when a reliable guardian is needed
Air travel can be stressful at the best of times but discovering that you have misplaced your BRP card, or passport is a situation that all international travelers and Bright World guardianship students alike seek to avoid. Advice is of course offered by all good airlines and Travel Agents to check for these all-important documents before you commence your journey but unfortunately, despite these guidelines and our best efforts, the worst can still happen.
At Bright World, we know this only too well, with a record 8 such occurrences taking place during our Christmas departure and January arrival, forcing us to work against the clock to avoid missed flights and stranded students. These two major events in the guardianship calendar require careful preparation and close contact with overseas parents. UK Boarding Schools close during the Christmas period and most students fly home to be with their families, so it is vital we ensure our students reach their chosen airport on time and with their travel documents in tow.
from Leanne Poole, our Travel Manager
“We ask our drivers to allow students 3 hours at the airport to check in plus an additional 30 minutes driving time incase there is traffic or lost items, such as passports, UM or BRP documentation.”
guardianship services 24/7
Amidst all the chaos of these recent events, a calm voice at the end of the Bright World 24-hour emergency phone, fast thinking, experience and quick action of our on-call guardianship team did much to help those who came to face every traveler’s worst nightmare. Our nationwide network of professional Drivers, trust worthy Host Families and highly trained staff means that we are more than equipped to handle these unexpected situations and ease the worry our students and their parents would undoubtedly feel.
So just how did we handle some of these travel mishaps?
Student 1
Problem
The first guardianship student to call our 24-hour Emergency phone did so in a state of blind panic. She was almost at the airport with no time to turn back and her passport was still at school.
Solution
we arranged another taxi to go and collect it and take to the school and our student successfully made her flight.
Student 2
Problem
On the way back to school our next unlucky student had decided to make his own way back to school but being under 16 years of age, UK immigration were not happy with this and were holding him until a named driver could be accessed.
Solution
This was very early in the morning but our duty manager answered promptly and arranged for a fully screened Bright World driver to arrive there with very little delay.
Student 3
Problem
Another forgotten passport - this time our student had left it in the back seat of the car.
Solution
The student was able to call our phone and we in turn called the driver who turned around and delivered the passport safely and the child made his flight.
a lesson well learned by our guardian students
Summer is now just around the corner and whilst some of these students choosing to travel home will be eager to reach their destination on time they surely won’t be in a hurry to make the same mistake again. Parents and guardian students who find themselves in a similar state of affairs couldn’t wish for a more helpful guardian than Bright World. We are very proud our team who continue to grow in resilience year on year.
Bright World offers professional guardianship to international students at UK boarding schools across the UK and has great host families across the UK. For more information on how to apply for guardianship you can contact us today.