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Italy Feedback
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Fewer US students took part in this year's Feedback survey on Italy and schools received a very high satisfaction rating from all respondents.
Italy Feedback at a glance
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Total number of students: 86 (female 56, male 22, unknown 8)
Average age in years: 29.4
Average length of programme in weeks: 10.9
Average number of students in class: 6.9
Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 20.2
% of students who found out about their course through an agent: 23
% of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 30
% of students who had been on another language programme: 48
% of students who would recommend their school: 99
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| Respondents by world region of origin |
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Top nationalities |
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1. W Europe 51%
2. C & E Europe 17%
3. Latin America 12%
4. N America 11%
5. Asia 7%
6.Middle East 1%
No reply 1%
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1. Swiss 11.6%
2. US 9.3%
3. British 9.3%
4. Brazilian 7%
5. German 5.8%
6. Spanish 4.7%
7. Dutch 3.4%
8. Japanese 3.4%
8. Ukranian 3.4%
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| In my class there are... |
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How easy is it to practise your language skills with native speakers? |
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1. The right amount of students (76%)
2. Too many students who speak my language (10%)
3. Too many students from one other country (7%)
3. Too many students (7%)
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1. Quite easy (47%)
2. Very easy (24%)
3. Quite hard (21%)
4. Very hard (3%)
Unknown 5% |
| How did you find your programme? |
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Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
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1. I found it on the Internet (51%)
2. Recommended by an agent (23%)
3. Recommended by a friend/relative (20%)
4. I saw it advertised (6%)
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No (59%)
Yes (30%)
Unknown (11%)
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Student reasons for school selection included:
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“Because it’s located in the south near to several nice places”
“The information on the Internet looked interesting and it was in a city I wanted to visit”
“It was recommended. They offer all language levels and they have got small groups”
“Small and private”
“The ratio of nationalities. There’s not many Japanese. It’s a good environment to speak French”
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| Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study? |
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Country
Yes (83%)
No (14%)
Unknown (5%)
City/town
Yes (52%)
No (42%)
Unknown (2%)
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School
Yes (41%)
No (52%)
Unknown (7%)
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Student nationality
The nationalities of the student respondents in this year’s Feedback survey on Italy differed quite significantly from those that took part last year. Principally, fewer students come from the USA this year – making up 9.3 per cent of the student body compared with 21 per cent previously – and this nationality came in second place in the nationality table, down from first place last year (see LTM, March 09, pages 26-27). This is perhaps a reflection on the world economic climate as US students traditionally study Italian for pleasure only and a study trip to Italy may be viewed as a non-essential luxury when finances get tight. Western European students dominated the nationality profile in Italian language schools this year, making up 51 per cent of the student body. In total, 30 different nationalities took part in our survey, with Swiss in the number-one position and Britons completing the top three.
Student motivation
Nearly 48 per cent of students in our survey had been on a previous language travel trip, with 32 per cent of these going abroad for language study purposes more than once. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said that they currently used Italian for study purposes, although only 22 per cent planned on further study in Italy after completing their language course. In contrast, 18 per cent of students said that they currently used Italian in their work while 46 per cent planned to use Italian in their current or future work. The average length of stay (at 10.9 weeks) was slightly up on last year’s figure of 8.5 weeks.
Student enrolment
Agent usage was similar to the results of last year’s survey, with 23 per cent of students finding out about their course through an agent (compared with 22 per cent previously) and 30 per cent booking via this method (compared with 26 per cent last year). The Internet was the most important way of finding out about a school, chosen by over 50 per cent of respondents. When it came to making a decision about which school to choose however, the advice of friends and family was important, as well as the location, price and attractiveness of the school’s website.
Standard of the schools
Most students had nothing to complain about when it came to the standard of their schools and all but one of the respondees said that they would recommend their school to others. Satisfaction levels were very high when it came to the quality of the teachers as 96 per cent of students thought their teachers were either excellent or good. A further 70 per cent said that their academic programme was of a similar quality, while 65 per cent of students said that their accommodation was either good or excellent. The average class size was slightly up on last year’s figure of 5.1 but was still a low 6.9 students and overall, 76 per cent of respondents thought that there was the right number and nationality mix of students in their class.
Living in Italy
The effects of the economy on Italy’s language schools is apparent when 55 per cent of respondents said that the cost of living in Italy was higher than at home. A one-week language course and accommodation cost an average of e354 (US$509) this year, compared with e378 (US$543) last year.
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Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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