Crossing Cultures with Competence (CCwC)

crossing cultures with competence graphic

Our Train the Trainer Program

This unique train-the-trainer program is designed for those who are already working with people from other cultures and who want start or continue their journey as an Intercultural Trainer.

This course will enable you to:

  • Learn how to apply our industry recognized CCwC toolkit of strategies, techniques, assessment and materials to offer in-depth and culture-specific cross-cultural orientations
  • Add cultural skills to your knowledge base
  • Supplement your existing cross-cultural training program
  • Ease employees’ transition to a new country
  • Be licensed to use CCwC materials, receive a certificate of completion and digital badge
  • Option to complete an additional assessment and earn your Intercultural Training Expertise Certification (ITEC) Associate to become a certified intercultural trainer
our training plus your knowledge combines to create a unique service

If you are…

 
  • A trainer who wants to add cross-cultural skills to your toolbox
  • A human resources professional aiming to ease employee’ transitions to a new country and wanting to keep the training in-house
  • A mental health service provider wanting a new way to promote intercultural understanding
  • A language, life or professional coach looking for additional services to offer your clients
  • An interculturalist who could use a ready-to-go kit to deliver cultural orientations
  • An educator who works with international students and scholars and their families

    …then you’ll find Crossing Cultures with Competence the ideal program. You will learn how to train others to:

 
  • Understand the roots of the cultural differences in their host country, so they can work more productively
  • Recognize when they are experiencing culture shock and develop a plan to ease their own transition to a new country
  • Learn about their host country’s history, government, economics, demographics and educational and social issues, so they can communicate knowledgeably with host nationals
  • Look at their own cultural history and values so they can see how these affect their interactions with others
  • And much more

During the training, you will:

  • Learn the strategies and techniques you need to offer in-depth and culture-specific cross-cultural orientation
  • Add cultural skills to your knowledge base
  • Supplement your existing cross-cultural training program
  • Learn how to ease others’ transition to a new country
  • Take advantage of the opportunity to be trained in the cross-cultural field by one of our senior intercultural trainers

You will receive the following:

  • A complete kit of materials to offer cultural orientations and cross-cultural training ‘out of the box’
  • A detailed trainer guide to lead you through three modules — Host Country Overview, Culture and Communication, and Managing the Transition
  • A trainee workbook that you can duplicate in unlimited numbers for future orientations
  • Background readings on orientation topics
  • 150+ PowerPoint slides to supplement the orientation
  • In-depth and carefully researched host country material for the United States – a model you can adapt for other countries using our Host Country Overview Template
  • Supervised practice in the use of the materials
  • Instructions on how to design cross-cultural orientations for trainees with differing needs, cultural expectations, and learning styles
  • Membership in an alumni group of over 600 active Interculturalists’ around the world who have taken the program
  • Access to Office Hours with our senior training team
  • A certificate of completion and a site license allowing you to use the materials in unlimited numbers in the future
  • Digital badge with unique ID for use on social media platforms e.g. Linkedin

We offer the CCwC program via both in-person and online formats so you can choose which is better suited to you.

In-person – delivered over two days in a classroom setting at various locations around the world

Online – curated into manageable two or three-hour sessions, delivered over five days

Check out our events calendar to find the most suitable date and location for you

If all this sounds good to you, or if you have questions, please:

Either complete the contact form or book a discovery call to discuss options further.

Once we both agree that this is a good match for you, we will guide you through the enrolment process.

CCwC online program $1595 USD. Inc of Tax

CCwC in-person $1695 USD. Inc of Tax

Optional ITEC Associate Certification $550 USD. Inc of Tax 

(e.g., CCwC online + ITEC $2145, CCwC in-person + ITEC $2245 USD Total. Inc of Tax)

Payment options are available.

If you register 6 weeks prior to the course starting you will receive a $100 Early bird discount. 

Discounts are available for two or more people from the same organization attending the training together.

NOTE: Please contact us to confirm registration deadlines.

Added benefits

More than just training - be part
of a community

Completing the CCwC program not only represents an investment in industry-leading training but also grants you membership into a thriving community of over 600 trained interculturalists. This dynamic and growing network provides invaluable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and professional growth.

Recognized
by peers and
industry

Since 1997, we have been training intercultural trainers, and our CCwC program, has garnered an international following and established a robust reputation as the preferred training for many professionals in the industry. Our success is further amplified by our partnerships with leading names in the relocation services sector, who consistently recognize the exceptional quality of our trainers.

 

Achieve
professional certification

Unlock the path to becoming a certified trainer with the Intercultural Training Expertise Certification (ITEC) – an industry standard for intercultural training professionals. By successfully completing the CCwC program and showcasing your ability to train others through an additional assessment process, you can attain ITEC Associate Status.

What people say

Want to know more? Please get in touch

Dr. Tasha Arnold is an experienced leader and researcher in the field of education specializing in cross-cultural training, transition support, and program development for schools, universities, and global teams. She co-founded The Academic Achievement Bureau where she worked with international schools and universities conducting research on their organization and providing services to aid intercultural understanding, transition adjustment, and student achievement. She is currently the Executive Director of The Interchange Institute, a NEASC and CIS school accreditor, and serves on the board of The Namibia Project.  

Sample Questions:

  • I’m interested in working with international schools, universities, NGO’s, and not-for-profit organizations – How should I get started and who do I contact?
  • How do I promote and market my services as an intercultural trainer?
  • What are some tips and tricks for working with multicultural and global teams?
  • How do I write a proposal that stands out from the competition?

Terri McGinnis, M.S.

Senior Trainer​

Terri is an independent cross-cultural trainer specializing in helping families moving overseas, assisting those coming from overseas to live and work in the U.S., and providing group business briefings on China, Brazil and USA. Terri has worked with large automotive companies, automotive suppliers, oil companies, national office supply and furniture companies, the construction industry, electronic companies, IT companies, chemical companies, not to mention many other national and international companies.

A well-read and traveled individual, Terri has lived in and navigated different cultures successfully. Ms. McGinnis lived with her family as an expatriate in Beijing, China. In China, she conducted cross-cultural training programs, studied Mandarin, worked for the International School of Beijing providing classes to their staff, and provided Pilates training to individuals in the expatriate community of Beijing.

In addition to her overseas experience in China, Ms. McGinnis also lived with her family as an expatriate in Brazil for three years where she studied Portuguese. In addition to her language studies, she worked for Fiske School teaching English as a second language to Brazilian nationals. While in Brazil, the International School of Curitiba engaged her services for curriculum and staff development.

Prior to her international assignments, Ms. McGinnis was a high school teacher teaching vocational business skills. She also has eight years of experience in the automotive industry working in various HR positions.

Ms. McGinnis graduated with a Master of Science degree in Instructional Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

Her experiences in Brazil and China have taught her to appreciate the world’s diversity and to cross cultures successfully. Her hobbies are reading, sea kayaking, paddle boarding and travel. She has two daughters attending university. She actively volunteers for her a local national club swim team.

alt="Tasha Arnold Executive Director of The Interchange Institute"

Tasha Arnold, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Dr. Tasha Arnold is an experienced leader and researcher in the field of education specializing in cross-cultural training and development for schools, universities, and multicultural teams. As the Executive Director of The Interchange Institute (TII), Tasha is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of TII, while also serving as an evaluator for the Intercultural Training Expertise Certification (ITEC) Board and being actively involved in the training of emerging and experienced interculturalists through the Crossing Cultures with Competence Train the Trainer program.

Tasha is a certified teacher and principal/head of school and accredits schools worldwide with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and Council for International Schools.

Prior to her work at the Interchange Institute, Tasha held positions in both public and private schools and co-founded The Academic Achievement Bureau where she worked with international schools and universities conducting research on their organization and provided services to aid intercultural understanding, transition adjustment, and student and staff well-being.

Tasha has directed several research studies in the UK and Qatar on educators’ experiences and perceived needs with regards to transition at their international school in order to improve the transition experience for educators, students and families in these cultural contexts. These findings have helped her to develop and deliver school-wide transition and intercultural development programs.

Originally from the USA, Tasha relocated in 2011 to the UK and currently resides with her husband near London. She serves on the board of The Namibia Project Charity.

Anne P. Copeland, Ph.D.

Founder of The Interchange Institute

Dr. Copeland is a clinical psychologist with expertise in family and cultural transition. During her tenure as Executive Director of The Interchange Institute, she provided cross-cultural training for individuals and families moving to and from the United States. She also trained almost 500 interculturalists around the world to deliver tailored, individualized cross-cultural orientation programs through the Crossing Cultures with Competence program that she developed.

Dr. Copeland has written several books on families and transition (Studying Families, Sage 1991, Separating Together 1997, and In Their Own Voice 2011), and has authored over 90 research articles, chapters, and professional presentations.

Prior to founding The Interchange Institute in 1997, Dr. Copeland was Associate Professor of Psychology at Boston University, where she conducted research and research supervision in psychological aspects of family process assessment, ethnicity, cultural influences, immigration, development, developmental disabilities and affective development. During her tenure at the University, she relocated with her family to work in London in 1988, where she was the academic advisor for Boston University’s British Programmes.

Dr. Copeland has directed many research studies on expatriate families’ experience, including multinational in-depth analyses of the social, familial, and personal aspects of moving to a new country, including a focus on the personal and family side of international short-term assignments, the role of one’s home – its design and layout – on one’s expatriate experience, on the challenges of moving to a country that is perceived as very similar, the experiences of high school exchange host families, and the ways in which having experienced being different as a child has an impact on the expatriate experience. Recent work focuses on how interculturalists have built and nurtured their careers.

Dr. Copeland lives with her husband in Boston, MA, and Barters Island, ME.