I have attended my first trip with TCBC in 2009 and I have never looked back: my first Russia trip organised by these incredible experts left such a mark on me that I find myself naturally drawn to the company every time I am considering a new trip or indeed a new destination.
The administration support that a teacher receives from TCBC is second to none; you do most of the work behind the scenes for me, think of my students’ needs and requirements and arrange the most impossible last-minute changes in the schedule just because I have thought of visiting a bunker or a museum! It goes without saying that most companies aim to employ experts on the ground.
However, where TCBC really excels is the range of academics that they have succeeded in attracting over the years. Picture central Berlin and yet another ‘strasse’ that you are walking down on, well…your expert guides would have a story about every single corner of that street, my students would be hanging on every word of those fascinating descriptions; your guides love their cities and countries with such passion and combine that love with their fascinating knowledge of their histories.
Having taught Russian and German histories for many years to GCSE and A-level students, I don’t think I have seen or indeed found anyone who could cover as much ground and depths with their visits as TCBC. The magical trips we have organised together over the years have helped hundreds of my students advance their historical knowledge. But where I remain mostly indebted to TCBC is that they helped my students to develop their empathy for the sacrifices made by generations before us. I started my short summary by talking about the impact that TCBC left on me as a teacher; turns out through this one impact they changed the world view of many hundreds and I genuinely hope this fruitful cooperation will continue way into the future.