Preparing Students for Studying Abroad: A Comprehensive Checklist for Education Agents and Counsellors
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The decision to study abroad is not an easy one and the prospective international student will have to consider a range of factors, including cost and funding, the likelihood of success, and the benefits they hope to gain from their experience.
Although international students are often the primary decision-makers at the heart of this journey, their decisions will be directly or indirectly influenced by various others as depicted below.
As someone new to the industry, gaining a strong understanding of potential stakeholders and their interconnected roles will help you to offer the best possible support to students and improve recruitment outcomes.
If the student is still in education at the time of application, their home institution is the school, college, or university where they are enroled. The home institution may be able to offer crucial guidance and support services, as well as help with credit transfer (where relevant) to facilitate the student’s studies abroad.
Host institutions are the schools, colleges, or universities that accept and host international students. They typically provide a range of support services and campus facilities depending on their size and experience of working with international students.
Both during the application process and their period of study, international students will be expected to directly or indirectly interact with a number of important departments. While institutions often have specialist staff to provide support, it is an agent’s role to be familiar with the relevant departments, especially during the application cycle, as they are often the student’s first port of call if they have questions or concerns.
Marketing and Recruitment
The marketing and recruitment department is usually a student’s first point of contact with a host institution. This is particularly the case if the student is not going through an agent, but with the internet allowing students to conduct independent research, agents should be in contact with marketing departments and aware of their activities.
The main role of the marketing and recruitment team is to highlight the unique selling points of the institution, its academic programmes, and the life within its campus. Their responsibility is to attract and retain international students in the marketing pipeline through a range of recruitment channels including targeted social media campaigns, digital marketing strategies, partnerships with education agents, and participation in international education fairs.
Admissions
Prospective students first interact with the admissions team during the application process and continue to be in contact with them until they arrive at the institution. While agents can also be involved in part of the process, the admissions team will expect to speak directly to the student as well. The admissions office processes student applications, assesses the student’s suitability for entry by evaluating academic credentials and relevant documents, conducts screening interviews, and provides support with programme choice and additional fields of study (such as extra language classes) as relevant.
While the admissions team may have a general understanding of visa requirements, most do not directly handle the visa application process for international students; instead, they refer students to the university’s international office.
Financial Aid
With the cost of living a key concern for many international students, it is important for students and agents to be aware of the range of support options available. Students may directly contact the financial aid office during the application stage to inquire about available scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid.
Students may continue to work with the financial aid office even after admission to review the aid for which they are eligible, understand the terms and conditions, and complete additional paperwork as needed. Agents should also be aware of the financial packages available at partner institutions and may be able to offer additional advice and support.
It’s important to note that not all universities offer financial assistance, and even those that do may have strict requirements.
International Offices
Dedicated to international students, the international office has a specialist team who can advise on every aspect of the international student experience, from immigration and visa support to funding and academic matters. Most international offices hold events for international students, including social gatherings, academic support meetings, and employment fairs.
The international office also organises orientation days for incoming students, which include tours of the campus and facilities, shopping trips, cultural support, and much more. In this way, they help international students to effectively settle in and avoid culture shock.
To make it easier for students to find them in the first instance, international offices tend to have their own unique space on an institution’s website clearly detailing the ways that they may be contacted.
Welfare Offices
Students, whether domestic or international, face a number of challenges when entering a new institution. While family and friends provide crucial support in this regard, institutions have a duty of care to their students and maintain welfare offices that can support students through any personal and academic issues that may arise during their period of study.
Welfare offices are staffed by well-trained individuals who can advise on issues ranging from homesickness to debt and, where they are unable to provide support themselves, have access to a range of additional services, which can include referring a student to counselling or health services. Unlike most other departments within an institution, welfare offices typically offer 24-hour support, with a dedicated number provided for emergencies.
Alumni and Student Body:
Current students and alumni can offer valuable insights and guidance based on their experience at the institution. They can help new students understand what it’s like to study at the institution, and what resources are available to them as international students.
If you work within an institution’s international offices, admissions, student support, accommodations or marketing departments, ICEF Academy’s Introduction to International Education Course will provide you with further insights into the international student journey and stakeholders involved at every stage.
Before and during the application process, a student’s family and friends offer reassurance, encouragement, and additional insights to help students make decisions about their plans to study abroad. If the student’s family are not directly paying for their study, they will also likely play a key role in helping the student secure financial resources, such as loans to fund the student’s education.
Once a student has arrived at their desired study destination, family members continue to play a vital role, providing help and support over the phone, or online. However, it can be challenging to provide support at a distance, especially if the student is finding it difficult to adjust to their new environment. Therefore, students can benefit from having a local guardian, relative, or close friend who is able to offer immediate support and stability, especially during periods of homesickness.
Where this isn’t possible, institutions have a range of support options, including the international office and the welfare office. Additionally, if the student applied through an agent, they too can play a role in offering support and guidance.
Although students are not required to work with an agent or counsellor, many choose to do so, in order to benefit from their specialised knowledge and support during the study abroad process.
Agents and counsellors, both freelance and those who work for agencies, help students choose and apply for suitable academic programmes, study destinations, and educational institutions while acting as local representatives for those institutions.
If you are an agent or counsellor looking to understand the functional dynamics of dealing with students, education institutions, and governments, enrol in ICEF Academy’s ICEF Agent Training Course.
Government bodies and policymakers establish policies, laws, and regulations including guidelines for visa requirements, work rights, and other immigration-related matters. These policies directly affect how attractive a study destination is for students. An institution’s international office will be able to provide up-to-date guidance as to how policy changes affect international students.
A service provider is an organisation that offers specialised services to international education stakeholders, complementing those already offered by the host institution or education agency. While the goal of these services is often to help students smoothly transition to their new surroundings, its scope can be much broader.
Accommodation Services: Accommodation service providers maintain an extensive database of off-campus student housing options, such as apartments and homestay options. They can guide students through the accommodation selection and booking process. They may also offer advice on the local housing market, tenant rights, and other housing-related matters.
Insurance Companies: Insurance companies provide specialised health and travel insurance plans tailored for international students. An agent, counsellor, or institution may recommend these insurance plans to students, or students may directly contact these service providers. In many cases, insurance may be a condition of gaining a visa or a place at an institution, and it is important to check these conditions before travelling.
Organisers of Recruitment Fairs: Recruitment fairs allow students to explore study abroad opportunities, gather information about various destinations, institutions and programmes, and interact directly with the representatives of prospective host institutions.
Tourism and Transportation Offices: These assist international students with flight and hotel bookings as well as arranging transportation and airport transfers. They can also provide advice and information about the region, city, or town to which the student is travelling, including an overview of accommodation options, cost of living advice, and much more.
EdTech Tools: Host institutions may leverage EdTech tools to streamline communication between themselves and students through virtual campus tours, student portals, and chatbots.
As you continue to engage with international students, it is important to leverage your understanding of these stakeholders to create a more meaningful impact on the international student experience, ensuring their journey is as enriching as possible, while also enhancing collaboration with these key players.