A major survey involving readers of The Guardian has found that under half of UK citizens call themselves British.

Responses from more than 16,500 people showed that residents of England were the most likely to call themselves British when asked to "plant a flag" where they lived. A large majority of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish residents, however, reject that label.

We've all had an occasional moan about the weather, or about how little time off we get from work. Many of us, though, assume that these are just facts of life - frustrating but unchangeable features of existence in this country. A new study by uSwitch, however, suggests that such factors, when considered in context, contribute to a worrying conclusion: the UK has the lowest quality of life among similar countries in Europe.

Intercultural training organisation Farnham Castle has announced its open International Assignment Briefings programme for 2010. The detailed briefings are designed to offer in-depth analysis and discussion on all issues of concern to those facing the challenge of a move to a new country.

"With a significant number of foreign assignments continuing to fail each year, it is essential that employees and their families are properly prepared for a move abroad," explains Jeff Toms, director of marketing and client services at Farnham Castle. "Our programmes are designed to ensure participants are equipped with the information required for a speedy and successful adaptation to their new country. This allows assignees to become more effective in their new role more quickly, which is so often the missing link in less successful assignments."

Assignment Briefings are offered on a regularly scheduled 'open' or 'tailored' basis. One-day open briefings are available to participants and partners from any company and are available for any destination country, including a Welcome to Britain programme for those coming to live and work in the UK. They cover guidance on cultural awareness and adaptation, a review of current cultural, social, economic and political issues, first-hand advice on living and working conditions, up-to-date information and practical advice on business culture and practices, discussion of the symptoms and effects and the development of practical strategies to manage culture shock, and professional guidance on health and security where required.

Farnham Castle also runs tailored programmes, which can be delivered at a date of the participants' choosing (subject to availability), which are suitable for both new and more seasoned expatriates and partners. A customised Family Programme can also be tailored to the specific needs and interests of the parents and their children, with parallel sessions providing content appropriate for the ages of the participants (8–12 years and 13–16 years).

For more information, go to www.farnhamcastle.co.uk

Intercultural training organisation Farnham Castle International Briefing and Conference Centre has launched iCulture, which it describes as a new live, web-based training and coaching solution that allows simultaneous group and one-to-one delivery and mentoring of all its intercultural training and assignment briefing programmes over the internet.

According to Farnham Castle, iCulture has a number of advantages in addition to increased convenience for geographically dispersed employees. These include: the elimination of the cost of travel and associated expenses and environmental impact relating to attending on-site training sessions; increased flexibility on the timing of sessions - including weekend tuition for the benefit of families requiring a country briefing before a move abroad, for example; and more efficient use of employee time, as individuals are no longer required to take valuable time out of the office to attend on-site training.

"Today we live and work in an era where workload, time, budget constraints and the increasing need to be environmentally sensitive are having an effect on the ability to ensure individuals receive the training and coaching they need. However, remote delivery through iCulture now provides a valuable alternative to face-to-face delivery and one we anticipate will prove particularly popular with organisations around the world," explains Jeff Toms, director of marketing and client services at Farnham Castle.

For further details, see www.relocatemagazine.com.

For an online demonstration of iCulture click here.