Navigating the International Education Path: An Education Agent’s Story of Growth
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Students are often cautious while making their decision to study abroad. When they approach an education agent to help them navigate their study-abroad journey, they’re looking to place their trust in someone knowledgeable and experienced in counselling students.
To ensure you give students the best possible experience as a counsellor, you must have a deep understanding of the processes involved in preparing them for studying abroad. This also benefits other stakeholders, including parents and the universities you represent. Moreover, by building your knowledge and skills, you gain the credibility to shape a student’s career and thus create a long-lasting, meaningful impact in the industry.
Listed below are some of the key elements to consider in supporting students in their study abroad experience:
When preparing students for studying abroad, going deeper than just assessing their academic qualifications is important. Ensure you ask them questions that help you understand their goals, budget, and campus preferences too. While cultural experience may be a priority for some students, others may have other specific objectives in mind.
Understanding a student’s preferences and priorities allows you to personalise your suggestions to best suit their needs.
As an education agent, you will come across students who might need clarification on the factors that make for the perfect study destination. Here’s how you can adapt your approach:
For those who already know where they want to study: Offer additional insights into the destination’s culture, cost of living, and job prospects to help support their decision.
For students enthusiastic but uncertain about the details: Help the student explore different study abroad destinations and their unique offerings, based on their needs and goals. Beyond looking into a destination country’s education systems and immigration policies, look into the culture, cost of living, and overall environment.
To help a student choose a study programme and institution, begin by reviewing the student’s academic goals, grades, qualifications, and budget. Next, the entry requirements provided by prospective educational institutions should be checked to see if the student meets them.
If the student meets all the requirements, you can advise them on the documentation needed to verify their enrollment and visa applications. If not, you can work with them to develop a learning pathway that can help them bridge the gap. You can learn more about these pathways in the ICEF Agent Training Course.
An example of an effective planning process to prepare students for studying abroad. Source: ICEF Agent Training Course
It is also important to keep the intake periods of the destination country in mind while choosing study programmes.
You can break down the application process into smaller steps to make it less daunting for the students. Encourage students to start the application process well in advance so that they have plenty of time to gather everything that’s needed and can meet application submission deadlines.
Help your students look into what standardised tests are needed for their university of choice and guide them on structuring personal statements and acquiring strong recommendation letters. Most importantly, review the student’s application thoroughly before submission to ensure that all the information is accurate and adheres to the guidelines.
To prepare students for studying abroad, create a checklist of all the documents they’ll need, including academic transcripts, language proficiency test scores, standardised test scores, and bank statements.
Certain documents may also need to be notarized and attested, which can be time-consuming and result in additional costs. Stress the importance of having complete and accurate documents, and ensure that you check them thoroughly before they’re submitted.
Depending on your agency’s capacity, you could extend your support to help students with finance, accommodation, and health and safety, both before and after they reach their study destination, to build a long-term relationship with them.
In 2023, affordability was the main cause of concern among students. Ease students’ worries by providing them with a comprehensive list of financial aid options such as merit-based scholarships offered by universities, grants, student loans, and student prizes. Ensure that the students factor in the cost of living in their destination country while they look into financial aid options.
Top 5 crucial factors affecting student decisions. Source: ICEF Agent Voice 2023
Amidst the housing crisis in Europe, Australia, and Canada, students are bound to be anxious. To relieve them of this stress, consider providing insights into various student housing alternatives that can help. In addition to on-campus residences, you can recommend that students look into homestays and off-campus housing options that are within their budget and cater to their personal preferences.
Studying abroad can affect a student’s physical and mental well-being – they may miss their families or have trouble adjusting to the new environment. Offer them ongoing support by providing emergency contact information, developing a resource hub, and providing the location of the nearest embassy or consulate. Some more ways to provide all-inclusive student support are:
In conclusion, gaining expertise as an education agent takes time and effort. When preparing students for studying abroad, you may initially feel overwhelmed by all the tasks involved. However, with patience, consistency, and a commitment to continuous learning, you can ensure that the students you advise have a successful academic journey ahead.
