Part of the Study UK campaign, the MOOC is designed for agents and counsellors interested in starting out in, or expanding their business to, the UK.

“We commend the British Council on making its agent training more available”

It focuses on the UK education system and preparing agents for UCAS, the UK’s college and university admissions service, visa and immigration preparation, and pastoral care, among other areas.

The British Council’s head of global higher education, Brenda McMahon, said the course aims to promote the UK to a worldwide audience.

“This is for people who are just starting out in the business. It’s about reaching a wider audience, promoting the UK and sharing our expertise with people in the English teaching sector worldwide.”

“We’ve taken the knowledge we’ve honed from decades of experience in the British Council and turned it into a free course that benefits everyone in the sector,” McMahon added. 

Markus Badde, CEO of ICEF, said training agents and counsellors is beneficial for both employers and employees.

The course is hosted by FutureLearn, and runs for for four weeks. Participants must have an English level of at least B1 on CEFR to register.