If you’re over 30 years old, and you think exchanges are only for youngsters, we have good news: there’s a tendency towards supply- and- demand for those who have lived for more than three decades. That’s what is indicated by a research conducted by the Brazilian Educational and Language Travel Association (Belta) on the demand by adults for language courses. According to the study, lately there has been a 30% increase relative to the demand for exchanges among people from 30 to 60 years old wishing to improve a second language, a major requirement in an increasingly competitive work market.
According to the study, the profile of the 30-to-60-year-old exchange student who decides to study a language in a short-term course abroad can be described as people who have already begun studying in Brazil, but want to deepen their knowledge, since the amount of money invested may be lower than for an intensive language course here in Brazil, besides the experience of living abroad. It’s worth noting the advantage brought to one’s curriculum by studying a language in its native country. Besides that, the exchange promotes the use of the language on cultural tours, as well as experiencing it through music, gastronomy and everyday situations.
The public in this age group can avail itself of retirement, leaves of absence, dismissal, and even vacations to invest in the exchange. The wish for a change in career is also an important factor in the choice of an exchange. But that’s not all: the profile of the schools abroad has also changed, becoming more welcoming to foreigners over 30, instead of only focusing on teenagers, university students and young workers. The main teaching institutions have programs focusing on a more experienced public.
Starting from the age of 30, the Dilit School, in Rome, has a two-week program in the months of April, June and September, with 20 Italian lessons, besides cookery lessons and guided tours to museums and wineries. For those over 40, the LSI has a program named 40+, with 20 English lessons in the morning, besides activities such as cultural tours in the cities of Vancouver and Toronto (Canada), London, Cambridge and Brighton(UK), San Francisco, San Diego, New York and Boston (USA), Auckland (New Zealand), Brisbane (Australia), and Zurich (Switzerland). Finally, for those over 50, it’s worth considering the Spanish school Don Quijote, situated in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, with a program of 20 Spanish lessons plus extra activities in beautiful Tenerife.
