Are expats hesitant to enroll in language courses this summer?
We went into different Facebook groups for expats and asked them about their summer plans. We wanted to find out if they’ll be signing up for the summer language courses – be it intense sprints or the standard ones. We come back to you to report our findings.
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“Cautiously optimistic” seems to be the theme for this summer...
As the global pandemic continues to affect populations abroad, language school enrollment is dwindling. Some schools are scrambling to maintain their enrollment numbers.
The global pandemic has affected everyone, but your clients - expats - are affected in a lot of very different ways that will have significant impact on how they plan both their time and finances in summer of 2021.
Expats face many challenges when they move abroad, from language barriers to culture shock. And while many of these challenges may have been manageable before the global pandemic, that's simply not the case any more.
We’ve talked about those new realities in our article about the low sales back in January 2021. This summer we come back with another poll, as we enter the unpredictable period of possibilities combined with uncertainty.
“I’m waiting until I’ve been vaccinated and travel has opened up before I make any decisions about my summer plans. Things can change with little notice in these times.”
PLEASE NOTE: Below we give you some suggestions based on a market research, which are not business advice. The decision whether you want to experiment or not is yours and we cannot guarantee any results.
Expat summer plans and how they’ll affect your sales
We have analyzed over 100 answers from different forums and grouped them into 7 main trends for the expat summer 2021:
GROUP ONE:
Most of the expats are planning to see their family after (on average) two years of separation, which is both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, they are able to spend quality time with loved ones for the first time in quite a while, while on the other hand, they face the challenge of re-adjusting to being in close proximity with someone who has been an emotional stranger for so long.
There’s also a lot of added stress in this situation due to ever-changing laws and regulations around vaccines. Most of the people who shared those plans with us are planning to stay “back home” for extended periods of time - up to three months (1-1,5 months on average).
This particular group, when asked whether they would take up a summer course or keep learning the language during that time, on average answered that they’ll take a break from language learning over the summer.
How can you use this knowledge to your advantage? One way is by providing methods for stress relief. You could offer classes that are fun and not tiring – maybe a workshop that lasts for one or two days? And are particularly focused on stress relief WHILE practicing the language? Get creative.
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GROUP TWO:
A lot of people are feeling sad, frustrated and confused because their family is on a different continent or outside of the EU and it might not be possible for them to meet for many more months. They miss their loved ones and do not know how long it will be until they see them again.
When asked about their summer plans, most members of this group said that they only had a last-minute decision-making process. Reason being they're still hoping that they will be able to visit their family or have them come over (both situations require not only a big time, but also financial investment).
What can you do with this info? First of all – don’t panic that your sales are low. Some people might be waiting until the very last minute to buy. Secondly, empathize with your customers: being able to put yourself in their shoes can help you grow and win more students. Thirdly, remind people that the course starts soon and there are some spots left – this is a great chance to get on board. You'll be right in front of the people who need to make last-minute decisions & because you're not being too pushy with your sales pitch they'll appreciate that. 😉
GROUP THREE:
There have been a number of people who are planning to meet their family halfway, in a country that is between where they are and where their family lives. These expats are looking for a more affordable and (possibly) less restriction-affected way to see their families.
As you can imagine – this group says that the process of planning and arranging such an endeavor is also emotionally draining, very time-consuming, and expensive. When asked about their language learning plans, they answered that they didn’t have time to think about it and might take it under consideration after they’ll return from their reunions (most of them were pointing at late summer, early autumn).
How to use this insight? It’s really hard to convince people when they already have a strong opinion and are strapped for money at this time. But since they are willing to join at the end of summer or in the autumn – focus on making friends with them, maintaining contact, and becoming their go-to school once they’re ready to make the purchase. You can stay in front of their minds for the next few months and once they’re ready, they will come around.
GROUP FOUR:
A lot of individuals were saying that their plan for summer is working. We have two groups here:
those who fell victim to covid layoffs and finally have a chance to return to the workforce;
those who have been trying to land positions while the pandemic was in full swing and now got a breakthrough and are just starting in their new workplace.
Most of the people who are in this category were fully aware that they need to improve their local language to get better results at work and be considered for promotions, etc.
However – they all said that they for sure will not be able to join language sprints (as they don’t have the holiday days yet or don’t want to give off a bad impression at those initial months at their new companies. You might want to consider continuing the evening or weekend classes this year, as those are the options they might be interested in.
GROUP FIVE:
Many expats said that they care about work and not about holidays this summer. Meaning: they will not be taking any time off during the next few months (quite a few said that they do not intend to take time off up until 2022!).
There are two main reasons for those answers:
Layoffs scarcity – we've noticed that a lot of expats are starting to get nervous that 500% performance just won't get them anywhere, and that if they don't produce artful results, they'll be asked to head back home or blatantly forced out.
Starting own business – a lot of expats lost their jobs or didn’t get a chance to find new ones during the pandemic. Quite a lot of them have decided to start their own companies and now spend all of their awake hours hustling.
This group clearly operates in an incredibly stressful environment. When asked about their language learning plans the answers in this group were very various. A few spoke of how the local language would have a major impact on their career and business plans, while others didn't see the need to learn it for purposes of their business.
How can you use this information to your advantage? If you want to attract students from this group, think about how you can make them feel that your program is beneficial, such as offering them good business and work opportunities. Or position language learning as an impressive, interesting hobby that they will be able to show off to friends, family, business associates. You might consider adjusting the timings of your course (as we just discussed) as they won’t take a week off to do a language course.
GROUP SIX:
Holidays within the country (with immediate family that lives with them) are not that popular, but still happening. Quite a few people said that they long for a few weeks off with their loved ones somewhere off-grid (forests seem to be the place to be this year).
This might not seem very useful when you first read it, but if you’ll take a closer look, we’ve shared a great tip in how to structure and market your courses this year. GO OUTDOORS! It might be tough this year to keep people interested in your courses since they've been cooped up house for so long. They crave nature. Even if it’s just a park. Locking them up in a classroom during the beautiful summer months will not be a smart selling move.
It's also worth mentioning that most people in this group when asked said that they won't take a language course this summer and instead want to just sort of relax and have fun, because they're really tired. Deliver courses that are entertaining, provide human interaction and are outside of buildings and you should be golden!
Hot tip: short, in-person workshops that allow to work on language skills while engaging in other activitie with fellow expats sounds very appealing… 😉
GROUP SEVEN:
There was a big group of people who are waiting to finally get their postponed holidays or celebrations delivered this summer. This group includes those who have actually got postponed anniversaries, dream travels and weddings and several other summer travel plans like camping, glamping or group holidays in exotic destinations.
“I’m hoping to go to Sicily in August with my boyfriend for our 6-year anniversary. After 2 cancellations so far (2019 and 2020), I’m hoping the third time’s a charm 😉”
As a general rule, they won't take summer courses, since their finances are quite tight and they would rather invest in their postponed dreams, but not on an expensive language course. Most of them are however planning on going back to learning the language in the autumn.
How to work around that? It might be a good idea to offer some discounts this summer if you want to snatch some of the attention of these students. Though it does seem difficult to get them to focus on anything that doesn't directly benefit their main summer activity, so think carefully about the pros and cons of the discounts.
Conclusion
The coming summer may be tough for language schools that teach internationals. We can't really predict what will happen, but we think all the suggestions from this article could help you make significant changes to your summer programs and set you on a path to success.
Our general marketing recommendation is that you use a variety of marketing strategies to get your summer courses in front of as many people as possible. You don't want to just post the standard social media ads this time of year - go with something more creative!
You need to attract people with interesting activities, promotional events, and maybe even good old guerilla marketing. It's critical to be original and innovative this summer in order to maintain an edge over your competition. With fewer students on the market this year, it will definitely be harder than before for you to keep ahead of them.
Hot take: start using more conventional marketing strategies like posters, flyers, business cards, and expat events. We predict a return of these due to people wanting interaction with other humans and getting out of their houses.
Good luck, keeping our fingers crossed! 🤞
