International experiences for all

Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch
May 20
5 min read

Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch | 21st May 2025 | Opinion Piece

In this article, Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch, drawing on their professional engagements with key stakeholders, argue that the time is ripe for a new focus on international experiences at school and at university. Not only does the evidence show improvements in individuals’ life outcomes, but the wider benefits align with emerging social, economic and geopolitical priorities – and could boost uptake of languages in schools and universities in the process.

International experiences have always been at the heart of language study both at school and at university. The Year Abroad is central to a languages degree. Whether abroad on a school exchange and family homestay, or at home hosting exchange partners from overseas, learning with a Language Assistant, or at university mixing with international students – readers of this opinion piece are likely to have grown up in a context where meaningful, real-life international and intercultural exchange was part of their education and training.

For many pupils and students in today’s education system, that is no longer the reality, as international experiences – including as part of languages study – are vanishing from many schools, colleges and universities.

The problem starts in schools…

Soon after the implementation of Brexit in 2020, education stakeholders began contacting the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modern Languages about the increasing barriers to carrying out visits and exchanges abroad in schools . There were interventions from the Association for Language Learning (ALL), the School Travel Forum, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the British Council’s Language Trends surveys, and feedback from partner countries’ Embassies and Cultural Institutes. Many issues relate to increased paperwork (visas, passports, etc.), associated costs and staff time, and problems at border crossings for group travel.

These difficulties also lead to new unfairness in the system. Schools face having to exclude non-EU passport holders from trips if they cannot source a visa in time or afford a passport. Additionally, by withdrawing from Erasmus+ and replacing it with Turing – which is non-reciprocal, has a lower overall budget, does not include staff mobility and does not have the same eligibility criteria – many exchanges and international institutional partnerships have become unsustainable.

The impact on school trips has been severe – compounded by the effect of the Covid pandemic. By 2023, 50% of schools reported they were cutting trips and exchanges: a 140% increase in just one year, disproportionately affecting socio-economically deprived areas (The Sutton Trust, 2023). Even when trips are maintained, schools are turning to ‘cultural/leisure tourism’ rather than traditional exchanges with school visits and homestays. Today, nearly 40% of secondary schools in England report no international engagement at all.

…and continues in universities.

We see the same challenges in higher education. Against a backdrop of departmental closures and reductions in provision, the Year Abroad is suffering from longstanding institutional partnerships coming under pressure, students encountering problems with visas and work permits, and issues with the Turing programme, especially the year-by-year funding model which complicates longer-term planning across standard four-year language degrees.

In addition to fewer in-coming exchange students in UK universities, it is becoming increasingly difficult to employ native speaker lecteurs and Lektors, and new visa rules have depressed numbers of international students.

For languages, wide participation in international experiences is existential. It also boosts other skills and life outcomes.

International experiences at school boost languages take-up at university: 62% of undergraduates studying languages said an international exchange at school influenced their decision to do a language degree.

In schools, the DFE funded International School Exchanges Programme (administered by the British Council) which funded 11–19-year-olds to go on an international exchange in 2019-20 showed 80% of pupils were more interested in learning the school subject that had been the focus of the exchange visit and this effect was even more pronounced for pupils on a language-focussed exchange.

At university, the benefits of international mobility translate to tangible improvements in life chances. Erasmus+ data shows mobile students enjoy much higher employment rates (especially for disadvantaged students) – and better earnings.

Arguing for a recentring of the international experience at the heart of education.

‘International experiences for all’ has the potential to change individuals’ lives, address social inequalities and help equip the country to face the challenges and opportunities of the future. Indeed, it is the embodiment of the KS3 modern languages curriculum’s stated purpose: ‘Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures’.

As the Curriculum and Assessment Review in England takes shape, there is increasing discussion of the role of culture and internationalism which should be at the heart of language learning in schools, as evidenced in the principles of the National Consortium for Languages Education, the DfE’s flagship support programme for modern languages in schools.

At policy level, we see signs of cross-agency collaboration leading to smoother border processes for school groups travelling through Dover for example. There have also been high profile calls for the UK to agree a Youth Mobility Scheme as part of the government’s efforts to ‘reset’ relations with the EU.

The existential situation facing the higher education sector could potentially be a catalyst for a wider policy commitment to internationalism and international experiences in both schools and universities, as it aligns so well with the government’s mission to ‘Break down barriers to opportunities ’. From a languages perspective, we know disadvantaged students and boys are less likely to study a language or succeed in it; while emerging ‘cold spots’ in university language provision affects disadvantaged students disproportionately.

We can start by making the most of the opportunities that are available now by:

Initiating and driving forward a national conversation, bringing together teachers, academics, subject associations and sector leads, around policy improvements that bring internationalism firmly into the heart of the school curriculum and university experience.
Encouraging schools and colleges to bring the world into the classroom through making partnerships overseas and employing language assistants (who are now available for shorter contracts and shareable across schools, making this a more affordable option).
Ensuring universities continue to champion a year abroad as a unique, highly valuable and integral part of undergraduate studies.
Supporting schools, colleges and universities in their applications for Turing funding.
Participating actively in locally-led initiatives, as modelled by the Cities of Languages.

About the authors

Vicky Gough is lead for Modern Languages in schools in the UK at the British Council and oversees the annual Language Trends England research. She is a passionate advocate for improving young people’s access to other languages and cultures, and continuing language study. Vicki has managed numerous programmes and activities that support the teaching and learning of languages, and the development of the intercultural dimension in language learning.

Philip Harding-Esch is the Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages and communications consultant for the National Consortium for Languages Education. He also works as an independent consultant across a range of projects in languages education and policy in the UK and internationally.