“They are really going to contend with a world which is no longer centred on North America”

The PIE: How do you get ‘better’ rather than more students?

KM: By working with agents on a daily basis, being aware what is happening with each of the agents around which students they are recommending your institution to. Some agents have books and they organise the schools they represent in sections according to academic level.

There are things you can do to help your institution ‘move up the book to the next section’ so to speak.

The PIE: Do all agents work with that?

KM: I’m not sure if they all officially have a book, per se, but I would say they all unofficially do. It is part of the agents’ job to identify which school is suitable to a student’s academic achievement. Essentially, you have to earn your way ‘up the book’.

The PIE: And how do they evaluate a good school?

KM: It’s a combination of a lot of things. It’s ranking and reputation, of course, number one. Number two is how strong are their marketing materials? How well does that school articulate their merits to the target market in China? And then the third point is how well does that school support the agent by training regularly, attending fairs, etc.

“What are the odds that the agent is going to receive a call from an unhappy family?”

Fourth is how reliable is that school from an admissions, communications and on-boarding point of view. What are the odds that the agent is going to receive a call from an unhappy family?

The PIE: I can see why it may take some time to make inroads in the market.

KM: Agents prefer to recommend a school that the family has heard of. Agents don’t incur a lot of risk in promoting a school like that and it requires less intensive persuasion and time. In the absence of that they also look for a school that delivers on admissions promises.

Beyond that, the Chinese market really wants a foreign education because it will lead to a great job after they graduate.

Schools that are working to improve their ranking can help be more marketable to Chinese students by investing in international student services to improve post-graduation employment placement, as well as having a full range of co-op, internship and summer employment options.

The PIE: Do agents charge the family for their services?

KM: Yes and their reputation isn’t built primarily with institutions but rather built in the market, with families.

The PIE: How much would they charge?

KM: Anywhere from as low as US$2,000 to well, the sky’s the limit. One of my interns here spent US$25,000 getting into NYU with an agent.

The PIE: Do you think China will continue to be a big source country? It has its own plans to be an education hub…

“Schools can help be more marketable by investing in services to improve post-graduation employment placement”

KM: If I look at what’s happening in China, I don’t think the market for foreign study is going to level off. I think we’re going to see continued growth for several years.

However, at some point, as it develops economically India will surpass China, given they currently have such a huge population of youth.

The PIE: And where do Chinese students want to go? Is the US a favourite option?

KM: Yes, the US is largely the default education choice for Chinese families but I am seeing some evidence that that is wavering. I think it’s partly changing due to growing confidence among Chinese consumers, coupled with the perceived diminishing of the US.

Not only that, there are really sophisticated coordinated intentional marketing efforts on the part of the British Council, Australia and Canada to try and promote those countries as the destination of choice and I think the message is starting to get through.

The PIE: We touched on multi-directional flows of students earlier…

“it is very easy for us to not even notice what is happening between China and Africa, and China and India”

KM: I watch China from a lot of different points of view. I am frequently surprised by how quickly the world is flipping on its end. The flow of money and knowledge used to be in one direction. Increasingly the flows are multi-polar. China has a huge investment in Africa and an enormous investment in the development of African and South American resources. In a world where America has been the dominant superpower, it is very easy for us to not even notice what is happening between China and Africa, and China and India.

When we look at American students and Canadian students we consider, what is it going to take to succeed in their future world? Not now but 10 years from now. Their skills and comfort ‘out of market’ is going to be incredibly important for them. They are really going to contend with a world which is no longer centred on North America.