Working with Agents & The ICEF Agent Barometer Findings

PRESENTATION

Working with Agents &

The ICEF Agent Barometer Findings

Caroline Levesque & Sarah Mines , ICEF

icef.com | 2

INTRODUCTION

What we’ll

talk about

ICEF Barometer

findings

A closer look at

agentsBest practices

in working with

agents

A few words on

marketing

icef.com | 3

Barometer

▶ Online survey developed in partnership by

i-graduate & ICEF

▶ Established in 2007, the ICEF Agent Barometer

has tracked the opinions of agents across the

world for 9 years

▶ The 2015 study ran for 3 weeks during October

▶ 1,671 agents responded from 110 countries

icef.com | 4All materials strictly copyright © i-graduate 2015

Number of partner institutions

18

288 286

197

112124

104

6053

19

47

283

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1 2-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 More than100


Number of students placed per agency

7% 7% 7%

6% 6%

22%

19%

9%

4%

3%

6%

3%

2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%


Recruitment by programme

9%

20%

24%

30%

31%

51%

54%

54%

55%

57%

62%

62%

74%

77%

80%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other

University: Distance Education/Online Learning

Work & Travel Programs

Internships

Work & Study Programs

Vocational Diploma/Further Education

Secondary and High School

Certificate/Foundation

Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP)

Diploma

University: Foundation

MBA Programs

University: Graduate/Postgraduate

University: Undergraduate

English Language Programs


Number of student placed by programme

5,274

1,505

4,744

7,108

7,761

8,286

8,811

9,546

11,678

12,540

16,202

20,217

32,692

40,386

148,690

0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000

Other

University: Distance Education/Online Learning

Internships

Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP)

Work & Study Programs

Certificate/Foundation

University: Foundation

Vocational Diploma/Further Education

MBA Programs

Diploma

Secondary and High School

Work & Travel Programs

University: Undergraduate

University: Graduate/Postgraduate

English Language Programs


Best study destination for Secondary and High Schools

Canada28%

UK24%

USA20%

Australia13%

Other9%

CountryRank 2015

Rank 2014

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

Canada 1 3 3 3 3 3

UK 2 1 1 1 1 1

USA 3 2 2 2 2 2

Australia 4 4 4 4 4 4

New Zealand 5 5 5 5 5 5

icef.com | 9

Best study destination for Undergraduate Study

(University)

USA34%

Canada18%

Australia18%

UK17%

Other13%

CountryRank 2015

Rank 2014

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

USA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Canada 2 3 4 3 4 3


UK 4 2 2 2 2 2

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Best study destination for Graduate/

Postgraduate Study (University)

USA34%

Canada18%

UK18%

Australia17%

Other13%

Country Rank 2015

Rank 2014

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

USA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Canada 2 4 4 3 3 4

UK 3 2 2 2 2 2


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15%

16%

16%

16%

14%

12%

7%

6%

5%

7%

74%

77%

78%

79%

80%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

UK (1000)

Australia (955)

New Zealand (636)

Canada (1034)

USA (n=1088)

The same Less than the last 12 months More than the last 12 months

How many students do you expect to place in next 12 months – Traditional markets

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15%

25%

22%

23%

21%

24%

20%

20%

21%

19%

18%

18%

16%

14%

13%

7%

7%

8%

6%

7%

4%

8%

8%

5%

4%

4%

3%

4%

3%

4%

78%

68%

70%

71%

72%

72%

72%

72%

74%

77%

78%

79%

80%

83%

83%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other (85)

Certificate/Foundation (561)

Secondary and High School (618)

Pre-Masters/Postgraduate Qualifying Program (PQP) (574)

Vocational Diploma/Further Education (544)

University: Distance Education/Online Learning (200)

English Language Programs (1003)

Internships (319)

University: Foundation (674)

Diploma (638)

Work & Study Programs (346)

Work & Travel Programs (266)

MBA Programs (714)

University: Graduate/Postgraduate (860)

University: Undergraduate (907)

The same Less More

How many students do you expect to place in next 12 months – by Programme


Overall attractiveness of Study Destinations in 2015

81%14%

26%30%31%

33%42%

44%47%

49%49%

57%59%

62%71%71%

77%78%

83%83%

85%85%

89%90%

91%93%93%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Other (106)

Indonesia (486)

Philippines (493)

Thailand (491)

India (556)

Hong Kong SAR (482)

South Korea (525)

Russia (562)

UAE (530)

South Africa (590)

Malaysia (604)

China (637)

Singapore (612)

Japan (599)

Netherlands (613)

Malta (672)

Italy (700)

Spain (693)

Switzerland (715)

France (769)

Ireland (798)

New Zealand (850)

Germany (823)

UK (967)

Australia (1005)

USA (1027)

Canada (1035)

icef.com | 14

CHART

Main concerns

before departing

What are the main concerns,

complaints, and questions

from students and parents

before departing?

55% 53%

41% 41%

24%21%

11%

4%

Base No: 1,117

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CHART

Main concerns

before and

after departing

What are the main

concerns, complaints,

and questions from

students and parents

before departing?

55

%

53

%

41

%

41

%

24

%

21

%

11

%

4%

28

%

19

%

15

%

37

%

41

%

25

%

21

%

2%

Base No: 1,117

BEFORE DEPARTING AFTER DEPARTING

icef.com | 16

INFOGRAPHIC

Ideal marketing +

recruitment strategies

for international

educationMARKETING

PLAN

INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATIONS

ALUMNI

ADVERTISING

FAIRS + EXHIBITIONS

INTERNET WEB + SOCIAL MEDIA

EDUCATION AGENTS

GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS

icef.com | 17

What is an education

agent ?

An individual, a company or an institution that

provides educational advice, support and

placement to students wishing to study abroad

For you – a person or an organization abroad that

markets your institution, generates inquiries and

qualified applicants

Agents

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Why education agents are

important ?

Agents are a low risk, low cost way of getting involved in

international student recruitment activity

They provide fast, direct access to specific local markets

In some countries, 60 to 80% of international students go through

agents

Their contribution in terms of student numbers are significant

They do not just provide quantity, but also student quality

Agents can save work & time for admissions departments

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What agents do for you

▶ Represent you on a year round basis

▶ Provide you with reliable local market information

▶ Advise and support on a targeted local media plan

▶ Provide you with a local infrastructure

▶ Improve your “application -> admission” conversion rates

▶ Pass on post-study feedback (positive/negative)

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What agents do for parents & students

▶ Agents constitute a trustworthy and accountable local

contact

▶ They give local language advice to students - and

parents!

▶ Good agents can suggest an optimal institution /

student match

▶ They provide valuable counseling services

▶ Agents deliver useful added-value services

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How to select agents. Some key questions:

▶ What geographical area do they cover?

▶ Company history - how long have they been in business?

▶ What is their company structure & number of staff?

▶ How many students do they handle each year?

▶ Where are they sending students?

▶ What other institutions do they represent (#, type, location)?

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How to select agents. Some key questions:

▶ What is their promotional and marketing strategy?

▶ Are they members of an association?

▶ What professional standards do they follow?

▶ Can they provide references?

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Agent contract: a written agreement is necessary

▶ Define respective roles & responsibilities

▶ Review business plan: marketing, communications and budget

▶ Give key performance indicators: quantity / quality

▶ Outline exact compensation model

▶ Exclusivity: if and when

▶ Dispute resolution guidelines

▶ Duration of contract including termination clauses

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Train your agents:

▶ Provide comprehensive information

▶ Conduct regular agent training

▶ Produce an agent manual

▶ Create a web-based agent portal

▶ Have a regular contact person

▶ Organize familiarization trips (FAM)

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Support your agents:

▶ Keep in touch with regular communications: email, social media, apps, and phone

▶ Provide regular updates on new developments: email blasts, newsletters

▶ Always respond promptly

▶ Provide them with your marketing plan and budget, and provide marketing support

▶ Set up timely reviews and assessment

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Some words on compensation

▶ Commission is based on international student tuition

▶ percentage based commission (10-20%).

▶ set fee per head

▶ marketing fee over a defined period

▶ More important is the total invoice paid at year-end (actual dollars)

▶ Double-dipping: what is it and when is it okay?

▶ Payment procedures should be clearly stipulated and

strictly adhered

▶ Important: student fees should always be received before the

student arrives

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Motivation and Incentives

▶ Financial: commissions & bonus

▶ Non-financial:

▶ FAM trips

▶ Scholarships or bursaries

▶ Marketing materials and support

▶ Best is a combination of both financial and non-financial

▶ Providing a product and service that is client / student-

centric

icef.com | 28

CHART

Top 10 criteria

in marketing

for institutions

How important is this

criteria in terms of

marketing for institutions?

86%

86%

88%

88%

88%

88%

90%

90%

91%

93%

2 4 -HOU R TU RNAROU ND ON ADMI SS I ONS DOCU MENTS ( 1009)

AVAI LABI L I TY OF AN ONLI NE APPL I CATI ON SERVI CE ( 1026)

PARTI C I PATI ON I N AN AG ENT I NCENTI VE SCHEME ( 1 0 0 2 )

REG U LAR V I S I TS BY YOU AND/OR YOU R STAFF TO THE EDU CATI ON I NST I TU TI ON ( 1019)

HAVI NG G U ARANTEED ENTRY TO SPECI F I C EDU CATI ON I NST I TU TI ON PROG RAMS ( 1015)

AG ENT TRAI NI NG WORKSHOPS ORG ANI SED I N THE DEST I NATI ON COU NTRY ( 1030)

F I NANCI AL SU PPORT SCHEMES, I NCLU DI NG SCHOLARSHI P/ BU RS ARY SCHEMES ( 1023)

PROMPT PAYMENT OF COMMI SS I ONS ( 1029)

AG ENT MANU AL WI TH FEES AND I NFORMATI ON ( 1 0 3 5 )

QU I CK RESPONSE T I MES TO ENQU I RI ES AND APPL I CATI ONS AND REG U LAR COMMU NI CATI ON

U PDATES ( 1030)

Base No: 1,117

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In Summary

▶ Select agents carefully, ensure that they are of

quality

▶ Only appoint agents suitable to your institution

▶ Ensure that they are part of an integrated marketing

plan

▶ Invest sufficient time and resources right from the

start

▶ Communicate regularly with and support them

effectively

▶ Review requirements and contracts

Agents

icef.com | 30

TEAM

Collaboration

Caroline Levesque

Business Development Manager

ICEF, GmbH

[email protected] | icef.com

Sarah Mines

Sales Director Canada

ICEF, GmbH

[email protected] | icef.com