How It Works

main idea

Main idea

  • Students work in international teams with peers from around the world.
  • They solve real-life problems presented by real-life companies.
  • They learn about other countries and cultures and learn how to collaborate online and work in international teams.

Step-by-step

  1. Students can enroll individually or as a group of up to 30 students, supervised by a teacher or a parent.
  2. We provide age-appropriate training (online collaboration tools, teamwork, problem solving, business writing, and more).
  3. We put students in international teams.
  4. Real companies present real business challenges and the students solve them.
  5. We monitor student performance and send weekly performance review to students/teachers/parents.
  6. The teams present them to their client companies.
  7. The students receive X-Culture Global Collaboration Certificates.
  8. The teachers/parent instructors receive X-Culture Global Educator Certificates.
  9. The best students are invited to the X-Culture Symposium.
Step by step
  1. International experience

    Complete a project in an international team where each team member is from a different country.

  2. Business consulting experience

    Solve a real business challenge for a real client company.

  3. Expand professional network

    Meet company CEOs, university professors, and professional peers from other countries.

  4. New knowledge and skills

    Training in cross-cultural communication, online collaboration tools, international business, business writing and presentation, and more.

  5. Cultural intelligence

    A significant improvement in cultural intelligence from before to after the project.

  6. X-Culture Certificate and Recommendation Letter

    You learn and grow. We provide a documented proof.

  7. Stronger resume for new opportunities

    X-Culture experience makes you a much stronger applicant for a stipend or job.

Benefits for Students

For Students

Benefits for Teachers

Team power
  1. Enhanced student learning

    Compared to control groups (no X-Culture), students in courses with X-Culture do better on exams.

  2. Improved teaching evaluations

    Compared to control groups, students who have X-Culture give their teachers higher evaluations.

  3. Research and publications

    X-Culture is a great research platform that provides high-quality multi-source multi-level longitudinal data. If you are interested in scholarly work, X-Culture will provide you the necessary data.

  4. Professional network

    Meet the hundreds of educators and business professionals on the X-Culture team.

  5. Documented proof of your achievement:

    X-Culture Global Educator Certificate and support letters sent to your principal or department head. You do a great job; we make sure the world knows about it.

  6. X-Culture certificates for your students

    Students get X-Culture International Business certificates, which help with college and job applications.

  7. Helps us make education more interactive and experiential

    The workplace is becoming global. Learning how to work across cultures in classroom is like learning to swim on a football field. X-Culture is developing new teaching methods for the new today – and you can be part of our team.

Academy
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What Is X-Culture?

Students work in international teams with peers from other countries.

We place our students in international virtual teams. 6 people per team, each in a different country. Matched by age.

The students solve real-life problems presented by real-life companies.

In the process, the students learn how to work across cultural differences and time zones and learn the basics of international business.

Every semester, about 5,000 people from over 40 countries take part in X-Culture. Over 50,000 students have participated in X-Culture.

The pre-college youths usually participate as school teams, supervised by a teacher or a qualified volunteer parent. The schools whose teams show the best results receive X-Culture Trophies.

Academically gifted teens can also be enrolled by their parents individually.

Since 2016, non-student professionals ages 18-45 can also participate in X-Culture.

Read more...

Program Design

Theoretical Training
(4 weeks)

Diary
  • Cross-cultural communication.
  • Problem solving in teams.
  • Team leadership.
  • Online collaboration tools.
  • The art of writing winning business proposals.
  • Plagiarism and academic referencing.
  • The basics of international business.

Practical Training
(8 weeks)

Desktop
  • The students are placed in international teams, each team member in a different country.
  • Real companies present real international business challenges.
  • Real time zones, real cultural differences.
  • All communication online and in English.
  • Live webinars with the client CEOs.

Post-Project Reflections
(4 weeks)

Certificates
  • Students present their work at an online teleconference.
  • Students receive X-Culture International Business Certificates and Recommendation letters.
  • Best students are invited to the X-Culture Symposium.

Quick Facts

  1. X-Culture launched: 2010
  2. Number of students per session: 5,000
  3. Number of universities per session: 130
  4. Number of countries by student residence: 40
  5. Number of countries by student nationality: 75
  6. Total number of X-Culture graduates since 2010: 50,800
  7. Total number of universities since 2010: 271
  8. Total number of university professors since 2010: 508
  9. Notable clients: Mercedes-Benz, Louis Vuitton, Home Depot, Hard Rock International, JCB
  10. Number of clients per session: 5-10
  11. Open for non-student adults: 2015
  12. Open for pre-college youths: 2018

Testimonials

It was an eye-opener! I learned a lot about other cultures and business and enjoyed the experience!
Ninette, Spain
It a was a challenge to work with students from different countries. But it was a great opportunity to learn how to deal with different cultures.
Visar, India
I really feel I learned a lot about working with people from other countries. I am now closer to my dream of getting a job in a global company.
Shu, China
I was in a job interview and it was going nowhere. Then I mentioned my X-Culture experience and the interviewer’s eye lit up.
I got the job.
Matthew, USA
I was applying to universities in the U.S. and my X-Culture experience helped set me apart from other applicants. Nobody had such experience. I really think it helped me get the stipend.
Guilia, Italy
It has been two years since I participated in X-Culture. It was hard to work with people from different countries. Looking back though, it was the best traing for my career.
David, Canada

Reflections

Can Kids Do International Business?
So, after years of parents asking to enroll their kids in X-Culture, I gave in and allowed 100 kids take part in the project alongside the university students last spring.
It went very well. 5 of the kids attended the X-Culture Global Symposium in Italy a few weeks ago (U.S.A., Ecuador, U.K., Russia). They visited our partner companies, met with the CEOs and company owners, participated in career development workshops, took part in the Elevator Pitch Competition, met with the city mayor, did all the cultural stuff, such as opera and city tours, and more.
Most importantly, they developed a solution...
Read more...
X-Culture Kids: A Parent’s Reflections After Week 5
It is Week 5 of the Practical Training Phase for my children in the X-Culture Academy program (affectionately known as “X-Culture Kids”).
As you know, X-Culture is experimenting with allowing children ages 9-17 to take part in its international collaboration project. In addition to 5,000 university students, 100 kids ages 9-17 passed the four-week Theory Training and selection and were placed in international teams.
A toy maker Innospark and a private school network The Finnish Schools International asked children for help...
Read more...
X-Culture Kids Presentations
PREPARE TO BE AMAZED. X-CULTURE KIDS PRESENTATIONS.
As you may know, this semester we tested if kids ages 10-14 can participate in X-Culture, if they are capable of and would benefit from completing a business consulting projects in global virtual teams.
99 kids completed the project. They worked in teams of about 5, each person from a different country.
Two companies presented their challenges:
...
Read more...

Participation Fee

Individual

$256
Stipends available *

School/Group
3-30 students

$475
Stipends available *

* STIPENDS

  • X-Culture is an educational program, not a business. While we depend on the participation fees to cover our operation costs, we are committed to providing an opportunity to every deserving student, even if they cannot pay the participation fee.
  • Participants from low-income countries/families or who cannot pay the participation fee for other reasons, can apply for the X-Culture stipends. For individuals the stipends cover $200 of the participation fee ($56 paid). For groups the stipends cover $300 of the participation fee ($175 paid).
  • Students who receive the X-Culture stipends must maintain high performance throughout the project, or the stipend may be revoked.

Upcoming Dates

2024-1: January 22 - May 18, 2024
Application deadline: January 19, 2024

2024-2: August 29 - December 17, 2024
Application deadline: August 24, 2024

Hurry up!

X-Culture Corporate Partners