Directions on the culture and lifestyle of the destination countries
The exceptional debut of Express Consultancy marks the beginning of a massive change in the education consultancy industry in Bangladesh, and another example of this exceptional and capable service is that all expatriate students in Express Consultancy can learn about the culture and way of life of those countries before going abroad. Students who fail to adapt to the living conditions in the destination country cannot complete their studies and therefore, realizing the importance of this subject, Express Consultancy counsels the students on several following things.
Almost all educational institutions in the destination country provide various social, cultural and sports activities for the students. These help a student to meet other students and local people, increase social networks and gain experience in different aspects of local society and culture. Many institutions have physical facilities, such as student drop-in centres, lounges, Indore. Smaller institutions send students to external organizations while larger educational institutions usually have their activity officers and motivate students to participate in activities, sports, meetings, festivals, events and social networking in campus life. During the course, most of the educational institutions in the destination country, which have international student advisors, usually secretly advise students on personal and lifestyle issues.
While studying abroad, a student can seek help from any aspect such as banking, transportation, and social behaviour, use of shares, utilities, phone, internet, and legal issues. Moreover, a student may often have to seek the help of immigration authorities, local government officials. Many students may decide to study in the destination country only to gain experience in a different life, in which case their perception of the culture of the destination countries is usually based on previous assumptions which may or may not be correct. The counsellors of Express Consultancy are very careful to correct such misconceptions and provide accurate information about the students living in the destination country. Express Consultancy sincerely believes that Bangladeshi students continue to benefit from useful information and practical tips about the shared cultural barriers they may face in the destination country. Besides, Express Consultancy informs students of some other factors, including cross-cultural issues, before their students leave Bangladesh, which can affect awareness of cultural issues, discussed below.
Preconceptions: How objective and accurate a student’s previous idea about the destination country can affect his position in the destination country. Again, the local perceptions of the local population about a Bangladeshi student studying and living in the destination country, how they consider or understand Bangladeshis can also have an impact.
Cultural similarities and differences: Students must have a real awareness of the similarities and differences between the culture and society of their own country and destination countries. It can be seen that the higher the discrepancy between the cultures, the greater the risk of students falling into danger after reaching the destination country. However, to reduce the severity of this cultural shock to Bangladeshi students, Express Consultancy takes various steps such as,
- Delivering students a clear idea of what to expect and what not to do.
- Analyzing the areas of possible misunderstandings to the students at the individual level.
- Providing an accurate idea of which departments of the educational institution of the destination country the students can solve their problems.
Social Structure and Institutions: Bangladeshi students need to understand the similarities and differences between their own country and the way the destination country forms its society and institutions. Students may be confused by differences in the relative positions of different sections of society such as socio-economic groups, ethnic or cultural minorities. The interaction between the social groups of the destination country may seem quite different and conventional to Bangladeshi students compared to their own country, which is undoubtedly positive to have a preconceived notion about it.
Public Behavior: Bangladeshi students need to be aware and coordinated about the behaviour of the people of the destination country and local politics. Behaviour that is normal in one’s own country may be abnormal or unacceptable in the destination country. Conversely, students must learn about some aspects of the culture of the destination country that are strange or offensive in their own country. In particular, students need to know the local standards of etiquette in the destination country and learn how to adapt to them and how to avoid breaking any restrictions.
Personality: A calm and humble personality of Bangladesh can be identified as dull and unfriendly in the culture of the destination country. A bright and energetic personality in one’s own country can be perceived as deceptive and aggressive in the destination country, which can be misleading for Bangladeshi students and create misunderstandings in conversations with local people in the destination country. Therefore, in advising Bangladeshi students about the cultural differences, Express Consultancy discusses in detail the reasons for the difference in personality.
Classroom Discourse: Some cultures prefer a rigid style of teaching so that students listen to and absorb the knowledge imparted by the teacher. In contrast, other cultures may have followed an advantageous and exaggerated model where students question the teacher who guides them to the appropriate teaching materials. Express Consultancy’s mentors and experienced counsellors help Bangladeshi students understand the learning styles used in their classrooms in the destination country and learn to use appropriate styles.
Language and cross-cultural communication: Bangladeshi students need to be able to communicate in the language of the destination country. They should be aware of linguistic factors that can affect their intercultural communication regardless of their language skills. Cross-cultural communication depends not only on students’ language skills but also on culturally appropriate use. Express Consultancy is always committed to making students aware of the formulas and movements used in daily communication in the destination country.
Parallel language (body language): Bangladeshi students should be aware of the cultural differences in the use of body language, which leads to misunderstandings. In particular, students need to know how to avoid inappropriate or offensive body language before leaving Bangladesh. Express Consultancy counsels all its students before they leave the country to accurately interpret the body language of the local people of the destination country. Express Consultancy provides only such essential and exceptional counselling services as appropriate personal space, eye contact, volume and tone of voice, touch and gesture in the destination country.
Different types of languages, dialects: Bangladeshi students may be confused by the linguistic diversity in the destination country, which is very reasonable for any international student. For example, some languages are gender-neutral, and some languages are independent of men and women. In culture, different types of languages are used by different generations, social groups, professional groups based on different needs which may seem a little different to Bangladeshi students. It may be a local dialect, or it may be a regional transition from a standard language. Students in different cities of the destination country may encounter a mixture of local dialects from the surrounding areas. In order to overcome these obstacles, Express Consultancy is always keen to prepare 100% of Bangladeshi students with mentors and counsellors who have come from abroad and successfully passed the same experience.