OCE - Agents' Guide

THE AGENTS’ GUIDE to the Orange Carpet Experience AGENTS’

Welcome to the Agents’ Guide to the Orange Carpet Experience (OCE), a summary of the key concepts of the OCE and an outline of what students should expect with each standard.

The five Orange Carpet Standards are:

Making you feel at home as soon as you arrive

Helping you fulfil your language dreams

We’re here to support you

Setting you up for success before you even get here 1 2 3 4 5

See you next time, never goodbye!

Physically rolling out an orange carpet every Monday morning, in every EC Centre, is fun and representative of a celebrity event, however it’s the deeper concept of the Orange Carpet Experience that is where the true value lies.

We appreciate that booking a language course at EC is a big investment and we want to make sure we do everything we can to ensure our students get the most out of their investment by providing them with all the possible resources they need to reach their language goals whilst having the experience of a lifetime.

Every student will receive a copy of The Students’ Guide to The Orange Carpet Experience with their booking confirmation. The Students’ Guide outlines the five Orange Carpet Standards, and what to expect from each. Each touchpoint is identified, and every standard provides a checklist of actions we suggest students take to make the most out of the stay with us, as well as advises students’ how we will support them every step of the way.

The following pages are what the students will receive.

SETTING YOU UP FOR SUCCESS before you even get here 1

We understand that arriving in a foreign country can be very scary, particularly if you don’t speak the local language. Here’s how we’re going to help our students get ready for their unforgettable journey with EC...

We will provide students with everything they need to know before they travel. By activating their MyEC and Teams accounts, students will have access to the entire EC universe: centre & location details, school teams, videos about what to expect in classes, info about accommodation, selfstudy exercises, student testimonials, activities/pricing and more. They can socialise or interact with other EC students, and even ask a Team Member questions … all before leaving their home countries.

Having students sign into MyEC as soon as possible allows them to address potential access issues prior to arrival. Students also have the opportunity to get to know the platform, complete placement tests, needs analysis, update profiles, learn about their destination, complete virtual tours and required paperwork. They can also familiarise themselves with the centre location / neighbourhood and can plan what activities they will participate in (and the corresponding costs). The more we know about the student before they arrive the more prepared we are, and the more a student knows about us before they arrive, the more easily and more quickly they will settle in.

Students may be invited to attend an online induction prior to their arrival and will be invited directly by the school should this be the case. If not, induction will take place upon their arrival on their first day. Students will also have an option to watch an induction video which will be available on MyEC.

Key touchpoints include:

Everything you need to know before you travel

You can find details about the location and your EC school

You can watch videos about what to expect in your classes

You can hear other students experiences

Please remember to provide your flight details & book your transfer

If you haven’t booked your arrival transfer with EC, we will provide you with information about public transportation options, as well as information about taxis and ride shares.

Getting ready to start your course

COMPLETE your TO DO LIST this helps you get ready to study

Complete your Placement Test & Needs Analysis

This helps us prepare for your arrival

Set your Goals

This helps you focus and get ready to start learning

Watch the ‘Learning at EC’ video

Watch your induction video

This helps you get ready to join your class

This helps you prepare for your first day at school

MAKING YOU FEEL AT HOME as soon as you get here 2

We recognise that it can be quite daunting for our students when they first arrive in an EC destination, particularly if they don’t speak English very well.

To help our students feel more comfortable and understand what to expect, we provide them with information about their arrival before they start on the following Monday. This includes offering them opportunities to meet other EC students as soon as possible. We believe by providing a positive arrival experience/first impression we will help students feel settled more quickly, by making them feel comfortable and confident from the start.

We have provided a lot of information for students to view / read on MyEC. Students will be given tips about preparing for their arrival at an airport, including passport control, luggage claim, etc. We can also offer advice to students that arrive at a seaport or train station. We will provide students with clear details about their arrival/pick up point if they have booked an EC transfer, and we will provide students with options for other forms of transportation if they haven’t.

If a student has booked EC accommodation, we will provide them with information and support to settle in as quickly as possible.

Students will be invited to a Sunday activity where they get the chance to meet other new students and EC staff members. At times this activity may be an online event, but the purpose will be the same, to ensure students have all the information they need for their first day, can meet new students, and ask our Team any questions.

We celebrate the arrival of our new students on their first day and are with them every step of the way to make sure they are settled and feeling confident about starting their language course. We aim to get students into their classes as quickly as possible on their first day, but this will depend on how much the student has done prior to their arrival, i.e. if they have taken the placement test prearrival they will get to class before a student that hasn’t. Our formal first day of school is a Monday, so students arriving on a different day may experience a slightly different first day of school.

Key touchpoints include:

Arriving at your EC Destination

Read the Arrival Process & Insider Tips document

Found on MyEC Shows important information and facilities at the airport

Take your Arrival Transfer

Instructions on MyEC Details about the meeting point. Information about other transportation options

Arriving at your EC Accommodation

Learn how to make the most of your EC Home

Arrive at your EC Home

We’ve created student guides for both homestays and residential stays

It is our goal to make sure you feel welcome in your new home from the minute you arrive

Arriving at your EC Destination

Where you will be warmly welcomed

Settle in at your EC Home

We want you to feel settled and excited about your new EC hosts

If you haven’t booked your accommodation through EC, we still recommend you look through the information available as you may decide that an EC accommodation experience is for you after all, and its never too late to book your accommodation with us.

If you have only booked part of your stay at an EC Accommodation, talk to a member of the team about extending. And remember don’t leave it to the last minute as you may find there is no availability.

Enjoy the Weekend Activity – before your first day

Respond to your Weekend Activity invitation

Meet other EC students at your Weekend Activity

Ask questions & learn more about EC

We strongly encourage you to attend as it’s a great way to meet other new students

Your First Day at School

Registration & other documentation

Meet all the new students that will start with you and ask any questions. A member of the EC team will also be there.

We really want to make sure we do everything we can to make you feel at ease on your first day

Meet the team and other new students

Receive your timetable

Get your student card which entitles you to local discounts and do your oral test to determine which level you are at.

Begin your learning with your new classmates and meet student ambassadors who can share top tips with you.

Plan your week of social activities and extra lessons including free group sessions run by the school

HELPING YOU FULFIL your language dreams 3

We acknowledge that our students arrive with a variety of language learning experiences and a wide variety of expectations. It is our role to help students get the most out of their time with us. We will guide their learning journey so that they know what they must do to become successful learners, ensure that they set realistic and achievable learning goals, and that they understand how our lessons will help them to progress. We want to ensure that students settle in quickly, make friends and feel comfortable in class so they are confident to experiment with new language inside and outside of the classroom.

We ensure students are tested and placed in the correct level, and our teachers are fully trained to integrate new students effectively into a class that is already running. Our lessons are designed to ensure students maximise their progress. Our lessons have clear objectives, and the teacher will discuss what success looks like. Our students are encouraged to make decisions about the key areas for their focus so our teachers can support a personalised learning process. Our students can track their progress daily and will be supported by our teachers throughout their learning journey. Students also have the chance to attend free lessons and academic workshops to provide additional practise opportunities. And from their MyEC account they are also able to access self-learning activities for additional practise.

Every four weeks, students take a progress assessment (outside of the classroom) to give them feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. This assessment will be followed up with a one-toone tutorial to discuss progression.

In their final week, students can take an exit test, which we encourage them to do so they can highlight their overall progression and improvement. An exit report will be provided to those students that take the exit test. Students will be provided with a certificate at the end of their course.

Key touchpoints include:

Preparing to learn

Complete your To-Do list

Set your learning goals Join

So you are ready to start learning

your first day process /speaking test

Also, receive your course materials, and be placed into class

Welcomed into class by your teacher and your new classmates

Making the most of your classroom experience

On a daily basis through your success criteria

Get feedback about your learning

We strongly encourage you to participate as much as you can in your lessons

End

www.ecenglish.com YOUR LEARNING

Discuss any questions you may have

Take advantage of our free lessons and academic workshops

Your progression is key

One-to-one

You will review the week with your classmates and your teacher and check your weekly scores

Preparing to leave

Every four (4) weeks. To formally assess how well you are doing

With your teacher to review your progression

Determine if you should move to a higher level

You will also get three (3) months of free access to MyEC so you can continue practicing using the self-study activities.

You have the option to extend your stay with us either in person or online. School staff can give you more information

WE’RE HERE TO support you 4

We feel that a major part of our responsibility is to ensure our students are feeling supported throughout their stay. We know that our students have different needs and expectations, so we want to make sure we give each individual student the assistance they need.

We want to make every student feel like a VIP throughout their stay with us. We celebrate student successes and recognise accomplishments, share and create special student moments, and reward our students for what we consider to be great EC behaviour.

We want our students to feel like they are being looked after, listened to, and cared for. We will check in regularly to make sure students are OK and ensure they can share with us about their experiences.

We will be open to student feedback even if it isn’t positive and ensure we find ways to improve our student experiences based on what they tell us.

We acknowledge that we don’t always get things right, but we will work hard to turn things around quickly to ensure we are not only meeting but are exceeding our student expectations!

We also run a Student Ambassador programme in all our Centres. This programme gives students the opportunity to experience an informal leadership role that helps to develop life skills. The programme also supports new students, as part of the Student Ambassador’s role is to spend time with new students to help them settle in.

Apart from the regular check ins with students, we also run a formal student feedback process, in the form of an arrival survey (which all students receive during their first week), a touchpoint survey (which students received every 5th week of their stay) and a relationship survey (which every student receives during their last week). We use this feedback to follow up on any issues a student might have identified, or if they are rating our service / an experience low. We also get student feedback by inviting them to student focus groups on an ad hoc basis, apart from providing us with invaluable insights about how they feel, it’s a great way for students to practise their English in a formal setting.

Key touchpoints include:

How are you settling in

Any questions or concerns you have should be raised here to ensure a member of our team can help you

You will receive an email during your first week

Your feedback allows us to make changes if there is something you are not happy with

We want to WOW you every step of the way

They can help you with any issues you have, recommend local places, introduce you to other students and suggest what activities to attend*

We’ll make sure your special day, is a day to remember

We want to make your experience at EC one that you’ll never forget

We will try to exceed your expectations, look for ways to surprise you and celebrate your successes

We will recognise special moments, reward achievements and award the unexpected

Many students suffer from homesickness and find it difficult to adapt to the new environment they are in when they first arrive, so we want to support students as much as we can

Get ready to be Wowed!

We listen to our students and action on their feedback

Tell us if we didn’t get it right

Everything you tell us about your time at EC helps us to improve

How can we make it better

Share ideas that you think could improve your experience

Don’t be shy to tell us about an idea you’ve had that you think could make us better, we’d love to hear from you!

Give us the opportunity to make things better

When we don’t get things right we want to know straight away so we can fix it

Your feedback is important to us, good or bad, so please participate when you can.

Every 5th week of your stay you will receive a touch point survey where you are invited to give us feedback about how we’re doing

A great way for us to receive direct feedback from you that helps us understand what we can do to make your experience even better.

It’s important you let us know so we can correct things as quickly as possible

Keep up to date with what’s going on. Also, we share actions we’ve taken based on student feedback

At the end of their course we want our students to feel like we have done everything possible to ensure they have had the best possible time with us, and that they leave with amazing memories of their stay.

The last week is a busy time. Students are encouraged to take their final exit test (this is not compulsory) as a clear way of highlighting the improvements they have made. All students that take an exit test will receive a final exit assessment report. All students will receive a certificate highlighting their final level and details of their duration and course type. The certificate also indicates the attendance %.

Students are also invited to a final week meeting, so they can give us any final feedback. Students also receive an email asking them to complete their relationship survey.

Every week we hold a farewell event, to celebrate the time our departing students have spent with us, it gives students the opportunity to say their final farewells to fellow students and the EC team.

For those students staying in an EC accommodation, or who have booked an airport transfer with us, we will provide check out / transfer details during their last week.

We want to continue to build the EC community and have fellow past, current and future students stay in touch, so we encourage our students to stay connected via our social medial channels, as well as join our EC Alumni group on Facebook; it’s a great way for us and students to follow the future successes of our students.

We make students aware of the ‘forgetting curve’ and as a way to support them to avoid this, we provide them with three (3) months free access to the MyEC account so they can continue to access self-learning activities, as well as attend free online activities.

Key touchpoints include:

Things to think about before you leave

Take your Exit Test

A great way for you to really see how much you’ve progressed during your time at EC

Consider extending your Course

Get your check-out / transfer details

Attend the farewell meeting

Sometimes just a few more weeks could get you to the next level depending on where you are

Make sure you talk to a member of the student services team for any information you need about your departure

During your last week join us and other departing students at the farewell meeting to give us your final feedback about your stay

Students that complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw.

Celebrating successes

Celebrate your progress at the farewell event

We love to celebrate every individual success

Receive your Course End Certificate

This is a record of your time with us, and a confirmation of the level you have achieved at the end of your course

Complete your Relationship Survey

A great way for us to hear about what we’ve done well and how we can continue to make our students’ experience better

Say your final farewells

Departing students can get together for one last celebration of their time at EC

If you don’t have time to stay on, what about continuing your studies once you return home?

Our EC Live and Simmula courses offer you the opportunity to continue your EC experience, studying with international students, at a time convenient to you, from your own home

Staying connected

Continue to access MyEC

3 months of free access to MyEC allows you to stay connected to other EC students and teachers

Be part of the EC Community via our social media channels

Instagram and Tiktok are great places to follow what’s happening in the EC world

Overcome the Forgetting Curve

What is the Forgetting Curve?

Memories weaken over time, with the biggest drop in retention happening soon after learning

Access MyEC for up to 3 months after you leave

Make the most of your free access to MyEC once you depart so you can continue to practise your English

Join the EC Alumni

The EC Alumni page on Facebook gives all past and present EC students a chance to stay connected

Look out for opportunities to attend free EC activities

Review and practice what you have learnt at EC to ensure you retain it forever

Use your discount vouchers to continue studying with EC

This could include visiting one of our many EC destinations or joining a class online through EC Live or try a virtual course, Simmula

You can assure your students they are cared for and treated like VIPs at EC Language Centres.

If you have any questions or for more information, please get in touch with your EC contact.

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