Читать книгу Start & Run an ESL Teaching Business - T. Nicole Pankratz - Bodner - Страница 16

Most international schools are located in large urban centers. In the United States, cities such as Los Angeles, Austin, New York, and Chicago attract thousands of international students each year. Students who choose to study in Canada most often opt for Toronto or Vancouver. Most international students come from large cities in their home country and are therefore more comfortable in busy urban centers that have an exciting nightlife, shopping malls, public transportation, and easy access to an international airport.

However, the trend toward small towns is growing. Many students — especially those who have been studying in cities for several months — are discovering that small towns offer a cleaner, safer, and friendlier environment in which to learn English. In small towns, there are fewer opportunities to meet people who speak Hindi, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. Students are, therefore, forced to use English more often.

It can be a hard sell getting students to accept the idea of going to a small town. But it is possible, if you can find out what the larger centers are lacking and capitalize on it. Vancouver-based students, for instance, complain that there are too many opportunities to use their native language outside of school. They also complain about not being able to make Canadian friends and about being homesick. All three complaints are related, and so is the solution. If students live in a small town where no one speaks their native tongue, they are forced to use English to communicate and, in turn, pick up the language faster. And by being more communicative and confident in their skills, they are more likely to make connections with native English speakers (who sometimes do not have the patience for or interest in befriending people who can barely speak the language and frequently ask for information to be repeated). In the end, the students are more likely to make English-speaking friends and, presumably, have less reason to be homesick.

Small-town schools that market the English-only, family-focused environment of both the school and the community are able to win over students who want a change from the city scene. Also, some parents of younger students are interested in sending their children to smaller, safer communities.