States…the language training classes helped me a lot…my level is very low as a beginner. My advice to others who want to learn a new language would be that first you really need to want to learn and receive classes both on grammar and tenses, classes can be online as it is similar to face to face in my experience.

The best thing for me is to simply learn, I love to learn more things every day. English for me is a priority and is a goal of mine in 2020. My favorite resources were the internet based tools and videos.”

R. recently relocated from India to the United Kingdom

“My main goal is to be fluent in it, and be confident. So far it is good, my teacher helps very much, and I like her classes. My advice to others is try to use English every day, read books, when looking for a word you do not know yet, always use more than one dictionary.

The best thing about learning a new language is that I am able to develop my confidence level, improving my social interaction and encouraging connection between peers. For me, the best way to learn has always been watching movies and shows. A good way to learn and practice English is to talk with our friends.”

What Should Employers do About Language Training?

The most successful company relocation programs provide a wealth of support programs and services for transferees and their family members since they are often key to ensuring a successful relocation. GMS provides our clients with an extensive range of language training programs as well as other valuable business services so employee relocations are successful. Our high-touch service model fully extends to helping transferees and their family members with everything they need during their relocation process.

Conclusion

GMS’ team of corporate relocation experts has helped thousands of our clients develop successful language training programs to help their relocating employees and their family members settle in to their new location. Our team can help your company determine the best language training solution for your relocation program. As a result, this will help promote successful relocations.

GMS was the first relocation company to register as a “.com.” The company also created the first online interactive tools and calculators, and revolutionized the entire relocation industry. GMS continues to set the industry pace as the pioneer in innovation and technology solutions with its proprietary MyRelocation® technology platform.

Contact our experts online to discuss successful language training solutions to help your transferees and their family members, or give us a call at 800.617.1904 or 480.922.0700 today.

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