Cross-cultural awareness

Working with international students can be rewarding, but it also presents a number of cultural challenges for both students and staff alike. This training will focus on exploring some of those challenges and navigating some of the ways to alleviate them.   

This course will provide a foundation to help you to:     

• Know what culture is and how it is defined. 
• Identify what factors make up and contribute to one’s cultural identity. 
• Recognise the impact cultural identity has on our work with international students. 
• Identify ways to improve your communication skills when working with international students. 
• Identify ways in which to create an environment that respects cultural diversity.  

This training will consider what culture is generally, and how to be more aware of (and sensitive to), the impact of cultural differences. We will not be taking a ‘cultural specific’ approach to this training by considering specific cultures.   

Our training is grounded in the principles of the #WeAreInternational Student Charter, a student-led document that provides guidance on delivering a world-class international student experience, from pre-arrival to post-graduation.    

This course will provide you with the tools, skills and knowledge to support the implementation of: 

• principle 4 of the Charter: Monitor and evaluate existing available support and provision for international students on an ongoing basis 
• principle 5 of the Charter: Make available targeted support for international students in every area of the student experience (Visas and immigration, Making a home in the UK, Academic experience, Physical and mental wellbeing, Careers and employability). 

The course will be delivered in two parts. Delegates must attend both sessions: 

• Session 1: Thursday 16 January 2.00pm – 4.30pm 
• Session 2: Friday 17 January 10.00am – 12.30pm 

Who should attend? 

• Suitable for: all staff working with international students 

• Minimum experience level: no prior experience required  

This course is for professionals of any experience level who may wish to have an increased awareness of cultural issues that impact international students and explore ways of working more effectively with them.  

The full list of courses we currently offer can be found here.

Previous attendee: 'I really enjoyed the use of breakout rooms to discuss how we can communicate more effectively and create an environment that respects cultural diversity. It was great getting to speak to people in other job roles from other institutions and seeing their perspectives and sharing best practice.'