Advice to Teachers & Schools

This page aims to help teachers, school party leaders and school administrators appreciate the role that WMT training can play in running safer overseas ventures.

Teachers play a vital role throughout the UK in enabling students to venture abroad under their supervision. WMT applauds their efforts and is proud to have trained hundreds of teachers leading or accompanying school expeditions and trips overseas. Much of this work has been with World Challenge Expeditions but WMT has also worked directly with many committed individuals from dozens of schools (public and state). Our private, bespoke work has included work with Bristol Grammar School. We’ve also worked with King Edward VI School (Southampton) where we have run our one-day interactive Preparing for Gap Travel seminar for students three times and a private Far From Help programme for teachers. Some years ago, we’ve travelled as far as Singapore to run Far From Help for 25 teachers at United World College! Closer to the UK, we’ve delivered Far From Help at Aiglon College in Switzerland, St. Gilgen’s International School in Austria and the British International School, Stavanger (Norway).

In these days of risk adverse local authorities, nervous parents and a media quick to pounce at the slightest whiff of a cock up, it pays to be thoroughly prepared. Normal first aid training just isn’t enough these days. For example, it is perfectly acceptable for teachers who are properly trained to offer pain killers and antibiotics to injured or sick students – it’s all about context, consent and safe prescribing guidelines and advice. We’ll teach you what you need to know.

Teachers will no doubt be familiar with BS8848 and its advice about sound risk assessment and medical preparations (if not see advice page BS8848). WMT training can you help close any gaps in what you are doing and what is considered to be best, current practice. And we stand behind our training, so if we teach you about prescription only medications (e.g. pain killers, antibiotics, epipens and inhalers) we authorise you to obtain these supplies to add to your medical kit and equip you with an expertly written, current, comprehensible field reference manual.

If you are a teacher or school party leader, we recommend attending Far From Help (2 days) or Advanced Medicine (4 days).

Please contact WMT for further information and advice.