Each school participating in Achievers International will go through the following steps during the course of the programme. To sign up, simply complete the Application Form and we’ll be in touch.

Form A Company

Each group of 5-30 students forms a company.  Each student will have his/her own responsibilities in their directorial roles, e.g. Managing Director, Secretary, Financial Director, etc.

Use On-line Training and Office Support

Once registered, students are given access to the password protected on-line training in the Student Area, and teachers to the Teacher Area.  Teachers and students are introduced to their Achievers International contact who will support them throughout the year.

Get To Know Your Partner Group

Your Welcome Pack contains everything you need to get started. Once this has been received, students will start to exchange personal profiles and information about their local area, culture and economy with their partner school. Teachers will also communicate with their counterparts regularly.

Schools should communicate on a weekly basis by e-mail, and sometimes also by phone. Many schools also video conference with their partners, or use on-line chat facilities to stay in regular contact. If your school does not have an existing foreign link, we will provide a suitable partner school.

Exchange Product Ideas

Groups then send details of products their partner may be interested in importing. Some will also ask for specific products they would like to import. They often hold a video conference to show their partner possible products, or send samples.

Conduct Market Research

Market research is essential to ensure imported products will be successful. Groups are not just trying to sell products in school to friends; they should go into the broader community to test the interest in the goods. Students should also check if there are any legal restrictions on the goods they are considering importing and exporting at this stage.

Raise Capital

It is important to raise money to pay for the purchase and shipment of products. Groups raise funds in many ways; some sell shares, hold competitions, sell goods locally or run organised events like discos. Shipping goods and paying for duties and taxes can cost anything from £10 upwards, depending on what is being sent, and how big the package is.

Order Goods/Confirm Partner's Order

Once a group has conducted market research and decided what products will sell well in their local area, they place an order with their partner school.  The partner will then confirm the goods that have been ordered, clarifying style/quantity if necessary and stating when the package will be shipped.

Import/Export

The groups then buy and package the products before sending them to their partners via the agreed method.

Market and Sell Imports

If orders were taken from customers in advance, all that is left to do is distribute the products. If not, groups will need to market the products they have. This could include advertising around the school and in the local newspaper.

Settle All Payments and Close the Company