Overview
Education agents are individuals or organizations that connect international students who are looking to study abroad with schools that are willing to accept them. They can be for-profit businesses making their income by charging the school authority, the international student or sometimes both for their services. In some countries it can be challenging to enter the market without an agent providing in-country support. Because they are located in-country and speak the local language, agents can more easily develop relationships of trust with local schools and community members.
The agent may assist international students with:
- filling out applications
- obtaining study permits
- transferring applicable fees from the parents to the school board
- liaising between the international student’s family and the school authority while they are in Alberta
An effective education agent is well-briefed on the school authority’s offerings and expectations and can then recommend the school authority to international students who would be a good match. School authorities tend to meet with education agents at study abroad fairs. Mutual trust and open communication are required for an effective relationship between the school authority and agent partners. While the mutual trust may take time to establish, open communication may be facilitated through the creation of an agent’s guide. An agent guide provides agents with critical information on the school authority and clearly outlines the expectations that the school authority has for the agent. It will often contain general information like what is found on the program website or in a brochure. The agent guide may also contain more specific information, such as an agent agreement.
The following steps are recommended before entering into an agreement with an education agent or agency:
- Seek legal counsel regarding contracting, including risk mitigation, indemnity agreements and identifying which party would be legally responsible for the international student.
- Review the agent partner’s business plan and any other corporate material.
- Request and check references (at least 2 to 3).
- Check to see if the agent partner has a local office in the country in which you wish to recruit.
- Consider how the agent partner will be paid.
- Determine a title for the agent partner that is acceptable to your school authority’s legal counsel.
- Conduct an in-person interview. Information to collect should include:
- the countries the agent represents
- the agents recruitment methods
- the relationship the agent has with school authorities
- the size of the agents staff
- what training will recruiting staff need to be successful
It is advisable for education agents to have the appropriate training and qualifications to recruit international students. Many agents can obtain certification from their own countries. Agents may also receive designation as a Registered International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA) and/or take the Canada Course for Educator Agents (CCEA) provided by the Canadian Association of Public Schools – International (CAPS-I), Languages Canada and the International Consultants for Education and Fairs (ICEF).