Tutors International to launch sister company TI Journeys, offering unique gap year programmes and residential courses for students applying to university

Tutors International has announced plans to launch a sister company called TI Journeys, providing extraordinary gap year programmes and residential courses for students applying to university. The courses and experiences offered by TI Journeys will take place in locations around the world, often in challenging environments, with tailored private tuition provided alongside, should that be required. One course based in China incorporates a month of intensive Mandarin language tuition followed by two months of living with a rural family in conditions that are alien to the vast majority of students from the western world.

"At first Tutors International offered a small range of experiences, but as time went on it became clear that this idea merited a company of its own so it can expand with the demand," explained Adam Caller, founder of TI Journeys and Tutors International. "Through our work with students around the world who are studying for SAT exams for American university applications, and students applying for the top UK universities, it became clear that their experiences have not prepared them adequately for the full application process. The top American universities, for example, require students to write challenging essays. Harvard has asked students to write about "travel or living experiences in other countries", and Tufts has asked students to reflect upon how their home life and upbringing has made them into the person they are today."

When asked why courses such as those offered by TI Journeys are necessary to help with their university applications, Adam replied; "Most high achieving students are very focused on their studies, and often over protected by their parents. At the end of their school education, having an application that details excellent academic results is simply not enough to impress the top UK and US Universities. They haven't been adequately challenged; they've never had to face difficult conditions and learn how they cope. They've never had the opportunity to be removed from their everyday lives and thereby reflect upon their life up to that point as many of the US university applications demand. To get into the top universities in Britain and abroad," Adam added, "they have to be able to demonstrate extraordinary performance in extraordinary circumstances. TI Journeys provides exactly that."