When considering international agents in the student recruitment portfolio, it is vital that institutions take initial steps to screen the agents. Ensuring you have a reliable agent partner will help you increase your international enrollment and maintain a steady flow of students.
Currently, there are over 20,000 agents around the world who help place students into education institutions. Some are large mega corporations, while others are small mom and pop operations. Having a clear sense of the agent’s background and years of operations will help you build your confidence and trust with your overseas representative.
Institutions can be proactive in their partnership by developing a pre-sreeening questionnaire. This helps serve the purpose of identifying good reliable agents who can recruit students for your school. The follow are a sample questions which can determine the likelihood that an agent will be a steady and dependable partner:
- How many years has your agency been in operation?
- How many partner institutions do you current represent in North America?
- What is your track record in sending students to North America?
- What is your agency’s qualifications (accreditation, licenses, training, etc.)
- What are your main clients and can we receive some testimonials?
- What is your agency’s standards and best practices when it comes to recruiting students?
These questions above along with others can help an institution discern the difference between a well-qualified and experienced agent from a novice. Proper screening and follow-up should be always be a standard procedure to develop a good pool of agents for institutions.
Please let me know your comments and questions.
John D.
Email: johnduque@agentmanagementsolutions.com