UK quit Erasmus because of Brits’ poor language skills
UK quit Erasmus because of Brits’ poor language skills
Britain turned down the offer to remain a member of the cultural exchange program after Brexit.
Britain turned down the offer to remain a member of the cultural exchange program after Brexit.
The U.K. decided to leave the EU's Erasmus+ student exchange scheme because Brits’ poor foreign language skills made membership too expensive to justify, a senior British official has revealed.
Lower take-up of the scheme by British students compared to other nationalities — put down to a weak aptitude for language learning — meant London expected to pay in nearly €300 million more a year than it received back, Nick Leake, a veteran senior diplomat at the U.K. Mission said this week.
It comes as youth organizations on both sides of the channel launch a renewed push for the U.K. to rejoin the scheme — and as an EU advisory body urges the Commission to get negotiations going.
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Can somebody explain how poor language skills relate to the UK paying more? The article just makes it seem obviously correlated
Erasmus = student exchange between universities.
If you end up hosting other people's students but nobody else hosts yours, then you end up spending more on education.
According to the article UK students are less likely to go overseas because they can't speak any of the languages.
It's a bit like if you kept having your kids' friends over to dinner but your own kids were too picky to ever eat dinner at their friends' houses.
That makes sense, thanks!
Makes sense in that context
So do the government fully pay for the students they host? Or is it a subsidised thing?
I think most likely governments pay into Erasmus and then individual universities get fees reimbursed. The appeal of it for students is you don't pay international fees.
The article also alleges a “poor aptitude” for language learning, without making any attempt to stand up such a staggering claim, which places the blame on students for being thick.
Terrible piece of writing
If you go to a bar and you don't understand what the bartender is saying, you don't understand how much money they want, so you just hand them your wallet and they take as much as they want. It's like that probably. Yes.
I’d bet because it requires adults with better language skills.
We had a few exchange students when I was growing up and if the student was considered “mostly fluent” they’d come alone and have a group they’d meet with.
Students who were barely fluent often time had an adult with them.
I’d gather the exchange groups with less fluency require more adults, even if they’re not paid they have transport costs and whatnot.
That said, you’re totally right. It’s wild the article just goes “and of course it’s more money” as if it’s common knowledge why.