399416. If you're seeking a career in management, you're likely a person who does well in a setting . Gateway can introduce you to effective digital marketing strategies to help you connect and engage with students all over the world. Those favoring recruitment agencies have cited agents permanent presence in-country and knowledge of the context, education structure, and languages as positive contributions to recruitment that offer more comprehensive support to students and yield higher enrollment rates. Boyd is Past President of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and was a member of the AIRC Board of Directors from 2017-2020. If needed, Gateway will seek an introduction and orientation to your institutions current institutional systems, structures, and protocols vis--vis the scope of requested services. He is a co-creator of the international education focused return on investment (ROI) resource, ROIie.com. Rosa has been successful in developing new partnerships and programs, as well as helping improve already existing ones. Ryan, R.M. Marginson, S. (2007) Global position and position taking: The case of Australia, Journal of Studies in International Education 11(1): 5-32. Kauko, J. and Medvedeva, A. The primary benefit of employing recruitment agents is that they help to bring in students, particularly qualified students. However, NACAC maintains . For some secondary schools, colleges, and universities, partnering with commissioned agentsindividuals paid on a per capita basis to recruit international students is part of a multifaceted plan. Dimitratos, P. (2003) Management of internationalization ventures: Should international partners be agents or stewards?, in C. Wheeler, F. McDonald and I. Greaves (eds.) Doherty, A.M. and Quinn, B. The number of agents taken on by schools ranges considerably from as few as 10 to 15, to as many as 900; the 900 agents in contract by one institution is a distant outlier, however. (2013) Using principal-agent theory as a framework for analysis in evaluating the multiple stakeholders involved in the accreditation and quality assurance of international medical branch campuses, Quality in Higher Education 19(2): 173190. your institution, https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/recruitment-agents-a-legal-and-regulatory-overview.pdf, http://internationalstudy.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Gedragscode-2014-Engels.pdf. David L. Di Maria has helped develop international education programs at public universities in the USA for nearly fifteen years. Their use in the U.S., however, has historically been a point of contention. The use of commission-based agents to recruit international students has increased dramatically within the past few years. What follows are twenty strategies that to varying degrees are commonly utilized in international student recruitment efforts. Benhaida notes that China, India, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia are all markets that have a critical saturation of students who use agents, though China has begun to see a shift at the undergraduate level: Parents and students are relying more on secondary school guidance counselors rather than agents to assist with the application process. How will agents engage with students going forward? Study Guide by Subject. For all contracted services, as appropriate, Gateway will prepare final written reports on services rendered and recommendations proposed. Similarly, Southern New Hampshire University issues a shorter contract as a trial period for agencies that have limited experience. (1986) Organizational Economics, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. It does not store any personal data. Alumni recruitment can be one of the most effective means to generate interest, applications and create overseas relationships that support enrollment and partnership development and career opportunities. THE SECRET LIFE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT AGENTS Context (Vincenzo Raimo) What are agents? Education agent standards in Australia and New Zealand - government's role in agent-based international student recruitment Governance of agents in the recruitment of international students: a typology of contractual management approaches in higher education Managing International Student Recruitment Agents: Approaches, Benefits and . Agents mediate the flow of six million students across the world, foster the hopes of families and open opportunities for young people, stabilise the finances of educational providers, and cross the cultural boundaries for everyone. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The first-to-second year retention rate of international students and graduation rates can often be less than domestic students. We have absolutely detected fraudulent documents from students who have not come from agents, and we have detected fraudulent documents from students who have come from agents.. Study Management in the US. He serves as an international education consultant, has been an invited speaker and presenter nationally and internationally on themes related to the analysis of foreign academic credentials, international enrollment management, best practice engaging international recruitment agents, and global partnerships and engagement. The more support you provide to your agents, the more effective they will be at their job. At the University of Bridgeport, the questionnaire solicits information on the agencys history, its legal standing, and its business structure. Bergen, M., Dutta, S. and Walker, O.C.Jr. Use of Agents in International Student Recruitment - University Policies However, five years ago NACACs stance on agents changed in a 15247 vote, and the organization lifted its ban on recruitment agencies. These are key takeaways from a webinar about the landscape of international student recruitment. A case study analysis. A Background paper, British Council, retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/recruitment-agents-a-legal-and-regulatory-overview.pdf. Gross echoes this, stating that some agents do not invest in the partnership to the degree that the institution does. If enrolling international students is a part of your strategy to achieve enrollment success, then Gateway is the right partner to help you develop and refine your international student recruitment strategy. How are they different? ICEF Monitor articles about international student recruitment agents Gateway will provide support in developing, executing and measuring the success of your strategic plan. Let Gateway support you with re-envisioning your strategy for English language programming. In the U.S., the higher education system is locally driven and schools are largely autonomous. Admissions counselors often interact with agents work on a daily basis and are able to provide information on student application quality and agency responsiveness. And see what can happen when you have dedicated boots on the ground who can speak from first-hand experience about their educational and other experiences at your institution. A Guide for Schools, Colleges and Universities, Arlington, VA: National Association for College Admission Counseling. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Recruitment Agent in Internationalized Higher Education: Commercial Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Circumstances leading to agency partnerships vary by institution. The British Council website, includes a report titled Managing International Student Recruitment Agents, which addresses a range of issues associated with the relationship between institutions and education agents, including the need for educational institutions to take strong enforcement action when necessary against unprofessional or . From a country-strategy standpoint, agencies can provide institutions with on-the-ground intelligence of the market by relaying what students and parents are thinking. Now overlay these touchpoints onto a classic enrollment funnel. Whether you decide to develop your own pathway or partner with an existing pathway provider, Gateway can help you navigate the complexity of international pathway programming. Abstract This multiple case-based study investigates the relationship between recruiting agents and the UK universities who act as their principals. Forged documents and visa fraud can be considerable challenges when working with unethical agents, although the select representatives we interviewed for this article stressed that these were rare occurrences and not unique to agents. Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of schools using agents in the United States nearly tripled, jumping from 11 percent to 30 percent, according to an American Council on Education report. Vincenzo Raimo is an independent higher education consultant and Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading, where he previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement).Eddie West is Assistant Dean of International Strategy and Programs at San Diego State University, where he provides leadership of international partnership development, collaborations, and overseas programs. Commissioned agents allow institutions to establish a local presence in strategic regions abroad, and to meet growing enrollment targets, oftentimes with limited budgets. The use of agents in applying to the U.S. higher education: experience of Chinese undergraduate students. On December 21, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions (REMOTE) Act, which amended veterans benefits provisions at 38 USC 3679 and 3696 to . Gateway International Enrollment Management - Gateway International Group These institutions recognize the academic and cultural value international students bring to their campuses as well as the financial contributions made to their communities. This compilation illustrates the results of that survey, suggesting that there are at least nine broad categories of potential partners essential to successful international enrollment management today, with each playing a distinctive and complementary role. Ph.D. dissertation, Tampere University, Tampere. Top 10 International Student Recruitment Agencies Shady agents: international law and practice - AgentBee The relationship and personal connection you have with agents is critical to the success of the partnership. Whilst universities were apparently keen to assert their role in managing agents, it was also clear that agents held considerable power as is well evidenced in HEIs' desires to ensure agent loyalty in the longer term. Pimpa, N. (2003) The influence of peers and student recruitment agencies on Thai students choices of international education, Journal of Studies in International Education 7(2): 178192. Authorities in Australia and New Zealandcountries which use agents at a higher rate than that of the U.S.have uncovered significant fraud by agents in countries such as India, China, and the Philippines. Likewise, agents are useful when an institution is working to establish a presence within a market. Gateway and the partner institution will identify and assign primary liaisons to ensure effective and streamlined communication. This lack of effort can be seen in a failure to respond to emails, lack of productivity, sending unqualified student applications, a failure to absorb trainings, and a seeming lack of knowledge about the institution. So far there has been no agent weve looked at which hasnt been using it, to some extent or another.. Beginning in 2016, Rosa works as aninternational education consultant for both public and privateEuropean and US higher education institutions. Contact us today to start the conversation and learn more about ou`r innovative approaches for enhancing the full spectrum of education abroad programming and operations. Depending on the nature of the assignment, Gateway will conduct periodic review and assessment meetings to discuss provided services and make modifications as needed. and Zhang, L.Y. (2015) Agency theory as a framework for higher education governance, in J. Huisman, H. de Boer, D. Dill,and M. Souto-Otero (eds.) NAIS Toolkit: International Student Recruitment Strategies Salma Benhaida, director of International Recruitment, Admissions & Sponsored Student Services at Kent State University, echoed this sentiment, stating that the school began using agents to add to its recruitment mix. Liefner, I. This study Expand 1 Highly Influenced Rosa is currently completing the final Professional Certification from the Forum on Education Abroad. ", Dr Douglas Proctor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, "Pii-Tuulia Nikula, Vincenzo Raimo and Eddie West have opened the world of education agents for all to see and what an important world it is! Education Agents: Key Issues, Themes and Stakeholders Pii-Tuulia Nikula & Vincenzo Raimo 2. Steven Boyd earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Bridgeport.After living in Latin America for 20 years, where he was employed as a teacher, translator, simultaneous interpreter and conference organizer, Mr. Boyd entered the field of higher education as an International Admissions Counselor at the University of Bridgeport. ICEF Academy provides comprehensive specialist training for professionals in international student recruitment. AIRC (2015) AIRC Certification Standards, Bethesda, MD: American International Recruitment Council. It has been reported that more than 100 UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) used international student recruitment agents in through agents, with total commission payments of 57.8m (Matthews 2012). Partner with Gateway so we can help you advocate for, create, and manage a successful planning process. Australian Government (2009) Using Education Agents. As a scholar-practitioner, Di Maria frequently presents and consults on critical issues affecting international education administration. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. His experiences range from directing international admissions across an eight-campus system to serving as senior international officer at an R1 flagship institution. For example, at the University of Bridgeport, institutional representatives interview students about their experience prior to arriving at the university, and to see if the school was accurately represented. To know with whom you should be working, you need a strong sense of what you need help with and where on the funnel youre falling behind. - International Admissions Support; Inquiry management, student advising, and application guidance resulting in completed applications. Our prices are flexible and tailored, generally determined on project scope and expectations. Coco, L. (2015) Capturing a global student market for colleges and universities: The use of private third party agents in international student recruitment. Gateway retains seasoned international higher education professionals who have firsthand experience with developing and managing successful international student recruitment plans. Opponents of agent use have largely been concerned with the possibility of unethical practices, such as agents providing inaccurate information to prospective students, steering students toward particular schools for their own financial gain, charging both the students and the institution, or tampering with applications. From Student to Agent to Faculty: How my Journey has Influenced my Work with Education Agents Shanton Chang 3. This places agents and agencies in a position of considerable influence with regard to the educational choices that students make. UNESCO (1997) International Standard Classification of Education ISCED 1997, Paris: UNESCO. At the very top, we see the first steps of the journey with the student discovering you and building awareness. Likewise, international students themselves provide insights into agency quality. Donaldson, L. and Davis, J.H. (2003) Funding, resource allocation, and performance in higher education systems, Higher Education 46(4): 469489. International recruitment agents can build back better Knight, M. (2011) Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program. (2007) Higher Education Systems: Conceptual Frameworks, Comparative Perspectives, Empirical Findings, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. This kind of information can guide institutional strategy within a region. Approaches, Benefits and Challenges, London: British Council. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a City University of New York school, began working with agents in 2015 when its international admissions department developed a comprehensive recruitment strategy. ICEF Academy (previously via PIER) Why do many UK universities keep their work with international student Governance of agents in the recruitment of international students: a These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Petruzzellis, L. and Romanazzi, S. (2010) Educational value: How students choose university: Evidence from an Italian university, International Journal of Educational Management 24(2): 139158.