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Nomination Letters...one and done!

9/20/2017

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Are you struggling with recruitment?  Did you have a meeting and very few people showed up?  Still hoping and praying for more people to sign up for your tour?  Been there, and done that.
 
With all the other things on our plate, we teachers don't have time to plan multiple meetings each year to recruit for our tours.  I am going to share a secret with you, that--if done correctly--will increase the number of people who enroll on your tour.

So what's the secret?  NOMINATION LETTERS


What are nomination letters, you might ask?  The answer is quite simple:  Nomination Letters are sent out to your students, letting them know that they have been nominated to travel on an EF Educational Tour.

What exactly does a nomination letter say?  Click here to see a sample nomination letter.  Go ahead.  Take a look, and steal away!  You can copy and paste it if you like!

How do I get started? I like to start by asking the teachers at my school to make a list of students who they feel would be good candidates to travel with me on an EF Tour.  I take those lists, and send letters to the students that they nominated.  

Why is this important?  In the letter, I like to tell them about my upcoming tour and I also include the date and time of my upcoming recruitment meeting.  This letter is essentially an invitation to my recruitment meeting.

What else should I know?  At the bottom of the letter, I include a tear-off portion that serves as an RSVP. It is good to have a head count, and get an idea of how many people will attend the meeting.

Why does this work?  By sending the letter home to the parents, it will actually make it out of the back pack, and the parents will get a chance to read the letter.  Often times the students forget the letter at school, or are afraid to ask their parents for a trip because of the cost involved.  If you can get the word directly to parents, you will have more attendees at your meeting.

My story
I used this method to recruit for my Summer 2018 tour.  I sent out about 100 letters, and had over 50 people come to the recruitment meeting.  When the parents looked around and saw how many people were interested, they knew that space would be limited.  The tour filled up in January 2017, a whole 17 months before departure!  Thanks to this method, I only need to have one recruitment meeting last year.  One and done!

The nomination letters are a great way to spread the word about your tour, and invite parents to the meeting.  Try it out!  I want to hear about how this method worked for you!

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Who is in your TRIBE?

9/19/2017

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As the old saying goes "good help is hard to find."  When traveling with a bus full of students, we need all the help we can get (can I get an Amen?!?) and we need to have the best back up available.  Before your first tour, you should really put some thought into the chaperones that you choose to take on tour with you.  Keeping up with teenagers on tour is a full time job, is your TRIBE up for it? 

Trustworthy
On tour, I need chaperones who I can trust to...
...be fair to all students.
...put the needs of the students first.
...remain positive.

...fulfill all the small chaperone duties (like room checks, and head counts).
Reliable
Pick chaperones who you can rely on to do all the important tasks on tour.  Timeliness is also important, and a reliable chaperone will help ensure that your group is always on time.  When I have a large group, I need chaperones who I can rely on to wake up early for room checks, correctly conduct head counts, dispense medicine, etc.
Inclusive
When traveling with so many students, all with different personalities, it is important for chaperones  to be inclusive.  For some of the travelers, this trip might be the first time they have been away from home.  Chaperones need to make an effort to get to know ALL students and include them in all activities.  I think it is important for chaperones to spend time with all students, not just the ones they already know, or like.  Find TRIBE members who naturally include everyone!
Beloved
I make it my policy to choose only teachers from my school to serve as chaperones.  I pick teachers who are already beloved by the students.  If the students already love the chaperones on tour, they will be excited to travel the world with them, and more apt to follow the chaperone's lead.  I've found a basic equation to be true:  the chaperones that are beloved by the students are ones that are a good fit because they are naturally trustworthy, reliable, and inclusive.  It all seems to work out perfectly!
Education focused
I try to pick chaperones who want to travel to learn...just like the students.  Chaperone's who are focused on education model this mindset for the students, and enjoy their time on tour.  Chaperone's who foster learning on tour engage students in conversations about what they are seeing and experiencing.  Educational Tours need chaperones who love to learn, and share that love with the students.

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My TRIBE on tour last summer in Belfast at the Titanic Museum.
What qualities are important to be apart of your TRIBE?  Let me know in the comments below!
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    Author

    Hi!  I'm Jessica, and I  have traveled the world with my students on seventeen EF Tours.  I am a teacher and group leader, just like you!  I hope that you find some resources on my site to help you with your next EF Tour. Safe Travels!

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