Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
intead.com
DegreePrograms
Training
Communication Optimize
Best PracticeStudents
India
China
CanadaAgent
Vietnam
MarketingChannels
Optimize
Veri�cation
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Dubai
Fam Tours
Recruiting
International Tours
Core Values
Commissions
Digital Tools
InternationalBorders
Russia
Insurance
South Korea
Australia
Test Scores
GlobalReach
United States
GraduateStudents
Language Skills
Rank
Outcomes
InterculturalUnderstanding
UndergraduateStudents
Guidance
Overseas
Enrollment
Communication
Trust
VisaAssistance
MarketingSupport
Credentials
Enrollment
Counselor
Responsiveness Veri�cation
RelationshipBuilding
Co-Marketing
Student Counselors and Agents:Building and Managing Your International Network
Table of Academic Industry Contributors The following industry professionals shared their experience for all of our benefit. The interviews conducted with
each of them added valuable insight and we thank each them for their generosity of wisdom and time.
We want to be clear: none of the individuals listed below or mentioned in this e‐book endorsed any particular
recruiting approach on behalf of their affiliated institution. We apologize for any inadvertent omissions of
conversations. (Alphabetically by last name)
Ahmed, Angel, Full Sail University
Arredondo, David, Lorain County Community
College
Badde, Markus, ICEF
Bahan, Rebecca, Fontbonne University
Behnke, Andrew, EMC
Boyd, Steven, University of Bridgeport
Brown, Rebecca, Humboldt State University, CA
Burke, George, retired (previously Cleveland State
University)
Brunner, Dan, Davis College
Chan, Sonia, Swinburne University of Technology
Chaulk, Elizabeth, Northern Kentucky University
Cullen, Tony, Navitas
Cushing, Ron, University of Cincinnati
DiMaria, David, Kent State University, OH
John Deupree, AIRC
Joseph DeCrosta, Duquesne University
Eisenhardt, Andrew, Drexel University
Gerdeman, Penny University of Findlay
Greenfield, Shawn, University of Idaho
Griffith, Ryan, Upper Iowa University
Grover, Colleen, Husson University, Maine
Hallett, Mark Hallett, Colorado State University
Hansen, Mandy, Northern Arizona University
Heriza, May, Montana University
Hilpipre‐Frischman, Christina, University Of Saint
Thomas
Hofmann, Paul, California State University, Fresno
Leventhal, Mitch, SUNY
Littlefield, Tony, Washington College
Lokken, Jay, University Of Wisconsin‐La Crosse
McGinnis, John, Birmingham Southern College
McGrenra, Shamus, St. Francis University
Morales, Rachel, University Of Southern Maine
Moreno, Georgina Herrera, Bridge‐Linguatec
Morris, Fiona, The University of Sydney
Nelligan, Anthony, University of Melbourne
Northup, Krista, SUNY
Price, Chris, Adventus Education
Provoost, Greet, University of Mississippi
Schellenberger, Christie, Wilfid Laurier University
Schwartz, Charlie, University of Cincinnati
Skinner, Sam, University Of Hartford
Spellman, Joseph, University Of New Haven
Stremba, David, INTO University Partnerships
Swan, Sonia, University of Swinburne
Thorne, Debbie, Texas State University
Trecartin, Ralph, SUNY Brockport
Tully, Sara, University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee
Van Rooyen, Patrick, Navitas
Weinberg, Amy, Bridge‐Linguatec
Wilkerson, Charles, Tennessee Tech University
Wood, John, Navitas
1
Once again, Intead has produced a thoughtful analysis of an important
development in international education. This monograph will be useful to any
institution considering an agency‐based recruitment strategy, as well as
institutions which are already on this path.
~ Mitch Leventhal, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, The State University of New York System
Student Counselors and Agents: Building and Managing Your International
Network, Published by International Education Advantage, © November 2013, All
Rights Reserved.
2
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all contributors for their helpful collaboration on this e‐book.
We relied on all the insights from our colleagues at universities, colleges, language and
boarding schools as well as non‐for‐profit and for‐profit company partners (see our list
of Academic Industry Contributors on the inside front cover).
We appreciate Christopher Clark’s and DJ Burgess’ creative design concepts. Elizabeth
Prouty contributed her editing skills, in particular, modifying Michael’s German
sentence structure. Ben Waxman provided valuable clarifications throughout the
process.
It takes a team; we’ve got a great one.
Contents
Table of Academic Industry Contributors
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 2
About the Authors ...................................................................................................................... 4
To Our Readers ............................................................................................................................ 6
1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 7
2. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 8
Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 8
What is an Agent? ....................................................................................................................... 8
The Agent Debate ....................................................................................................................... 8
Research Methodology ............................................................................................................ 10
Agency recruitment is just another recruitment channel ................................................ 11
Can this recruitment channel work for all types of schools? .......................................... 11
B2B versus B2C .......................................................................................................................... 11
What motivates and drives agents? ...................................................................................... 13
3. Getting Started ..................................................................................................................... 16
Seven Steps to Building an Agent Network ....................................................................... 16
Marketing Channels and Systems ........................................................................................ 19
Big Picture: Marketing Strategy and the Role of Agents ................................................. 20
What Do Agents Do? ............................................................................................................... 21
Building Consensus .................................................................................................................. 23
3
4. Finding the Right Agents for Your Institution ..................................................... 25
Identifying Agents .................................................................................................................... 25
Who manages the largest agent networks? ........................................................................ 31
Agent Qualities and Qualifications ....................................................................................... 33
The Cincinnati Principles—Guidelines for Success in Recruiting ................................. 33
5. Onboarding, Training and Communication ......................................................... 36
Signing the Contractual Agreement ..................................................................................... 38
Follow up .................................................................................................................................... 39
Agent visit programs ............................................................................................................... 39
ICEF FAM tours ........................................................................................................................ 40
Agent management tools ........................................................................................................ 40
Business plan .............................................................................................................................. 41
Promoting agent activities on your university website ................................................... 41
Contract renewal ....................................................................................................................... 42
6. Support Organizations ..................................................................................................... 44
Department of Commerce Commercial Service ................................................................ 44
NAFSA ........................................................................................................................................ 44
AIRC ............................................................................................................................................ 44
7. International Comparison .............................................................................................. 46
The Australian Experience ...................................................................................................... 46
The UK experience .................................................................................................................... 52
8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 53
9. Appendix ................................................................................................................................. 55
Valuable Information Sources, Media Coverage and Training Material ..................... 55
Various authors and sources .................................................................................................. 55
Support Svcs for Campus Internationalization & Agent Network Management ..... 56
Australia Specific Resources ................................................................................................... 57
10. Give Feedback ................................................................................................................... 58
4
About the Authors
Michael Waxman‐Lenz and Lisa Cynamon Mayers are the authors of the popular
compendium 88 Ways to Recruit International Students, which has been
downloaded several thousand times on the Intead website and through the Kindle
store. World travelers and education industry professionals with experience in the
classroom and the admissions office, the authors are pleased to share their insights
with you.
Thank you for taking an interest.
Michael Waxman-Lenz Co-founder and CEO of International Education Advantage, LLC
Michael arrived in the United States as an international graduate student from
Germany, which gives him a personal understanding of the needs and challenges of
students studying outside their home countries. His twenty‐five‐year career spans
activities in technology, academia and doing business around the world.
Michael provides a deep understanding of international markets and how to deploy
digital technology creatively and effectively for the international marketing and
student enrollment process. Prior to co‐founding Intead, Michael spent ten years in
various senior executive functions at the Digital Media Division of a consumer
products company, rising to General Manager. As VP of Business Development for an
internet start‐up company, he was responsible for strategic partnerships and digital
content. Prior to that position, Michael lived in Central Asia for five years and
5
managed a venture capital fund. His previous work experience includes his position
as a manager in Ernst & Young’s International Finance Group.
Michael has taught as an adjunct professor at Baldwin‐Wallace University and John
Carroll University. His academic credentials include a Chartered Financial Analyst
(CFA) charter, a Masters from Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), and studies at the
University of Konstanz in Germany and Kingston University in London. His
executive education includes courses at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business
School and Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Business.
Lisa Cynamon Mayers
Academic Advisor, International Education Advantage, LLC
Lisa has spent more than twelve years working in undergraduate admissions and
college counseling and now provides guidance on the application and admissions
processes for Intead’s clients.
Lisa worked at Washington University as a Senior Assistant Director of
Undergraduate Admissions. She was responsible for the Northeast region, led the
admissions committee for the School of Architecture, and coordinated the Student
Admission Committee (including the tour guide program). Throughout Lisa’s years of
graduate study at Case Western Reserve University, she worked with the admissions
office on projects including interviewing prospective students and revamping the
campus tour program. Recently she served as an international application reviewer
for Case.
For the past ten years, Lisa has worked as an independent college counselor, guiding
American and international high school students and their parents through the college
admissions process. Lisa was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Inside Ivy Conference in
Seoul, South Korea, organized by the Princeton Review Korea and Road to College.
As a speaker and published writer on the subject of college admissions, Lisa has been
able to advise countless students and parents. Lisa is a featured writer for the book
Getting to the Quad. She earned a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an
MA from Case Western Reserve University.
Feedback is welcome and encouraged
Please share your feedback on this book and your own experience with agents:
Michael Waxman‐Lenz: [email protected] Lisa Cynamon Mayers: [email protected]
6
To Our Readers
Recruiting students from around the world is complicated stuff. Cultural differences aside,
simple barriers to technology can keep your outreach efforts from reaching your target audience.
At Intead we understand the factors driving US academic institutions to seek international
students. Administrators consider not only the valuable cultural exchange a diverse campus
brings but also the economic benefit of full‐paying students.
The agency recruitment channel has a particular history within US higher education and has
been more controversial than other methods. No other recruiting method seems to be scrutinized
as much for effectiveness or return on investment.
Even as schools across the country plan to increase the number of international students on their
campuses, they grapple with the marketing challenges of finding and enrolling these students
while making the educational experience valuable for everyone involved.
With these motivations and challenges in mind, Intead offers its first edition guide to building,
managing and growing an international student recruitment network using education agents.
US higher education institutions should be developing the same knowledge base as their
counterparts in Australia, the UK and Canada. The experience of institutions in those countries
can be invaluable in helping US colleges and universities avoid mistakes. AIRC, the American
International Recruitment Council, is certainly one attempt to incorporate lessons learned, while
providing a standard‐setting organization
We hope you will find new ideas and gain perspective on what can be a daunting undertaking.
This resource is available to help our community of international enrollment professionals learn
from us, and each other.
Building, growing and maintaining a productive agency‐based recruitment network around the
world will take time, significant effort, internal and external resources and dedicated staff to
build and maintain global relationships.
We can all learn from each other as we enter new international markets and figure out what
works. And as we all get better at this and communicate those attributes that make our
institutions stand out from each other, more international students will land in the academic
programs that best meet their needs.
And that result is what we all want: well‐placed and well‐prepared international students to
complement the domestic student population at our schools.
We look forward to collaborating with you.
7
1. Executive Summary
Agent recruitment has an air of picking the easy and cheap way to find students as
opposed to the typical US domestic student recruiting process of visiting high schools
and attending college fairs. Our research shows that successful recruiting via agents is
neither easy nor inexpensive. Building,
supporting and managing an agent network
requires initial investment and ongoing
commitment and resources.
In interviewing more than 50 professionals in
this field, we found those adding this recruiting
channel had deliberate strategic and practical
reasons to do so. Here we highlight the
advantages and value of agent recruiting:
Consistent presence in the country with
local representatives and offices versus
fly‐in/fly‐out admissions officers
Local cultural understanding of the education tradition and an ability to
convey the complex US admissions process
Language facility and ability to communicate with students and parents
A successful, well‐designed and managed agent recruiting channel requires:
o Ongoing support internally and externally o Thoughtful selection, evaluation and monitoring of the partner agencies o Consistent and repeated training of agents o Direct personal interaction and communication via as many channels as
possible (visits in‐country, visits by agents to the institution, email, phone,
video conferencing)
o Consistent evaluation of results o Fair and prompt compensation to agents
8
2. Introduction
Overview
We are going to cover the practical implementation issues of managing an agent‐
based recruitment network for most types of educational institutions. We talked to
people affiliated with over 50 colleges and universities about their recruitment needs.
We also surveyed ESL programs, language schools and boarding schools. The issues
we address will be similar for language schools and boarding schools, but we focus on
the college market due to the greater complexity of programs, admissions
requirements, accreditations, state requirements, etc.
What is an Agent?
Before we can discuss how to develop an agent network, good qualities to seek in an
agent, and other tips of the trade, it’s worthwhile
to first unpack the definition of an agent.
Agent, noun, \ˈā‐jənt\, a person who does
business for another person: a person who acts on
behalf of another. (Source: Merriam Webster Online
Dictionary)
We want to focus on the latter half of the
definition—“a person who acts on behalf of another.” In every business arena, agents
serve a critical role—real estate, sports, law, travel, to name a few. In education, the
agent—also known as international education agent, educational counselor, or
independent counselor—acts on behalf of the student and his/her parents and the
college or university to ease the process of learning about the institution, applying,
and enrolling. The agent serves the needs of both the student and the university. It is a
triangular partnership: everyone could coordinate individually, but the agent provides
the conduit for easier interaction for the other two parties.
The Agent Debate
Though we are certainly aware of it, we will
disregard the question and debate in the United
States as to whether it is appropriate to use agents.
The purpose of this e‐book is not to focus on the
debate around agents, but rather to provide a
roadmap for those institutions that have already
made the decision to work with agents. The National Association for College
Admission Counseling (NACAC), which “strives to support and advance the work of
The world is full of agents – when you buy a house,
book a holiday, prepare documents. Athletes use
sports agents. Writers use literary agents.
~ Markus Badde, CEO, ICEF
Agents can help institutions better understand the
local education market. They often are effective
inroads to the region. ~ Joseph DeCrosta,
Director of International Programs, Duquesne
University
9
both secondary school and college admission counselors,” has been vocal in the great
agent debate. Over the last two years, a NACAC Commission was tasked to review
the use of agents in member organizations. At the 2013 NACAC Toronto conference,
the commission issued a recommendation for member organizations that allowed for
the use of agents. The recent NACAC decision will, in our view, broaden the number
of schools that admit using agents and
encourage others to enter this recruiting
channel. It is your professional judgment
whether or not to use agents. It is your decision to admit students qualified and
capable of completing your programs. We
believe that the use of agents is an
appropriate marketing channel, if managed
professionally.
We are most familiar with the US higher
education market, yet we know that the principles will apply to all other markets as
well. We researched and talked with a number of Australian and UK institutions; both
are markets with much longer and stronger traditions of using commission‐based
agents to recruit international students.
Commission‐based agents are not a panacea. They require significant support and
management. You will also find varying levels of quality among these professionals.
Agents are used widely around the world. The majority of Australian, British and
Canadian universities use them as part of their extended marketing reach.
In Australia, the majority of international students are recruited with agent support.
We haven’t seen any official estimates of the percentage of universities in the United
States working with agents. Our own research among 100 NAFSA members indicates
40 percent were using commission‐based agents. The American International
Recruitment Council (AIRC ‐ http://airc‐education.org) has more than 200 academic
members that in principle will at
least consider, if not actively use,
agents.
These data show widespread use
of commission‐based recruiters.
Anecdotally, we believe that
many more US colleges and
universities use agents than will
admit to their use.
Parents want reassurance that their decision for
their children is correct. They want somebody who
speaks their language and is local. Agents are
facilitators in today’s market where lots of
information is available. ~ Tony Cullen, Executive
General Manager – Marketing, Navitas
University Partnerships
Imagine you are a Chinese university interested in recruiting
US students and you had a modest budget. What would be
more effective: (a) coming to the US for one week each year to
promote your institution; or (b) having a 24/7 on‐the‐ground
recruitment network working on your behalf? When the shoe is
on the other foot, why is it that most US colleges gravitate to (a)
rather than (b)? ~ Larry Green, Managing Director / EVP
Higher Education North America, Study Group
10
Research Methodology
Our research selection was by definition a skewed sample since we focused heavily on
AIRC university members. AIRC is a standards development organization, officially
registered with the US Department of
Commerce and Federal Trade Commission,
which has developed a rigorous agency
certification process based on its
standards. Agencies which achieve AIRC
Certification, following external due
diligence, self‐study and external review by
examiners from member institutions, are
listed on the AIRC website. You could
compare AIRC’s work to the accreditation process for academic institutions. The
process is time intensive and expensive, so not all agencies will seek AIRC
certification. We believe these agency reviews identify a distinct level of expertise and
professionalism.
Parents are seeking trusted advice to make this
financial and time commitment. There is a massive
amount of noise in the market. ~ David Stremba,
Managing Director, North America, INTO
University Partnerships
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
11
Agency recruitment is just another recruitment channel
During our conversations, we heard frequently that agency recruitment is just another
channel in addition to direct recruitment, digital marketing, and so forth. While we
completely agree that universities should build and support a portfolio of recruiting
methods, you will also hear from us that agency recruitment can only be successful if
there is adequate support and emphasis on this channel. Signing agent agreements
without sufficient support, follow‐up, and dedication is unlikely to lead to consistent
enrollment success.
Can this recruitment channel work for all types of schools?
Our answer is yes.
Understand, with few exceptions, unless this marketing channel is accepted as a
legitimate recruitment channel, supported by the institution and resourced
appropriately, the channel will not yield results.
Now let’s add a few more refinements and
caveats to that answer. We can think of
several scenarios in which you don’t need or
want agencies. Some universities don’t need agents since they have the brand, location and/or ranking to be highly successful with
international student recruitment without
such a channel. Congratulations.
Certain universities are seeking to find a very small number of international students
to add diversity; they choose to recruit directly. Other universities want and can invest
in other direct and indirect recruitment channels.
So here’s the thing: for the vast majority of institutions, working with agents will open
an untapped channel for international student recruitment. As with most of life, the
more an institution can put into the agent relationship, the more benefits and
successes the institution will reap.
B2B versus B2C
In the business world and, in particular, the Internet, we talk about two distinct
business models.
Business to Business (B2B) sales channels
Business to Consumer (B2C) sales channels
You have to know your strength. The agent cannot
sell a school alone, the university has to develop a
statement where international students can enter
[the programs] and be successful. ~ George Burke,
retired Director Center for International
Students, Cleveland State University
12
In the end, services and products are sold to an end consumer. Let’s use an example
with which you may be very familiar: Apple computers.
Historically Apple computers were sold only in electronic and department stores. So
Apple had a whole organization supporting stores such as Best Buy. The support
ranged from the logistics of how to deliver product, manage inventory, support to co‐
marketing, pricing and, of course, finance administration. In recent years Apple
established a highly successful chain of their own company stores. Sales staff
employed by Apple, technical staff, the wonderful Genius bar, are located in their own
stores. Interestingly enough, Dell computers went exactly the opposite direction. Dell
started with a highly successful online direct sales process. The company cut out the
“middleman” retailers, and consumers would buy directly from Dell. Yet at some
point, Dell added an indirect B2B sales channel via third‐party retail stores.
So, think of the general advertising, marketing and logistics of these companies. They
support the direct sales channel as well as the B2B channel. Your university marketing
is no different. While it is sometimes uncomfortable to make these commercial
comparisons to education, from our perspective, these are marketing and sales
channels with advantages and disadvantages that need to be explored, managed, and
optimized in order to bring students and educational institutions together.
For which programs do you recruit?
7.5%
17.7%
26.1%
36.0%
39.1%
46.6%
50.1%
64.4%
67.1%
71.1%
.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0%
Work & Travel Programmes
MBA Programmes
Work & Study Programmes
Vocational Diploma/Further Education
Secondary and High School
University: Foundation
University: Distance education/Online learning
University: Graduate/Postgraduate
University: Undergraduate
Language Courses
Source: ICEF –i‐Graduate Agent Barometer 2013
Base = 1,042
13
What motivates and drives agents?
While in the US we are quick to distinguish between agents and independent college
counselors, many international agents don’t distinguish between the two. Good
international agents are good student counselors. While the discussion in the US is
largely focused on the compensation an agent receives for placing a student, we hear
from agents a great deal about finding the appropriate university for the student.
Parents frequently have unrealistic expectations that their son or daughter can be
placed in a well‐known or highly ranked institution. Agents advise, coach and coax
parents to expand the group of universities they consider in order to achieve their
objectives.
Ultimately, agents need to be concerned about the success of their placed students
since word of mouth is a critical part of building their business. Smaller agencies may
feel this connection between good advice and more business success more strongly
than larger agencies.
Agents are facilitators in the current environment. Parents and students have access to
a great deal of information via the media, digital channels and word of mouth. Yet
families need reassurance, additional advice and guidance on the application and
selection process, visa application in their own language, and local accessibility.
Our recent podcast [LINK] with Gabriel Monteros, Director and Senior Consultant at
Xueer, an education agency in China, gives the Chinese perspective on the US college
application process.
To gain a better
understanding of
the insights of
someone on the
ground in China
working as an
agent, we encourage
you to listen to this
podcast.
Before you engage
the services of
agents, you must be able to effectively articulate, in conversation and marketing
materials, the strengths of your institution. An agent cannot be expected to sell a
14
school; the institution must develop a brand and marketing package that clearly
explains why international students should consider it.
Regardless of your marketing channel (B2B or direct), you need to develop a value
proposition for the international
market. In your home market,
proximity, existing alumni and a
regional brand affinity may support
your recruitment. However, many
universities are not as well‐known in
international markets. You need to
explain and “package” your
education program and in the end,
deliver a valuable educational
experience for international students. The agent cannot be expected to “sell” an
institution that is having a tough time “selling” itself.
We cannot reiterate enough how often we heard that students and parents are
overwhelmed by the choices available to them. Universities around the world are
looking to add the talented, well‐qualified, fluent English‐speaking, full‐tuition‐paying
international student. Arguably, that’s why the US News & World Reports’ rankings are
so powerful in their simplicity.
Certain U.S. universities have the perception that international
students fall off trees; there is a lack of appreciation of how
savvy international students have become and how many
choices they have today. ~ Krista Northup, Director of
International Recruitment & Agency Operations, State
University of New York System Administration
Source: ICEF –i‐Graduate Agent Barometer 2013
43.5%
37.6%
48.6%
15.3%
29.8%
30.9%
45.9%
50.1%
34.8%
79.1%
62.5%
62.2%
0% 50% 100%
Regularvisitstoeducationinstitutionbyyouoryourstaff(n=763)
Agenttrainingworkshopsorganisedinthedestinationcountry(n=755)
Agenttrainingcoursesviatheinternet(n=730)
Quickresponsetimestoenquiriesandapplications(n=757)
Agentmanualwithfeesandinformation(n=752)
Regularcommunicationupdates(n=753)Veryunimportant
Unimportant
Important
Veryimportant
The Main Ingredients in Successful Educator-Agent Partnerships
15
How’s this as a comparison? When you want to buy a new appliance, say a TV, do
you look at some kind of consumer ratings to make a decision? Most people do. With
so many varieties of TVs now on the market, most of us look for guidance to limit the
field of options as we make our choice.
A Chinese family looks at the field of 4,000 US colleges and universities and asks,
“Can someone help us narrow our choices to a reasonable number of options to
evaluate?” And so, the online rankings come to their rescue…for better or worse. But
it makes sense that we need to limit the pool of options when the options are so many.
16
187
215
117
76 7568
29 2918
2714
210
37
0
50
100
150
200
250
Base = 1,118
Approximately how many institutions does your agency represent?
Source: ICEF –i‐Graduate Agent Barometer 2013
16
3. Getting Started
Seven Steps to Building an Agent Network
1. Get Senior Leadership onboard: Provost and President need to be fully knowledgeable on the decision so that they can speak to the decision of using agents.
2. Selection of agents: What is their track record? What credentials do they hold? Who are their references and colleagues?
3. Onboarding: Once you bring an agent on board, do you have staff to establish a communication stream? Do you have a manual that effectively describes your institution? How do you train agents initially and on an on-going basis?
4. Communication: You must establish the criteria of communication: agree upon when you or your staff are available to engage, how that communication will occur, the appropriate period of time to respond to information requests from the agents.
5. Visits: In an ideal world, your staff would visit every agent you have engaged. It is important to the agency’s staff to assess their level of understanding of your institution.
6. Set expectations: From Day 1 all agents should know that they have 2 to 3 years to prove success.
7. Ongoing monitoring: You must establish the process for evaluating success. Agents must be aware of the evaluation system and all parties should agree to the terms.
Three factors are mentioned consistently by those who have built agent networks:
consensus, permission and senior leadership. This isn’t a program that one person on
staff can decide to implement— ultimately, it takes a team‐based approach to find
success.
We heard repeatedly that building a (sufficient) consensus to use commission‐based
recruiters was challenging and time‐consuming but critical for many schools. We
noted several levels of political and legal consensus and permissions required within
each institution.
Source: A special thank you to George Burke for providing us with this succinct set of steps for building an agent network.
17
Agent Management within a Strategic Framework
George Burke, who recently retired from Cleveland State University, described
educating and earning the support of the provost and president as a vital step. They
need to understand the process and have the ability to respond to questions.
Sara Tully from the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee (UWM) noted that their state
procurement process has an important set of guidelines to help define how to
establish university‐agent negotiations and contracts. The State of Wisconsin provides
annual permission for the agent contracts.
An alternative to a large‐scale embrace of an agent network is to start with a smaller
pilot project. We talked to several universities that instituted smaller‐scale projects,
some with specific time limits. The advantage is speed: to proceed, test the waters,
learn. On the other hand, we heard from some universities about a lack of political and
resource commitment to the pilots that appeared to have hindered the likelihood of
success.
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
18
In some instances, the process is driven by the strategic decision to partner with an
organization that has large‐scale
agent networks in place. All the
pathway and language school
providers have extensive agent
networks and support them
with dedicated in‐country
representatives. In some
instances, schools rely heavily
on these mostly commercial partners such as INTO, NAVITAS, Kaplan, and ELS to
support the international enrollment process. For others, such a relationship is just one
of many elements of a broad internationalization and international enrollment
strategy. In several cases, the roles and responsibilities in terms for student
recruitment have shifted over time between the university and the recruiter.
An example: Northeastern University in Boston was one of the early adopters of a
pathway program with Kaplan where the latter provided the international recruiting
infrastructure. Over the last several years, Northeastern has built one of the broader
The political will of the institution has to be in place; you have
to put the means and resources in place. ~ Rebecca Brown,
Director, Center for International Programs, Humboldt
State University
19
international enrollment infrastructures, including its own professionally managed
travel team and institutional partnerships, but they have not built an agent network
as part of their internal recruitment process.
In addition, Australian and UK companies such as Navitas, INTO and StudyGroup
have entered the US market and established their first set of partnerships with US
universities. These companies bring their years of experience, expertise, in‐country
support teams and extensive agent networks to new pathway programs in
collaboration with established entities.
Scale and penetration of these pathway programs are still much smaller. They are
really in their infancy compared to their penetration and importance in the UK and
Australia. We would not be surprised if such programs gain traction in the US context
as well since they enable universities to reduce their risk. In our view, these providers
will not be interested in the hundreds of smaller US colleges.
Marketing Channels and Systems
In the domestic admissions marketing process, we encounter a number of strong
influencers and key events that do not exist for most international students. We are
thinking in particular of high school counselors and the campus visit.
Universities pay a great deal of
attention to cultivating
relationships with a network of
high school counselors. They
dedicate efforts and resources to
organizing meaningful campus
visits and off‐site programs. In the
international domain, agents—both
those paid by parents and the
commission‐based agents—play
functionally a similar role to US
high school counselors. Only international students who attend American or
international schools are likely to have access to American‐style college counselors
within the school system.
Efficiency can be created via IT support. While it may seem overwhelming at first to
engage numerous agents around the world, digital resources exist to make the
relationships easier to manage. Tools that allow you to send regular email or
newsletter updates, participate in webinars, and control record keeping are some of
the ways that technology can help you to manage your agent network.
US colleges have long had the demographic curve in their favor.
But the curve has shifted and one consequence is that
competition for foreign students is now intense. Unless you
have the luxury of being a well‐ branded and highly ranked
college, tapping into a well‐managed agent network is the most
effective means to reach these in‐demand students. ~ Larry
Green, Managing Director / EVP Higher Education North
America, Study Group
20
We found only a limited number of specific systems dedicated to supporting the
agency marketing administration process. In most instances, it appears that
universities add a dedicated staff member to support the administrative needs of the
agency recruitment process.
Big Picture: Marketing Strategy and the Role of Agents
We’d like to emphasize again that agent
recruitment needs to fit into your overall
marketing strategy. Considerations include
your mix of recruiting in various markets,
production and distribution of marketing
materials, and internal and external promotion
of the use of agents.
Certain markets will lend themselves to more high school marketing or partnerships,
while other areas, such as China, India, and smaller markets such as Nepal, are
strongly influenced by agents. In our experience, one size does not fit all. And most
marketing and recruitment marketing efforts will support each other, though you
have to be mindful of the channel conflicts and
compensation issues.
Let’s say you are attending recruitment fairs
with your agents. The agents are following up
and providing ongoing support to students
and will expect compensation even though
you may have been the first touch point.
Agents are a direct enrollment channel, and they are very valuable in providing local
market context and information. Steven Boyd from the University of Bridgeport and
many of his colleagues emphasized the local intelligence and insights obtained from
agents—what programs are attractive, what issues are encountered during the
application process, what visa issues are known and so forth.
Lastly, agent marketing can have a longer‐term positive impact on the brand visibility
of your university. Agents will
provide printed materials in their
offices and may include you in their
digital, social media and print
advertising. We’ll discuss joint
business planning with agents shortly.
Stay with us.
Agents are just a piece of the puzzle. ~ Charlie
Schwartz, Associate Director, International
Admissions, University of Cincinnati
Agent agreements need to be living documents as
opposed to papers in a filing cabinet.
~ Paul Hofmann, Assistant Vice President for
International Affairs, California State
University, Fresno
International students are more focused on ranking than
domestic students. Programs of distinction are more important
than a broad range.” ~ Ralph Trecartin, Assistant Provost
for International Education, The College at Brockport,
State University of New York
21
What Do Agents Do?
Services Most Often Provided by Education Agents Source: Hobsons 2007
Since they are on the ground in a given territory
agents are best at handling student inquiries or
leads...because they are able to follow up swiftly in the
local language. ~ Markus Badde, CEO, ICEF
Agents offer brick and mortar offices and they build a
bridge to demystify the US application process.
~ David DiMaria, Vice President of Enrollment,
Kent State University
22
Agents will provide the basic services in
selecting and applying to universities. But
many agencies have added several other
services. The somewhat dated Hobsons survey
from 2007 provides one of the few quantified
research pieces. It does not show ESL services,
travel support and tour organization, which we
have seen in the marketplace as well.
When asked about the roles they serve, agents responded in this way:
Source: Guardian, July 2013: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Agents can be useful cultural guides for
institutions, offering insight into their particular
region and educational systems.
~ Joseph DeCrosta, Director of International
Programs, Duquesne University
23
Building Consensus
You work in academic institutions, so
we know the importance of research to
you. We went deep into the academic
research, and we actually found an
Australian academician who wrote her
PhD thesis on how Australian
universities manage their relationships with agents. Voila—we can provide you with
empirical research.
In all seriousness, there is an empirical body of knowledge about how Australian
universities have built a strong competitive position in the world without many of the
assets other English speaking countries bring to bear, and on a broad scale.
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
Core International Educational Agents’ Services
The market has changed so that agents have the business;
now schools have to market themselves to agents.
~ Angel Ahmed, Director of International Business
Development, Full Sail University
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
24
Below we provide a diagram displaying the different phases of your work. This chart
may help to demonstrate to internal colleagues how thoughtful you are about the
agent recruitment process.
These summaries give you an idea of the breadth of agent activities. Now let’s move on to identifying agents that might work well for your institution.
A broken line indicates possible actions that could be undertaken, but were not always necessarily
Process flow of contracting and managing education agents – empirical findings
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
25
4. Finding the Right Agents for Your Institution
Identifying Agents
If you are a somewhat visible college or university, you receive emails and cold calls
from various agencies. You can choose to respond, verify credentials and references,
and build your network. Chances are that if you use only this approach, you will miss
excellent, suitable agencies.
Word of mouth
In our experience, this is a widely used method. Admissions officers from different
institutions trust each other and they may choose to share agents with others—
probably institutions that are not direct competitors.
Hire admissions staff with relationships
We heard many examples of admissions officers who had prior experience with
agents and took those relationships to a new institution. This path of talent acquisition
‐‐ so common in the commercial world ‐‐ is
somewhat overlooked in our view. You can
shorten your learning and building cycle by
many years with an experienced admissions
officer bringing his/her relationships to the
right institution. The more you believe that
relationships are the key for agent
recruitment, the more attractive are
admissions and marketing staff with
extensive relationships.
Search the Internet
There are plenty of agencies available. Australian universities are required by law to
list their agency relationships on their websites, as you can see from the example
below. If you need a list of Australian Universities we’ve provided a few valuable
links in the appendix to this e‐book. Some of the US institutions, such as the
University of Cincinnati and SUNY do the same and publish their overseas
representatives. They provide you with a vetted list.
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/info/international
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/info/overseas‐representatives
(registration required)
If you want a diverse population, look for smaller
agencies that can demonstrate that they find the right fit
of students and don’t make unrealistic promises about
your university. ~ Colleen Grover, Director of
International Initiatives, Husson University
26
We have also seen LinkedIn groups frequently used as forums for additional agent
recommendations or requests for specific markets.
27
Post Information on Your Website
Canadian universities have a much longer history of using agents than their American
counterparts. Within their websites there is often information for agents who are
interested in representing the institution or who already do so. Having a convenient
format to facilitate agent inquiries and applications will make your job easier. Wilfrid
Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, has a nice portal on its website for agents.
Source: https://www.wlu.ca/forms_detail.php?grp_id=1928&frm_id=2644
28
Buy lists of agent brokers
We have seen offers to buy lists of agents by
country or region. We don’t know the quality
and source of these lists, and we have not
heard of any schools using them. If you have
any experience, please give feedback on our
site www.inteadreviews.com.
Travel around the world
If you are traveling, you’ll be able to find and
visit recruiters directly. Depending on your
university’s travel budget, you could meet
several recruiters at fairs in the US or choose
to travel to each country to select your agents.
In the big cities in China and India, you can find areas with lots of education
consultancies. This would certainly be more of a hit or miss approach. The
Commercial Service of the Department of Commerce can be a helpful independent
group arranging meetings for you with educational agents and other relevant entities.
We discuss this option in more detail section 6 of this e‐book.
National associations of professional agents
FELCA [LINK], the Federation of Education
and Language Consultant Associations, is
the international association of national
agency associations. Felca is the forum of
national language and education travel
associations from all over the world. Its
members include the national associations of
Brazil, Italy, Europe, France, Indonesia,
Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain, Taiwan,
Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. The
members of the national associations are
individual businesses whose role it is to
advise and counsel students who want to
travel overseas to study at a language school,
high school or university. Associations such
as, BELTA in Brazil, TIAC in Thailand, or
JAOS in Japan, are examples of associations
that can help you to identify agents in
various regions. In most cases, these agents
agree to abide by the ethical practice
29
guidelines of their respective organizations but in most cases (maybe all) there is no
enforcement mechanism other than AIRC (which we discuss below and in section 6 of
this e‐book).
Agent fairs
ICEF and WEBA host the two largest conferences we have found. Agents and
admissions officers meet at these events, which are effectively trade fairs for student
recruitment; the tongue‐in‐cheek comparison would be to speed dating. At these
conferences, school admissions officers and
recruiting agents meet and discuss their
respective needs. The organizers emphasize
that they screen recruiters for quality. These
fairs represent an efficient way to meet
agents. There are a number of providers,
www.icef.com. For full disclosure, Intead has
a working relationship and sponsorship
activity with ICEF, which organizes these
agent workshops around the world.
For those just starting go to the ICEF website. Attend an
ICEF workshop. I can’t say enough good things about
ICEF and how they are an excellent conduit between
universities and agents. ~ Christie Schellenberger,
Manager, International Recruitment & Admissions,
Wilfrid Laurier University
30
AIRC (American International Recruitment Council)
In the United States, AIRC is a standard‐setting organization that qualifies and audits
commission‐based agents. According to John Deupree, Executive Director of AIRC,
the organization was founded to “safeguard the interests of students and institutions
through promotion of best practice strategies of international recruitment.” AIRC was
founded by US accredited institutions who believed that the industry would benefit
from having a certification process for agents that was modeled on US higher
education accreditation, with comparable rigor.
Other countries rely upon government regulation to assure institutional compliance.
But no other country has any mechanism that can sanction an agent. AIRC is capable
of doing that. Laws do not cross‐borders. Accreditation regimes do. In that respect,
AIRC is stricter and more rigorous as far as agents are concerned.
As an institutional member, you can examine their membership list and receive a list
of approved agencies. AIRC is a relatively young organization and has a limited list of
audited agencies.
Again, for full disclosure, Intead has a working relationship and sponsorship activity
with AIRC.
31
Who manages the largest agent networks?
This publication focuses on agency agreements for college‐ and university‐level
education in the United States. In practice, many other levels of education use agent
networks very extensively.
In language schools around the world, agency recruiting is the predominant method of recruitment. The large language and education companies such as ELS,
StudyGroup, Navitas, and Kaplan have networks with hundreds of agency
agreements and thousands of recruiting agents. They maintain a professionally
managed operation, often with in‐country local representatives to support the
marketing activities, orientation of agents, and advice to parents and students. This
extensive pre‐existing network is one of the key assets small and large third‐party
English as a Second Language (ESL) providers bring to universities and colleges when
they partner.
The second group of companies deeply involved in agency recruiting networks are
the pathway providers. Companies such as Navitas, INTO, Kaplan and StudyGroup
again manage these networks as one of their core competencies. You notice that there is some overlap between the service providers as they offer language and
pathway programs as well as their own education programs to various degrees.
IDP is a joint venture between Australian universities and an online recruiting
company called SEEK. IDP was established by Australian universities in 1969 to
provide development assistance to universities in Asia. The organization started to
develop its global network of student placement offices in 1987 when Australia began
accepting full‐fee‐paying international students. IDP also owns the English Language
Testing System (IELTS), the TOEFL competitor. IDP has a network of over eighty
offices.
Smaller but still sizable language school providers such as the Language Company
have built their own networks as well as country‐specific recruiting organizations
such as IEC in China.
We strongly believe that these scale recruiting networks, with their sophisticated
digital marketing operations, in‐country support teams, scaled back‐end software and
extensive distribution relationships will have a growing role in the increasingly
competitive international education market.
32
Who is looking for whom and is the tide turning?
We have given you a solid list of ways to
identify appropriate agents, and we will
further analyze how to vet and build
relationships, but we want to share one
observation from our research. Many
admissions staff members mentioned that
they get inundated with requests to sign
agent agreements. Some do not respond at
all, others respond selectively and
opportunistically as time permits, and only a few sign a large number of agreements.
The latter would have the motto: Let the agent prove him/herself. Results will be the
best way of selection.
We’d like to emphasize the following: Experienced, successful agencies around the
world have become selective themselves. They are selective in their approach to
appropriate partnerships. These agents already have plenty of students to choose
from; they want to partner with attractive schools with the right support team, and
favorable terms. We have heard of agents actively canceling agreements if they cannot
deliver students to a particular type of school or when it is not worth their staff’s time
to seek students. In reality, most of these agreements will just expire without any
communication. But schools need to understand that they have to work hard to be
represented by the strongest, most successful agents.
We do feel that some admissions officers are underestimating the need to select the
right agents for their types of programs and schools. Further, it will take time to build
a relationship. Unless you are a highly attractive school in terms of ranking, location
and other attributes, let’s be honest, you will be one of many schools from the US,
Canada, Australia, UK and many other international markets vying for the attention
of prospective students. On a side note, if you think that agents have a choice of
schools, just think of the demands of being the counselor at an international school.
The Coincidental Connection
Our respondents also mentioned a number of times a local or coincidental connection
to the right Chinese or Indian business person who helps solve some of the
university’s recruitment challenges. Particularly in smaller regional institutions, we all
understand the critical dynamic between local trustees and the community. Yet many
of these arrangements do not lead to long‐term success. Most often, with these
informal connections, the recruitment partner in the targeted enrollment market is not
equipped, nor is the university ready, to lend support without an integral strategy and
execution plan.
Both agent and college should be made to feel that the
other is their most important agent or college, number
one. ~ David Arredondo, Director, International
Student Services, Lorain County Community
College
33
Agent Qualities and Qualifications
As with all other professional relationships, you need to feel comfortable with the
individuals and the companies you hire. They will represent your institution. In
developing an agency relationship, you’ll be
concerned with:
Honesty
Expertise
Dedication
Experience
What about scale? It depends on who you
are and what you are looking for. As we mentioned, agencies have become very
discerning in their selection of schools as well.
You have to remember that it’s easy to sign an agreement. The start‐up cost is
minimal. The real work starts with the agents learning about and representing your
programs.
You need to feel that your school profile fits
into the activities of the agency. It might
sound great if a large‐scale agency (many
branch offices with many counselors and
prospective students) signs on, but not if
they lack the ability to effectively market
your institution.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
We have seen and heard of many cases where agencies focus on the more highly
branded universities and locations and agreements with lower ranked, lesser known
schools result in little, if any, activity.
The Cincinnati Principles—Guidelines for Success in Recruiting
The Cincinnati Principles were published by Mitch Leventhal, PhD, the pioneer of and
a strong advocate for agency‐based recruiting in the United States. Mitch is now Vice
Chancellor for Global Affairs for The State University of New York System.
The Cincinnati Principles were created as an ad hoc guide; they were ultimately
superseded by AIRC. They were created because there were no US standards in
Each market has its own niche. You have to be thinking
multi‐faceted with your arrangements. You have to be
flexible, the environment is constantly changing. And
you have to build long‐term relationships.
~ Jay Lokken, Director of International Education
Program, University of Wisconsin LaCrosse
Have clarity of purpose in terms of regions, number
and quality of students, find a champion of
international recruitment on campus, and provide
fast turnaround. ~ John C. Wood, Chief Executive
Officer, University Programs, Navitas
34
existence to guide institutions in their work with agents. So, the idea was to inform US
institutions that they would be well served
to follow the standards that exist in
Australia. This was a stop‐gap approach
until the development of domestic
standards for the US market.
According to Mitch Leventhal, “In late
2005, the University of Cincinnati began its
journey toward commission‐based
recruitment. UC’s first agent agreements were signed in January 2006, and success in
the first two years is very apparent. In the course of the work, UC has developed 10
principles which are not written in stone, but which guide all agent‐related actions,
and against which assumptions are tested.”
If your institution is serious about changing course, consider these principles as you
plan your new international recruitment strategy.
1. Work with well‐established commission‐based agents who already work with
the Australian universities.
2. Refuse to work with agents who exclusively charge students.
3. Always check the references of agencies under consideration.
4. Demand that agents operate as though the ESOS Act applies to your US
institution. (See our discussion of ESOS in section 7 of this e-book).
5. Embrace best practices that are already in place, and do not re‐invent the
wheel.
6. Utilize the Australian agency agreement with as few modifications as possible.
7. Work within the established operating framework with which agencies are
familiar and comfortable; adapt your admissions and marketing practices to
the new reality.
8. Establish a dedicated international admissions office to coordinate agency
relationships and support their efforts.
9. Do not appoint more than three agents in any given country, and avoid
appointing fewer than two.
10. Collaborate with your local competitors—embrace co‐opetition—the result
will be economies of scale in an expanding market with accelerated benefits
for all.
There is a difference between being well represented
versus being well promoted.
~ Greet Provost, Director, Office of International
Programs, University of Mississippi
35
We will talk in greater detail in section 7 about the situation in Australia. But we
should point out that the US market is a follower and not a fast one at that. The
Australian entities have been working on a Code of Practice for international
recruitment, including agent use for many years. In contrast to the incredibly diverse
and varied response and
application process in the
US, there is great cohesion
and consensus in the
Australian market.
http://sydney.edu.au/documents/future_students/CodeOfPractice.pdf
36
5. Onboarding, Training and Communication
Experienced agents and university recruiters stress the importance of onboarding and
the continuous communication flow. Many agencies represent a significant number of
programs. The counselors need to be familiar with your programs, standards and the
type of student that will succeed and fit in at your institution. Unfortunately, high staff turnover among counselors seems to plague agencies around the world. We
could not find any quantifiable data, but anecdotal evidence is very strong. It appears
that small agencies, managed by the owners, are less affected by turnover but these
agencies offer, by definition, less recruitment scale and smaller marketing reach.
Developing a manual for agents will ultimately save you a great deal of time. A one‐
time investment up front, this manual should be easily updatable so that agents
throughout the world can access the information you want to convey and understand the system you want to use for ongoing agent communication and
management.
Agents can find it overwhelming to be
inundated with emails from your
institution. While it might seem useful to
send emails every time a new program
is announced or whenever there is
exciting news, the effect is quickly lost
when agents stop reading the emails.
Better to develop a newsletter of sorts or some other regular communication channel
so that your agents will be able to keep up with exciting news from your institution
without feeling bombarded. You want to establish a communication protocol such as
being available weekly, or monthly, for a Skype conversation. You want to agree on a
time frame for responding to information requests, to get away from the immediacy
and fire drills.
George Burke advises “Remember that they are often sales people; they want
immediate response.” You need to control the information flow. We suggest that you
look at speed and quick customer service to your representative network as a necessity for remaining competitive. You need to develop your processes and manage
information in a way that allows you to respond. Otherwise others will, and you will
lose the prospective student.
If you don’t have a manual, you need to create one.
Agents can send you pages of questions. ~ Charles
Wilkerson, Director of International Education &
Recruitment, Tennessee Tech University
37
Link to ICEF/IDP Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/24973225
38
Signing the Contractual Agreement
At the outset both parties, the institution and the agency, must agree to certain terms
of engagement. An agreement must be reached that includes:
compensation structure
a marketing plan
training
marketing materials
The compensation structure will be a
critical discussion at the beginning of the
relationship. How agents receive
compensation is truly the crux of the great agent debate. Some agents/counselors
receive compensation exclusively from the student/parents while others seek
additional compensation from the institution for placing the student. You will need to
determine, along with your administration and colleagues, how you want to approach
agent compensation.
We have heard the term “double dipping” frequently which refers to agents receiving
a payment from the parents and the school. Transparency seems to be the best way
to manage this part of the relationship.
We find the term “double dipping” pejorative at the outset, as if there is something
inappropriate going on. Industry relationships in a wide range of industries have been
built on vendors selling their services to a range of customers. Take advertising for
instance. When a business (including universities) place ads through their ad agency,
the agency gets paid for the creative work
and then typically takes 15 percent of the
ad placement cost as a fee just for placing
the ad in the chosen medium (TV,
newsprint, online, etc.).
Consider the international education
agent who spends time helping a family
with their application process, taking the
student to the relevant embassies to acquire visas, etc. That they receive payment from
the family seems appropriate for these services. That the agency then receives a fee for
placing the student in a particular university also seems appropriate. There is nothing
out of line or inappropriate in these transactions.
Create structure around training—by region, have
people who speak the local languages. The local
counselor’s English is not that good. Have team
members who speak the local language. ~ Angel
Ahmed, Director of International Business
Development, Full Sail University
Agents should be encouraged to visit your campus, at
least once, if not regularly. In turn, college staff must try
to visit the agent’s offices while traveling abroad.
~ David Arredondo, Director International Student
Services, Lorain County Community College
39
We must emphasize that it is critically important to building trust that the entire
agency fee structure be transparent to everyone involved (family and institution) with
no unexpected fees tacked on later in the process once everyone is feeling committed
to the process and reversing course would be painful.
For those who are brand new to agency
contracts, it would be useful to speak with
experienced colleagues to understand the
appropriate terms of engagement and
determine how agency and institution
might meet each other’s needs and interests
in the most satisfactory way.
Follow up
Agents mentioned frequently that getting quick responses to questions is critical for
them. They need to be responsive to their clients (students and their families), which
means that you need to be responsive to them. The better your working relationship,
the more motivated the agents will be to present your school. This raises an important
point: don’t take on more agents than you can manage. Better to work closely with a
few well‐trained agents than to cast a wide net without the ability to effectively engage
your agents. This is another example of depth being better than breadth.
Your admissions officers have an in‐depth knowledge of your campus. They also have
access to the network of in‐house contacts and experts on all facets of your school.
Agents do not have that context. So you
need to provide as much context as
possible. If you have worked with busy
high school counselors in the US, you
know that they can have hundreds of
students to support. The counselors
(whether high school counselors in the US
or agents abroad) need to get to know the
students and the schools. It’s a challenge.
You have the ability to make it easier for
your agents. And those agents will be
more successful for you when you are a strong, responsive partner.
Agent visit programs
One of the best ways to strengthen your professional relationship with your agent
network is to invite your agents to visit campus. Think how useful it is to have high
While liberal arts has found some fashion around the
globe, we find we have to explain our most popular
major, business management, to international
counselors because of its liberal arts foundation. Some
agents and international students get stuck on this.
~ Tony Littlefield, Senior Associate Director of
Admission, Washington College
The commission model allows the institution to be in
charge of the process. ~ John Deupree, Executive
Director, AIRC
40
school counselors visit campus to learn, feel, experience and understand your
institution. For your agent network this can be just as useful. Successful agents want to
understand the ins and outs of the colleges they represent. A visit to campus is the best
way to share your unique strengths and attributes.
Piggybacking off of other scheduled programs and events can be incredibly
successful. When agents visit for the North American ICEF Workshops or for the
annual AIRC Conference, you are presented with a terrific opportunity to invite your
agents to extend their visits by traveling to your campus.
ICEF FAM tours
Agent familiarization (FAM) tours and
receptions are excellent ways for you to
gain exposure and promote your
institution and/or association with
workshop‐registered agents.
FAM tours allow you to take advantage
of the large number of agents attending
the workshop and attract them to visit
your institution, campus and region. Effective FAM tours highlight a region and its
various education options (universities, colleges, secondary schools, and language
schools), enabling agents to increase their product knowledge and bring back
firsthand information to potential students.
Agent management tools
A range of software tools are available to help
institutions manage their agent network and
communicate efficiently with this group as well
as track the results of their work.
Agints.com: offers an online tool to manage your agent networks.
Oscar (Internal System for IDP clients)
(http://www.idp.com/pdf/IDP_Services.pdf)
STOURY: Intead’s tablet presentation tool and
content management system to manage a global
agent network.
See: http://info.intead.com/stoury
Parents are the foundation in Asia. The agent needs to be
able to say the city is safe, talk about the services on campus
such as your health center, housing, food services – all the
support services for international students. ~ Jay Lokken,
Director of International Education Program,
University of Wisconsin LaCrosse
You have to be able to manage your agents if youʹre
going to do this right. ~ John Deupree, Executive
Director, AIRC
41
Business plan
Appropriate relationship management requires setting expectations and benchmarks
on both sides, the agent and the school. Both will have to agree to deliverables and
performance. This is not a one‐way street. Agents have to agree to a realistic number
of applicants and enrolled students. Don’t expect miracles and be realistic about the
time frame, type of school and the market.
Agents will expect support in terms of marketing and information. The quick
response to questions is one of the most
frequently cited requests. Fast decisions by
the school are another critical element,
which can be particularly challenging for
US universities which often have strict
deadlines and application processes
without much flexibility.
The business plan is your basis for regular
evaluation and ultimately contract
renewal.
We don’t want to ignore compensation
and payment, but it is only one element of
your successful business plan.
Not every agent relationship will warrant
the same planning, but the key agency
relationships will require care and
attention.
Promoting agent activities on your university website
Within your institution’s website you can create a login‐only microsite so agents can
easily find useful information, including your agent manual and other helpful
updates, deadlines and information. This has been especially popular in the UK and
Australia. Australian and British universities have a longer tradition of using
commission‐based agencies as extensions of their marketing functions. They list
appointed agents on their websites and direct students to their offices.
The University of Sydney’s website allows prospective students to connect with
approved agents in their home countries. This university also has an agent portal,
providing documents to help manage the relationship with agents.
A word of caution. Even with quality agents, it takes a
lot more time to manage an agent network than you
think. ~ Ron Cushing, Director of International
Services, University of Cincinnati
“We have somebody on the ground ‐ 6 weeks in the
spring, 6 weeks in the fall. He meets with all agents,
training them. We add new agents in the second or
third tier cities [in China]. Beijing and Shanghai are
working with numerous schools and are usually
looking to send their students to the highest ranked
schools. ~ Penny Gerdeman, Director of
International Admissions and Services,
University of Findlay
42
While we are on the topic of promoting your programs via
your website, you may want to consider how your website
appears to students and agents when viewed through that
country’s ISPs (internet service providers). That your
website works well when you check it through your
Comcast, Verizon or other US‐based ISP does not mean it
will appear the same way when viewed from overseas. For
instance, China blocks YouTube, Facebook, Google and
other standard social media tools we take for granted here
in the US.
Intead offers a digital audit and audit report complete with
screen shots and recommendations for improving your
website’s presentation in other countries. With so many
students and agencies conducting their research online and
sharing information about school options, it can be invaluable to see yourself through
their digital eyes.
For more information see: Intead Digital Audit.
Contract renewal
Relationships take time to develop. The
agent‐institution relationship is like any
other both sides require investment. In fact,
in our research for this e‐book and our work
in the field, we learned that the agencies may
actually have to invest more time and energy
than the institutions do.
We have heard from experienced admissions officers that three years seems to be an
important threshold. If you are unsuccessful in enrolling students through an agency
after three years, the relationship may not be worthwhile.
Time zones are a big challenge. ~ Georgina Herrera
Moreno, International Relationship Manager,
Bridge Linguatec
43
The Agent Management Process
Source: A Best Practice Guide for Agent Management, Department of Education, Training and Employment Queensland Government, Australia
44
6. Support Organizations
Department of Commerce Commercial Service
The Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Commercial Service appears to be
underutilized by colleges and universities. We call it the best‐kept secret in
international recruitment. Many other US industries use the DOC service as a “door
opener” and on‐the‐ground support organization around the world. In contrast to
EducationUSA, the Commercial Service specializes in servicing and promoting
individual companies and institutions directly.
The Department of Commerce “Gold Key Service” is a cost‐efficient paid service,
providing support when making your local country arrangements, including meeting
with potential partner schools and recruitment agents. DOC considers recruitment
agents a legitimate marketing channel for universities. The Commerce Department is
even able to arrange local receptions, and the invitation will come from the US
embassy or consulate, elevating your local standing immediately.
We also strongly recommend DOC research reports that provide information on local
education markets. The Commercial Service organizes country missions, which create
inroads and facilitate contacts.
For more information, see: http://export.gov/salesandmarketing/eg_main_018195.asp
NAFSA
NAFSA is the Association of International Educators. There are 10,000 members
worldwide who work in every area related to international education. NAFSA is a
tremendous resource for introductory training, ongoing learning, best practice
exchanges, collegial conversations and relationship building. NAFSA hosts an annual
conference yearly as well as smaller regional conferences. Through NAFSA you can
find institutional members who use agents as part of their recruitment strategies.
For more information, see: http://www.nafsa.org/
AIRC
As mentioned previously AIRC is the American International Recruitment Council.
For those institutions who are just beginning to consider working with agents, AIRC
can be a worthwhile starting point. AIRC provides a venue for discussion and
learning. It seems to us that AIRC exemplifies the US approach to have a self‐
regulatory membership organization providing ethical standards for universities and
agents. If the AIRC rules are implemented by a large number of universities, it will
45
help to create a transparent and more professionally managed process by universities
and agencies. This may help to avoid consumer and student complaints, which led to
government regulation in Australia. The latter we will discuss in the next section in
greater detail.
For more information, see: http://airc‐education.org/
46
7. International Comparison
The Australian Experience
Australian universities, and to a similar extent British and Canadian universities, have
been active users of the agent recruitment channels for decades. International students
account for a much larger part of the
Australian student body, roughly 25%
vs. 3 % in the US. So universities have
had, and continue to have, a much
greater need to scale their international
enrollment operations.
Australian universities have a long‐
standing, deep internationalization component as part of their institutional DNA.
During the past twenty to thirty years, the Australian universities as a whole, and the
government, have gone through an extensive learning process about international
recruitment. The Australian government has been a strong supporter and has
established a strong regulatory framework that guides and binds the institutions and
protects international students. The regulatory framework includes the use of agents.
(Australian Government Information on ESOS).
We learned from the Australian universities that you don’t
want to be overrepresented; identify and develop strong
relationships with key partners. ~ Steven Boyd, Director
International Admissions, University of Bridgeport
** Includes EU and Non‐EU citizens Sources: IIE, Project Atlas OECD, Wikipedia, HESA
47
The Australian government introduced a rating system connected with visa issuance
that sanctions institutions. Australian universities are not allowed to recruit or issue
visas, similar to the prohibition on issuing I‐20s in the United States.
Education has become the third largest export for the Australian economy.
Universities have developed a pragmatic and commercial attitude towards managing
and scaling international student enrollment while developing a strong institutional
and academic support infrastructure.
Pathway programs have probably further increased the market size by becoming an
entry point for a broader group of international students. The programs prepare
students culturally, linguistically and academically to transition to Australian higher
education institutions. We would contrast that with the US approach of picking the
best and brightest from around the world—students the US Ivy League institutions
(and beyond) would attract.
Australian universities have had a much stronger outward‐looking perspective, than
their American counterparts. This international perspective was driven by the need of
a large country with a small population to attract talent from abroad and expose its
own students to a broad international population. The university system was
considered the means to attract and develop talent. The Australian visa system itself is
driven by a plan to attract specific skilled individuals and award points to those with
skills in higher demand. If the country needs nurses, students interested in nursing
and credentialed nurses will get preferential visa treatment. The same holds for
accountants and other professions.
Traveling around Australia and meeting with Australian university officials reminded
me of German export‐oriented companies. They are low‐key, efficient, focused on
their task and quite self‐confident. And they are successful. Though incredibly
friendly, the Australian universities were not about to spill the beans on how and why
they are successful. While they retained their specific commercial “secrets,” they
shared their sophisticated thinking about university internationalization and the
associated processes.
First let’s compare the United States and Australia. Australia has a population of about
23 million and the US more than 300 million. Australia has 800,000 domestic students
and about 200,000 international students whereas the US has over 20 million domestic
students and approximately 750,000 international students.
The Australian university “system” includes fewer than 40 institutions and its size is
quite manageable compared to our incredibly large US group of more than 4,000 two‐
48
and four‐year colleges and universities. All 40 Australian universities have a large
percentage of international students ranging from 15 to 45 percent of total enrollment.
Internationalization is broader than enrollment
Few Australian academic leaders look at student enrollment as the sole means of
enacting internationalization. Stacey Farraway, Regional Manager for Europe and
Americas at The Queensland University of Technology, started our discussion by
highlighting a broad framework that looks at all aspects of internationalization of the
university on multiple levels:
Student services for international students,
Industry relationships,
Alumni, and
Enrollment marketing.
Comprehensive internationalization, a phrase that is frequently tossed around in
academic circles, is achieved in the Australian universities. Even with the focus on
comprehensive internationalization, international student enrollment is treated as a
key revenue driver.
From our conversations, we learned that US institutions seem to be in the earlier
stages of institutional development of broad‐based internationalization plans. It’s
certainly part of our industry ethos that all professionals focus appropriate support on
international students’ success and well‐being. The Australian university perspectives
appeared, at least anecdotally, to be more well‐rounded and to have wider
institutional support, than their US counterparts.
Commission-based recruitment is part of the recruitment DNA
In stark contrast to the US, the agency recruitment channel is a mainstream recruiting
method deployed by all Australian universities. The agent recruiting channel did not
elicit any defensiveness by Australian university officials; the management of agents
seemed a natural part of their work. As specified within the government regulatory
framework, universities must document the agents representing their institutions. As
a matter of fact, one of the largest commission‐based recruiting companies in the
world, IDP, is owned partially by Australian universities themselves.
The Australian universities appear to have developed processes to build and manage
recruiting networks that are rare in the United States. Due diligence processes are
similar on paper but there is a deeper pool of knowledge. Most universities have an
extensive network with several hundred agents, or even more when branch offices are
49
counted. Each university supports its agent network with a dedicated marketing
function.
Australian universities appear to be strong in highlighting the value proposition of
individual programs as opposed to the broad undergraduate experience. This is quite
different from the marketing style of US institutions. We find many US institutions
feel tremendous internal pressure to market all their academic programs equally
despite clear indications that some programs are more of a draw than others.
Australian marketing programs don’t seem to struggle with this pressure as much.
They target specific programs to specific audiences to achieve the best enrollment
results.
A few differences were striking in our conversations with US admissions officers and
Australian admissions and marketing staff:
Senior leadership embraces the international mission: Almost all Australian
universities have a senior administrative officer/vice chancellor/provost‐level
employee in charge of everything international. We realize the catch‐22 for
most universities in the US, where international students and international
activities have a much smaller academic, financial and institutional position.
Australian universities tend to be in size similar to our mid‐sized public
universities with 20,000 to 40,000 students, with international students
accounting for 15 to 30 percent of the student body. So a university may have
3,000 to 12,000 international students with sufficient scale to allow for a critical
mass that funds the support infrastructure on campus and marketing
structure to recruit the students.
Regional teams: At almost all the Australian universities, we found an
interesting organizational feature that we rarely observed in the US. In
Australia a regional admissions team is comprised of a manager along with
admissions and marketing staff with a regional focus. Sometimes, they are
supported by an in‐country staff member; sometimes they are based only in
the home country.
This structure allows for specialization, relationship building and in‐depth
knowledge of the marketing and recruiting environment. This contrasts with
our US system of generalist admissions officers. It goes without saying that the
Australian model requires a certain amount of recruiting scale to be feasible.
Combined undergraduate and graduate international recruitment: In
contrast to most US universities, all Australian universities we talked with
combined their international recruitment efforts across all program levels and
disciplines. In the US we see separate recruiting and marketing efforts for
50
undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. This reduces scale,
duplicates efforts and allows for less specialization by region.
Agents as a legitimate recruiting channel: In contrast to our conversations
with US university representatives, interviews with their Australian
counterparts found the fear of agents committing fraud to be quite limited.
Agents are perceived as marketing partners with defined performance
requirements and support needs. There is great awareness and understanding
of all the known issues of required due diligence, repeated training due to
high turnover, and so forth.
The monitoring systems of agent performance are advancing to include a
broader set of metrics, not just applications, enrollment and tuition but actual
student performance, transfer rates and dropout rates.
The Australian Admissions Process: The Australian admissions system has
more transparent, objective admission criteria than many American
institutions. Admission focuses around academic achievement (e.g. GPA) as
the core admissions criteria, similar to the European and Asian traditions, as
opposed to the more complex, holistic and subjective admissions process in
many US universities. Agents do not make admissions decisions, but they
seem to have the ability to forecast with greater certainty the likelihood of
admission to Australian universities compared to those in the US, particularly
selective universities. Subjective factors like extracurricular activities and accomplishments are reserved for the award of scholarships and are not used
for the admissions decision.
Australian universities don’t appear to have an interest in driving up
applications to lower their acceptance rate and appear more selective. It does
not appear to be rewarded and just leads to more and unnecessary work.
Agents are judged by sending appropriate students that will not just apply,
but ultimately enroll.
51
Pathway programs
The tradition of pathway programs
dates back several decades in Australia
and has become one of the backbones
of the international student recruitment
process. A significant percentage of
international students enter the country
via pathway programs and
subsequently transfer into other higher
education programs.
Pathway programs are a widely
available method to prepare students
during their high school years or prior
to entering higher education. The US
has a small number of selected
programs and they account for only a
small percentage of universities and
student population. It is not within the scope of this publication to discuss pathway
programs in depth, but it is worth noting that the providers of pathway programs and
private ESL providers manage large commission‐based recruiting networks that are
well positioned to recruit and enroll international students. These providers have a
great deal of scale, in‐country support teams and international marketing budgets that
exceed pretty much any university in the world.
In the early 1990’s, Navitas co‐founders, Rod Jones and
Peter Larsen, identified a need for a different kind of
pathway into university in Australia. This new pathway
aimed at international students—provided both academic
and social support and addressed the cultural and linguistic
challenges that international students studying in an
English‐speaking study environment face every day. The
first operation, a partnership with Edith Cowan University
called the Perth Institute Technology (PIBT), opened with 198 students in 1994. Within several years, similar
programs had been rolled out across Australia and around
the world and Navitas currently operates 30 University
pathway colleges in seven countries. ~ Navitas website
52
The UK experience
The United Kingdom universities became active in international student recruitment
during the 1980s when universities were encouraged and permitted to start charging
international students tuition in contrast to the free or minimal tuition for domestic
students at the time.
During the 1990s, as universities looked for the most efficient recruiting methods, a
discussion ensued, similar to one we have had in the US during the past years,
regarding the appropriateness of engaging commission‐based paid agents. It’s
interesting to read a document published by the British Council in 2003 on
Recruitment Agents: A legal overview, which lays out the non‐existence of a legal
framework in the UK and guides universities on how to consider and manage agency
relationships.
Relatively quickly during that decade, UK universities (in particular, the more
entrepreneurial, newer universities or polytechnics) started experimenting with
building agent recruiting networks. The Oxford‐ or Cambridge‐type universities did
not have to deploy agents due to their global brand recognition, but most other British
universities had to recruit actively and cost‐efficiently.
Along the way, the British Council started publishing a list of “approved” agents, and
agent use expanded generally in line with larger international student enrollment. In
contrast to Australia, where the government established a strict regulatory
environment with ESOS for registering programs and establishing guidelines for the
use of overseas marketing representatives, the UK government has shown a more
laissez‐faire attitude. No such legislation exists in the UK. There is also no self‐
regulatory body like AIRC in existence, so each university is responsible for its actions.
In line with moves in Australia and to some extent in the US, the British government
has put a great deal of responsibility on the universities for the visa issuance process.
The visa compliance requirements encourage, and indeed require, the universities to
carefully select and verify student documentation as part of the enrollment process.
In summary, using commission‐based agents is a common practice and integral part
of the UK international student recruitment process.
53
8. Conclusion
International student enrollment is growing. Demand for trans‐national higher
education is growing, and the number of suppliers of education seeking to recruit
international students with talent and financial means is growing. Overseas
presentation, recruiters, counselors, agents whatever term you use for this marketing
support not directly hired as staff by the education entity— will continue to play a
significant role, despite the growth of digital information and marketing channels.
Here’s the reality: personal assistance with big decisions will always win the day.
What does it take to manage agent recruiting as a marketing channel? Managing sales
people is never easy. Managing networks working on a straight commission payment
is even more difficult. There can be a great deal of tension in that relationship.
We aren’t here to tell you that the transition to working with agents or expanding your
agent network is going to be easy. As with all things in life, that which can be the most
rewarding often requires the most effort. The more you put into your agent network
relationships, the greater your potential gains.
From our perspective the admissions department has one of the most challenging jobs
on campus. You have been commissioned to recruit qualified, capable students to
your institution in an increasingly competitive environment. If you are like many of
your colleagues, your budget has been slashed in recent years. You are required to do
more with less. Your hours are taxing. And yet you love what you do, and you pour
your heart and soul into your career.
Parents and students are in a tough spot. Information is incomplete and highly
complex. As complicated as the process of college admission is for American students
and parents, for international students and parents, it can be exponentially more
complex. International students are inundated with information from not only
American institutions, but Australian, British, and Canadian institutions, to name a
few. And many of these applicants are wading through the complexity with English
as their second language.
Education is a complicated service to buy and sell. You cannot easily compare the
products as you might with houses or cars. The outcome is years away and clearly not
only depends on the university “input” (teaching, environment, support) but depends
greatly on the input by the students in terms of their own effort, diligence and talent.
Simple rankings make it easy to understand perceived quality. Yet only a tiny
percentage of students will attend the top ranked universities. And short of brand
54
recognition, the quality differences between rank number 20 and 80 or 150 and 350, let
alone the hundreds of regional rankings, are largely meaningless to assess quality and
fit.
Just as the use of agents is one marketing channel for you to consider, there are
countless other channels to research as you look to strengthen and grow your
institution’s international student recruitment and retention. We’d encourage you to
explore our e‐book 88 Ways to Recruit International Students for other ideas.
As always we welcome your comments and feedback. We see our work as a dynamic
exchange between a service‐providing partner and the institutions we serve.
Ultimately we all have the same goals in mind: to help more students find the right
institutions and to help institutions find those well‐qualified, well‐prepared students.
55
9. Appendix
Valuable Information Sources, Media Coverage and Training Material
Current News Source: ICEF Monitor
http://monitor.icef.com/
Selecting And Using Education Agents:
http://www.slideshare.net/thoisy/selecting‐and‐using‐education‐
agents?from_search=1
Information on Australian benchmarking of international student recruitment:
http://www.spre.com.au/download/AIEC2013AUIDFResearchPaper.pdf
Steve Taylor, Chadron State University (Nebraska)
Video: http://www.csc.edu/international/office/index.csc
This website is managed by a local agent in China and acts as the official
college contact in China.
SUNY Agent Training Manual
An excellent example on how to communicate with and maintain your agent
network. See: http://global.suny.edu/oir/agentmanual.cfm
ICEF Monitor has a large number of relevant articles. Here is one that we
considered of particular interest: http://monitor.icef.com/2013/10/beyond‐
student‐recruiting‐agents‐roles‐as‐counsellors/
For more information, see: http://icefmonitor.com/
The Guardian International Education Hub has excellent coverage. Here is one
example: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher‐education‐
network/blog/2013/jul/17/testing‐questions‐education‐agent‐brazil
Various authors and sources
The Legality and Standards of Commission‐based Recruiting, Mitch
Leventhal, PhD. See: Legality
Universities pitch to international counselors, CBC News, July 2013.
See: CBS News
Best Practices in International Student Recruitment and Retention, Hannover
Research. See: Honnover Research
And: Best‐Practices‐in‐International‐Student‐Recruitment‐and‐Retention‐in‐
Anglophone‐Countries‐Membership.pdf
56
Support Services for Campus Internationalization and Agent Network Management
AIRC
Standard setting organization for agents in the United States.
For more information, see: http://airc‐education.org/
Agints.com
Agints.com provides a range for services including an online management
tools to manage your agent networks as well as agent reviews.
For more information, see: http://www.agints.com/
ICEF
ICEF offers an extensive network of agent meetings around the world. The
website includes also agent training material and other useful resources.
For more information, see: http://www.icef.com/
ICEF i-Graduate Agent Barometer
Benchmarking the student‐agent experience: the International Student
Barometer tracks changes in agent perceptions and intentions, the
attractiveness of markets and programs of study.
For more information, see: http://www.igraduate.org/
Intead
Intead provides customized services to support your international enrollment
marketing. We have developed a special mobile presentation and
management tool with agent communication and management in mind.
Details on the app here: http://info.intead.com/stoury
For more information, see: http://www.intead.com
Object next
Object next is an Australian software provider with a suite of admissions‐
related software. One of the modules is a comprehensive agent management
tool. They offer software for university clients as well as directly to the agents.
For more information, see: http://www.objectnext.com/index.html
57
UCosmic Information
UCosmic is a comprehensive open‐source system to support the
internationalization of university campus activities. The system originated at
the University of Cincinnati under the leadership of Mitch Leventhal, PhD,
whom we mentioned in this e‐book. The system is designed to create
universities. The work with agents, university representatives, is one of the
content modules. As with all open‐source systems, the hope is that the
consortium members will add more and more capabilities, visibility and
trackability for a whole range of university activities in the international realm.
For more information, see: http://www.ucosmic.org/About.aspx
Weba Agent Workshops
Weba provides agent workshops for universities.
For more information, see: http://www.webaworkshops.com/
Australia Specific Resources
Information on Australian benchmarking of international student recruitment
Australian Government Regulatory Rules ESOS
University presentation on national code in Australia
Queensland University – Agent Management Guide
CQ University Research Series , Volume 2, Issue 1, 2011
58
10. Give Feedback
Share your feedback on this book and your own experience with agents:
Michael Waxman‐Lenz: [email protected]
Lisa Cynamon Mayers: [email protected]
Learn More
Intead.com for more resources to help you internationalize your institution.
Sign Up
Receive our weekly Intead Insight and regular blog posts and podcasts.
Gain Strategic Perspective on Enrollment Marketing
Internal infrastructure (organizational and digital)
Regions and cultures
Online and other digital tools
Recruiting products and services from e‐mail marketing platforms, lead
generators and tours to pathway programs and international associations.
