The European Institute

From the President
We all remember that first time when we felt the true mystery of man's abilities and potential for good. For me, it was 35 years ago in the nave at Chartres cathedral. Like so many other teachers, I wanted to share that experience with my students with the hope that their lives would be enriched, as mine had. All of us here at The European Institute continue to be inspired by that same goal. We intend to remove the wrong kind of mystery from educational travel - "When will I know my hotel?" "Where will I stay?" "When will I know my flights?" - and put the emphasis back into that sense of mystery and awe we feel when we experience man's finest achievements.
Our Mission	Top of Page
Our mission is to introduce young Americans to the educational effects of foreign travel and thus to encourage them to reach their highest potential, both as students and as people. Our approach is to deal openly and honestly with teachers, introducing clarity and accountability into the booking process. We aim to empower teachers - to give them the same level of informed choice they would exercise in any other aspect of their students' curriculum. The core values of The European Institute are simple: integrity, honesty, and flexibility, allied to the highest standards of personal service.
Listening to America's Teachers: The Survey	Top of Page
We've spent many months talking to teachers all over America about their experiences in educational travel. (Perhaps we spoke to you - in which case, many thanks for your help.) We were all struck by how fervently they share our vision of educational travel as valuable in shaping the moral and cultural development of our youth. It was also clear that there was widespread dissatisfaction in the way they were often treated by student travel organizations, even from otherwise happy clients. Teachers are the definition of the intelligent consumer. They would never buy a trip themselves without knowing full details of the services beforehand. Yet they are forced to buy a generic educational program blindly. They don't know whether they are going to be in a charming downtown location or in a huge factory hotel on the outskirts of town. (They often don't find out until the last days before departure when, of course, it's too late to do anything about it.) Teachers are made to embark on a crucially important nine day learning experience for their students with no idea of, nor input into, the educational content. This seems a little unnerving, it appears, to teachers who would never walk into a 40 minute period without a detailed lesson plan.
The Educational Travel Lottery	Top of Page
One teacher described her experiences with a large, quality student travel organization as being like a lottery: "One year, I'm in great hotels, we have a terrific Tour Director. The next year, no one returns my calls and I'm in the boonies with a rookie who can't speak the language." Our goal at The European Institute is to usher into the relationship a modest revolution between teacher and student travel organization. We intend to take the mystery out of a tour's details by keeping teachers fully informed and empowered from the start. At The European Institute, you have final approval on all details of the itinerary. After all, it's your and your students' trip. We also don't believe that just because you are traveling in a group you can't be treated as an individual. For example, we offer you a choice of menus in most restaurants and a greater flexibility on catalog tours. (If you'd like to substitute Siena for Assisi - no problem!).
Our Staff	Top of Page
Paul Clarke - President Paul is a veteran of the educational travel business. An Oxford graduate, he took his Postgraduate Degree in Education and taught for five years in England before being bitten by the student travel bug. He began working as a tour director for ALSG, and came over to Massachusetts to work as a Tour Consultant. After having worked as Director of Sales, and Director of European Operations, he was one of the founding members of NETC, where he was Vice-President of European Operations. Gigi Smith - Director of French Office Gigi has a wide experience in the educational travel world. After studying French at Lynchburg College, Virginia, she worked as a tour director at Passports and, later, as a tour consultant. Although France is her first love, she has worked widely throughout Europe. She followed her love for France to Paris where she currently lives. Jeff has been working for the European Institute since 2005 and has found his true calling working with educators interested in enlightening their students with travel abroad experiences. Jeff has a bachelor degrees in Travel & Tourism and a minor in French from Arizona State University. He has traveled abroad frequently as a student and professional adult. He worked in sales at Grand Circle Travel in 2003 and in as a representative in a company called Destination Echoes that promoted seven international destination management companies. He enjoys yoga, bike rides in New England and is currently learning Italian and Spanish. European Institute Tour Directors Laura Kennedy Jonathan Holburn Alison Gatt Alex Freeland Top of Page