Seminar Programme ICEF Spanish Education

Perfect for regular attendees to both refresh their knowledge and share their experiences with first timers, this special session provides practical tips and strategies for making the most out of any ICEF event, and ICEF Spanish Education in particular. 

With community at the heart of the international education industry, this session presents a unique opportunity for ICEF regulars and newcomers alike to pool their knowledge in a supportive environment, fostering a more productive event experience. 

Topic areas include: 

• Making the most of your time during the event
• Developing effective post-event follow-up strategies and agent contracts
• Building a mutually beneficial relationship with providers and agents

This session will explore how vocational education offers international students a direct pathway to employment, particularly in Spain’s thriving hospitality and tourism sector.

Attendees will learn about the advantages of studying in Valencia, recognized as one of the best cities in the world to live, study, and work. The session will highlight how Spain’s favorable visa policies allow international students to work while studying and secure employment post-graduation.

Additionally, we will discuss the "Stay Back" option, which facilitates work permits for graduates who secure employment, ensuring a seamless transition from student life to a professional career in Spain.

Join us for an insightful session led by Alejandro Casado, Director Legal Student Advisor for Homologation Student Services. With new regulations in place regarding student visa applications, Alejandro will guide the audience through the process, covering key points including the documentation required to make a successful application as well as details on how students can gain a residence permit card (TIE) once they have arrived in Spain. The session concludes with a Q&A. 

An essential session for agents recruiting to Spain, as well as admissions and compliance officers, this presentation and discussion will help you to keep up to date with the latest regulations around the Spanish visa application process.

With over 550 million speakers worldwide, Spanish ranks high among the world’s most-spoken languages. With 21 Spanish-speaking countries, and many more home to Spanish-speaking populations, it is an immensely popular language with international students around the world. 

In this session, we look at the latest data on who is studying Spanish, and why Spain is their top destination. We also look at emerging markets and student profiles, including pathway programmes and school groups, before closing the session with a summary of the key takeaways that will help inform agents in attracting and converting Spanish learners. 

Pursuing higher education in Spain is increasingly an attractive option for students from all continents. In fact, the increase in foreign students in Spain is a continuous upward trend, and not only from traditional markets.

In addition to the attractiveness of Spain as a country, the higher education offering, both public and, especially, private, offers attractive quality standards and degrees, competitive with the main traditional destinations when it comes to being an attractive option.

This presentation seeks to offer arguments both for the country as a destination and for university education, especially for those countries where Spain has not traditionally been considered a first choice for higher education. It also offers agents data and tips so they can present Spain as a good option for their foreign students.

In this presentation, led by Alexander Wickham of Sage College, The British International School of Jerez, we look at Spain’s complex secondary education sector, exploring the different pathways available to prospective international students. 

Alongside an overview of Spain’s compulsory secondary education (ESO), we look at the post-compulsory Bachillerato - a two-year course that prepares students for university. We also explore the increasingly common International Baccalaureate (IB), which can serve in place of Spanish high school certificates when applying to Spanish universities. Finally, the presentation covers Spanish, British, and other curricula, and outlines the key differences between private and public education.

As distinct from a panel session or keynote, the roundtables provide a space for a less-structured discussion but with guidance from an informed specialist. To provide that guidance, each table is led by a host whose role is to moderate and animate the discussion around the topic at hand.

- There will be two sittings of all tables, each lasting 25 minutes. The first begins at 18:00; the second at 18:30.

Roundtables' topics:

1. Study opportunities in Andalusia
2. The value of foundation programmes in the Spanish international education market - Mercedes Guerrero Soler
3. From admission to visa: Navigating Spain’s public universities bureaucracy - Gosia Kozyra
4. Study opportunities in Valencia - David Gómez Gil
5. Students' expectations from outside of the EU and main difficulties when entering the Spanish market - Jingwen Zhou
6. Engage & overcome: Handling objections in language travel - Daniel Bertole